I had lunch about 6 months ago with a retired Tribuner who was getting a charge out of the Chicago Daily Observer coverage of ShoreBank.  He related a story about a 1980′s era Tribune investigation of the questionable practice of “redlining” or steering investment out of poorer neighborhoods. I paraphrase
When we got around to looking at ShoreBank, they had no records of where they loaned money and did no reporting to the Bank Regulators, responding, ‘Of course we loan money to our own neighborhood, we’re ShoreBank”, which was backed up …

The world lost a great business leader last week, with the passing of Steve Jobs, the Founder and CEO of Apple computer. Jobs built Apple the worlds leading technology and media company, from humble beginnings in his adoptive parents garage to the omnipresent computing giant it is today.
Yet for all his success Steve Jobs had in building his company, there seems to be quite a bit of a myth that has gone along with with his notable success. After returned to Apple in 1997, he certainly had success, but the …

Chicago News Cooperative’s Jim Warren thinks that showing Rep. Mike Quigley’s inexplicable apology to an Islamic College is a cheap shot.
Mike Quigley knows about cheap shots on ice. Now he’s an expert on being blindsided on the internet and cable TV.
So Quigley gives a public address, and some (rather responsible) people in the media disagree with him and call him on it.  Where is the “blind side”?  Only in the mushy imagination of a high minded “non-partisan” publication are US Representatives exempt from scrutiny.

Warren dismisses any scrutiny because
Ahmed Rehab, executive …

Mitt Romney has formulated
An Order to Sanction China for Unfair Trade
Direct the Department of the Treasury to list China as a currency manipulator in its biannual report and direct the Department of Commerce to assess countervailing duties on Chinese imports if China does not quickly move to float its currency
Current U.S. law requires that the Department of the Treasury release a biannual review in which it identifies any countries that are manipulating their currency to gain an unfair advantage. The Department of Commerce also has the power to find that …

I was having lunch last week with a big-time Obama backer in the banking industry. He had dropped off the Obama bandwagon while the Dodd-Frank bill was being hacked about, but is now back on. I paraphrase “Look, we can use these new rules to our advantage. It’s better for us to have friends in the White House than than to be fighting against the inevitable. We’ll take a hit, but our competitors will take a harder hit if they don’t work with these regulations”. I don’t think for one …

Here’s some folks from IGPA at the University of Illinois throwing their arms up in a new report claiming that the State of Illinois cannot possibly cut its budget in any meaningful way
‎”It is completely implausible that cutting only non-essential programs…can even begin to balance the budget”

Echoing their previous message from January of this year that
Spending cuts would have to be of a magnitude that would shut down entire core functions of state government. Bringing Illinois to fiscal solvency will require state government to implement multiple and massive policy changes. …

From the August 27, 2007 Chicago Daily Observer, written before the $800 Billion Stimulus

Brutal storms hit Northern Illinois Thursday, knocking down massive trees, and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Cook and Lake County. Heroic and commendable efforts were made by the many utility crews and emergency workers that rose to the occasion, working double shifts to restore electric service and remove trees from roadways. All around, the normal routine is returning and neighborhoods are being tidied up to their pre-storm level.
Which brings up the question, what …

I have received several notices from my friend in the Illinois Republican party claiming that 50,000 jobs are on the line if we do not release funds for the $33 Billion Capital Bill.  In a fit of responsibility, the same notes generally state that Republicans (and a few Democrats) want to withhold an additional $430 million, before releasing the funds for the $33 Billion.

So Comptroller Topinka, Senator Dillard, Senator Murphy, Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady, Candidate John Bambenek, and others, with all due respect: Illinois is Broke.  Not only do we not …

From Commenter Bessie:
Bessie said:
In the court filing 10-L-7986 Cook County Circuit Court deposition of Frawley vs. Weaver;
Page 21 Line 11;
Question (Weavers Lawyer Konicek) – “I’m assuming the information is about the PAYMENTS made by Rezko to Obama, so we know we’re talking about the right conversation, right?”
Page 21 Line 23;
Question Konicek – “So you said he withheld information. Am I correct it was about Obama being paid by Rezko?”
Page 29 Line 8;
Question Konicek – “Did you bring to Mr. Weaver in Hinsdale a statement showing payment to Tony Rezko in …