In Chicago, government is the problem

One political party has controlled Chicago for over 85 years, the longest run of Democrats in any of the nation’s ten most populous cities.

However, it would be false to claim that any one party is entirely responsible for the city’s current shape. In fact, this multi-faceted problem is a failure of both parties, because it is the result of too much government.

{mosads}Chicago is a glaring example of the complications found in various cities across this country, except on a grander scale.The city owes $34 billion in unfunded liabilities to its six public pension plans. To address the growing debt, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his city council approved the largest property tax hike in Chicago history – $755 million in additional taxes and fees.

Coupled with that, residents were saddled with increases on water and sewer rates, garbage hauling fees, 911 phone call taxes, vehicle sticker fees, and a new tax on cable television, after already having the highest sales tax in the nation.

All told, as of last year the annual tax increase on each Chicago family equates to about $1,700. It goes without saying that burdensome taxes not only force residential and business taxpayers out of the city, but it also discourages private investment.

The Chicago Public School system – third largest in the nation – is equally as bad. Currently facing a $1 billion budget deficit, both Emanuel and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner have suggested that the district file bankruptcy, only four other school systems have filed bankruptcy since 1954.

The district’s fiscal predicament is partly the result of growing unfunded liabilities, but the other part is the lack of public accountability. It is governed by a 7-member mayoral-appointed board which allows unelected bureaucrats, who oversee a $5.6 billion budget, the ability to skirt public responsibility for problems they cause.

The district said it will soon raise its property tax to the maximum rate allowed, while the Chicago Teachers Union is advocating increasing taxes on everything from gasoline to hotels to deal with the district debt.

On the regulatory front, both Chicago and the State of Illinois favor opportunity-killing regulations. The state imposes strict occupational licensing making it harder for inner-city taxpayers to earn a supplemental income.

Within the city, alderman – council members —have what some call “dictatorial control” over their wards. Their aldermanic privilege allows them to initiate or block city council or city government actions concerning their own wards, this gives them heavy influence on zoning changes and the permitting process.

The city already has unreasonable zoning laws that, in effect, criminalize dense development in many high-demand neighborhoods, but the unfettered control that alderman have means that access to opportunity is often only granted to political insiders. It’s no coincidence that from 1976 to 2012 Chicago averaged 51 public corruption convictions per year.

While other issues afflict the city, crime is always the first to come to mind. The truth is, these other problems directly contribute to the crime epidemic.

The story leading into 2017 was the 762 homicides that occurred in Chicago in 2016. The limited opportunities for residents on Chicago’s south side lead to increased hopelessness-driven violence. Many residents feel that they are stuck and far beyond the reach of what the government offers those living in highly favored parts of the city.

Additionally, the Republican-led war on drugs, mandatory minimums, and sentencing enhancements have long ago stripped any hope for many of these people to escape the cycle they are born into.

Heavy-handed policing methods in these neighborhoods also leave many South Side residents with contempt for fellow city dwellers and government as a whole.

High crime that is driven by poverty, limited opportunities in employment and housing, and a public school system that consistently fails students leads us to modern day Chicago.

Chicago’s government has grown the social divide and limited the prospects of those living in poverty, dragged the city into insurmountable debt, and increased taxes to the point in which people and businesses are forced to leave town.

What Chicagoans need is liberty-minded, free-market solutions to the problems they face.

They need government to pull back to provide room for actual solutions. To start, parents need a choice other than to send their children to Chicago’s failing public school. School choice would provide alternatives to those who, quite frankly, aren’t getting the education necessary to survive in today’s world. With studies showing that educational freedom can be a key to crime reduction, it is a worthy investment.

The city needs to consider significantly reducing taxes and reforming their public employee pensions. Transitioning to a model that lets taxpayers assume less of the costs would encourage more development and investment into the city, while forging a sustainable path for future worker benefits. Without major pension reform, not only will they continue to rack up unfunded liabilities, but they will have no way to ensure long-term solvency.

And, Chicago desperately needs an overhaul of the Cook County criminal justice system. Police, again, should begin to target violent crime and alternatives to incarceration should increasingly be offered to non-violent and low-level offenders. Diversion courts, cite and release, and reforming their indigent defense process would better serve residents.

Additional emphasis also should be placed on reentry programs to provide those coming back into society the tools they need to avoid returning to the life they left behind.

Chicago has an overwhelming number of problems that have no simple fix. Collectively, they make what would be a remarkable city the premier example of urban decay.

After eight and a half decades of big government progressive policies, embracing a liberty-minded approach would be a refreshing change of pace.

Charles Blain is the executive director of Restore Justice USA, a criminal justice reform project of Empower Texans. He campaigned for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2014 and has a background in public policy. Follow him on Twitter @cjblain10.

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