4 ms·

Has the city caught up on its debt? Have taxes been raised to adequately fund the city? Chicago is a “nice city” if you are inside the ring. Outside the ring ar

by yardie 7y ago

Has the city caught up on its debt? Have taxes been raised to adequately fund the city? Chicago is a “nice city” if you are inside the ring. Outside the ring are heavily secured rich enclaves, smoldering ghettoes, and the shrinkinh middle class communities who sit inbetween. Demographics may change, debt obligations do not.

moorhosj 7y ago
I think you effectively described every American city. Even Dallas, the example of a well-run city provided, had a pension bubble that almost burst into insolvency in 2017. ==https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2017/the-85th/issue/pensions/ https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2017/the-85th/issue/pens...
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  Chicago’s problem is compounded by the fact that Illinois is extremely indebted, to the tune of tens of billions more compared to other states, and since Chicago is where all the money in Illinois is, that is where it will have to come from.
  - moorhosj 7y ago
    Half the state’s population lives in the Chicago suburbs, not the city. Most of the wealth is in the suburbs.
dredmorbius 7y ago
"The ring"? Do you mean The Loop? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loop_(CTA) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loop_(CTA) "The ring" turns up little particular to Chicago. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chicago+"the+ring"&ia=web https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chicago+"the+ring"&ia=web There's also "collar counties": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_counties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_counties
tptacek 7y ago
I am having trouble connecting any part of this to the actual city of Chicago, in which there are no "heavily secured rich enclaves", and absolutely huge tracts of middle class bungalow-belt housing. You can drive to Lincolnshire or Kenilworth to see rich-folks compounds, in the suburbs. In Chicago, the white folks in Beverly and Oak Park and Evanston live in nice houses on small lots across the street from rougher neighborhoods. You'll find more metal gates in (rough) Lawndale than you will in (rich) Lincoln Park. Also, what is this "ring" you're talking about? Can you be more specific?

by yardie 7y ago

moorhosj 7y ago

I think you effectively described every American city. Even Dallas, the example of a well-run city provided, had a pension bubble that almost burst into insolvency in 2017. ==https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2017/the-85th/issue/pensions/ https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2017/the-85th/issue/pens...

lotsofpulp 7y ago
Chicago’s problem is compounded by the fact that Illinois is extremely indebted, to the tune of tens of billions more compared to other states, and since Chicago is where all the money in Illinois is, that is where it will have to come from.
- moorhosj 7y ago
  Half the state’s population lives in the Chicago suburbs, not the city. Most of the wealth is in the suburbs.

dredmorbius 7y ago

"The ring"? Do you mean The Loop? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loop_(CTA) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loop_(CTA) "The ring" turns up little particular to Chicago. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chicago+"the+ring"&ia=web https://duckduckgo.com/?q=chicago+"the+ring"&ia=web There's also "collar counties": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_counties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_counties

tptacek 7y ago

I am having trouble connecting any part of this to the actual city of Chicago, in which there are no "heavily secured rich enclaves", and absolutely huge tracts of middle class bungalow-belt housing. You can drive to Lincolnshire or Kenilworth to see rich-folks compounds, in the suburbs. In Chicago, the white folks in Beverly and Oak Park and Evanston live in nice houses on small lots across the street from rougher neighborhoods. You'll find more metal gates in (rough) Lawndale than you will in (rich) Lincoln Park. Also, what is this "ring" you're talking about? Can you be more specific?