Chicago

I'm just so tired of this tough guy business. Here we go again -- this time from an account of a mayoral forum sponsored by the City Club of Chicago:

Temperament was also mentioned--from how the candidates feel the mayor should behave to their behavior on the campaign trail.

If you thought Daley was great, you'll love Rahm. Conventional wisdom and the morality of a banker, all hiding behind a thin veneer of supposed 'toughness'. You'll notice on his website that he's hijacked the font and color scheme of the Obama Campaign but nowhere on that site will you see the words 'Change we can believe in'.

My sympathies go out to the guy but lets face it, if the tables were turned and it was Rahm who thought he had to knock someone off the ballot, does anyone doubt what he would do?

So apparently all the food deserts elsewhere in the city have been filled:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has found a site for its first small-box store in Chicago, with a deal to lease about 30,000 square feet in a three-level retail center in the Lakeview neighborhood, according to real estate sources.

Get well soon, Senator Durbin! We all rely on you.

I'm not too up on the agreement between Walmart and Labor about opening a 2nd WalMart store in Chicago but Progress Illinois is reporting that part of the deal is a $8.75/hr. starting salary and then an increase of 40-60 cents after the first year.

From their 'About Us' page:

The Good Jobs Chicago Coalition (city-wide religious and community coalition) advocates for the importance of quality jobs to stabilize and grow our communities. The Good Jobs Coalition is made up of community partners with a commitment to responsible growth and corporate accountability.

http://goodjobschicago.org/

It's nice to hear Mayor Daley's concerned about the 'forgotten middle class'.

Maybe the next time WalMart wants to move in, he'll go after them on improving their wages and conditions so they don't have an advantage over established businesses in Chicago that treat their employees better. The 'forgotten middle class' doesn't need a race to the bottom when it comes to bread-and-butter issues.

I'm not against development per se but why in the world do they call this a 'park'?

Event organized by Health Care for America Now (HCAN Illinois) at the Chicago Temple.