With the unfolding implosion of Barack Obama’s foreign policy, it is almost easy to lose sight of the events that hit a little closer to home. While the national display of Liberalism’s failure has been pretty apparent for the last few years (an anemic economic “recovery”, corruption at the IRS, a foreign policy doctrine written in crayon, et al), the local level often offers a little more clarity on failed leftist policy.
Over Father’s Day weekend, 27 more people were the victims of “gun violence” in that gun-free zone known as Chicago. Rahm Emanuel’s city, sadly, should be pleased with the number. Some prior weekends this year have seen victims of gun violence reach almost double that figure. Two people died from their wounds, with 25 others suffering from close encounters with mostly gang-related violence.
Chicago’s now infamous failure to stem gun crime is more than just a symptom of misapplied gun control policies. The city’s decades long struggle with violence, poverty, and gang activity (after all, guns don’t cause violence all by themselves) is the consequence of institutionalized Liberalism. The city is quickly spending itself into a Detroit-style crises; entitlement programs and impressively punitive taxes have helped to expand income inequality throughout the city; overspending and cronyism with Teacher Unions have led to one of the most over-paid, and under-performing, school districts in the nation; and the political climate is so corrupt that it has become a national punchline.
In other words: Chicago’s woes are not merely the consequence of circumstances… These are the symptoms of Liberalism. Simply put, big government begets big corruption. And rather than institute policies that are aimed at lifting the poor from poverty or curbing lawlessness, initiatives are routinely put in place by city officials that are solely designed to reward leftist political allies.
As an example of the Liberal failure that has fully engulfed Chicago, consider their newest tool to combat crime in “Crook” County. Rather than do some actual police work, Chicago Police Department brass have decided to tweak the way they tally murders. I guess it’s easier to change the numbers, than police the behavior of criminals. The same statistical approach to wall-papering over our problems has been utilized on a national level to make the masses feel better about job creation, GDP, and inflation… But, no matter how the CPD brass decides to tally up crime, 27 people were still shot over Father’s Day weekend. And no matter how liberals try to spin Obama’s economy, millions of people are still unable to find meaningful employment.
Rahm Emanuel’s city is a prime example of how Liberalism shapes up after decades of implementation. And, with our very own Chicago politician in the White House, we are now witnessing the dividends of Chicago-style Liberalism on a national scale. It is, therefore, not surprising that in the last six years we have seen a Department of Justice that is willing to bully and intimidate political opponents. It’s not surprising that we have an IRS that feels free to harass political dissidents. It’s not surprising that congressional investigations are met with arrogance and indifference from an increasingly opaque White House.
Partisanship, cronyism, and corruption are exactly what made Chicago’s political machine notorious and despised. But it is also the trademark qualities of big government and progressive ideology. Put in that context, what we see happening on the national scene isn’t really too surprising.
After all, our Campaigner in Chief is from Chicago. I guess you can take the politician out of Chicago… But you can’t take failure and incompetence out of Liberalism. Right?