Quote:
Originally Posted by west-town-brad
you're thinking of federal military spending, nothing to do with the state, and you forgot the catalyst for silicon valley was the private university of Stanford, again not state funded
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Talking about Stanford and omitting the presence of Berkeley in the Bay Area is willfully ignoring the contributions of the state in catalyzing private investment. It would be like suggesting the reason that the Research Triangle in North Carolina is so great is because of the private tobacco money that flooded Duke in the early in 20th century.
Chicago, like the Bay Area, the Triangle, NYC, Boston, and others, has a mix of public and private higher education institutions that have helped maintain and sustain private investment (among other things). It's part of the reason that Detroit has failed to pivot while Pittsburgh has. Continuing to invest in things that can spin off the next group of successful private ventures is a smart move. Having a shiny toy that drives that point home seems like a decent idea to me.