[Via Chicago]

Moral Bankruptcy Of Chicago's Elites

As the city approaches financial bankruptcy, Chicago’s elite’s line-their-pockets with taxpayer money.
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Here’s what we found: 600 city vendors gave Emanuel $7 million in campaign cash during the past four years and received $2 billion in city payments since 2002. And here’s how we found that data: We looked at a universe of 1,500 companies or their affiliated employees funding Rahm Emmanuel’s campaign since 2010. We then matched those company names with payments from the City of Chicago vendor checkbook. It’s a confluence of campaign cash and contractor payments or benefits.
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Overall, our findings led to two conclusions: pay-to-play is still legal in Chicago and Rahm Emanuel has complete control of the entire corrupt Daley political machine. In all the examples identified above, the individual transactions are probably completely legal at arm’s length, but the patterns are troubling. But there’s a deeper problem. Our so-called leaders are funding a decadent and corrupt machine that exists to serve themselves rather than the city. The players are extracting extreme and undue profits as the city careens into financial insolvency. Residents face bleak futures while the players enjoy bright futures. The fact that Chicago is famous for this “machine” is disgraceful.
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The hard truth is our elites – business and civic leaders – have sold the city out. While they strip the city of needed funds with their no-bid, non-competitive contracts for millions of dollars, they recycle a portion back into politics by funding the political machine that is designed to protect their own positions.