Going Down the Wrong Road
- I clicked on the spot to get local news. That means the Chicago Metropolitan area. There were 25 articles for me to read. 17 of them involved killings, violence, tragedy of some sort. It is hard to prove to what extent our endless invasions of third world countries and fighting wars on their terms and values has done to our society, but wherever all this came from we have certainly attained a similar environment enveloping a huge percentage of our own population.
We can blame the victims and we do, but in the last analysis our own society (my generation) is responsible for the conditions established throughout our country. On issue after issue we have permitted huge segments of our own population to have poor schools, poor health care, poor job opportunities, and via our criminal war on drugs (instead of centers to help with drug addictions) allowed the criminal aspects of this war to turn many areas into third world ghettoes with all the attitudes and personal insecurity that comes with such an environment. The amount of money we have spent on military engagements in third world countries simply dwarfs the amount of money those of us with some money (tax payers) have ever spent on our own ghettoes. I guess it all started with the brilliant idea of having local property taxes pay for education, and make recreational drug abuse a police venture instead of a medical problem. I am so glad I chose the right parents, time, and place to be born. Many others simply made poor choices. Two of the articles that I reckon are supposed to be upbeat celebratory in nature are about religious rituals performed en mass by the faithful. Celebrating imagery and faith may be all that is left for many and that, in some sense, is sad too.
I read about all these leeches on society, the ghetto welfare queens/kings, the dead wood, and so on. But in moments of honesty it seems I too am one of the biggest welfare Kings. For the first 25 years of my life until I left graduate school I was a welfare recipient supported by my parents and the government. I was even awarded a draft deferment from the Vietnam War because I was a graduate student. I have been retired now for like 18 years and it would be a stretch to claim I personally earned the income I now have coming in. I haven’t done the math, but it would certainly be a stretch to say that all this money comes from my contributions to social security, a pension, or health insurance payments over the years. On top of this all the foreign country invasions we had endlessly engaged in over the last 50 years never, in any form or fashion,required any sacrifice by me. We fought these wars on borrowed money and more recently with paid mercenaries (volunteer armies). It is a tad unnerving to realize the biggest handouts are not going to the ghetto welfare queens and kings but to the affluent—and the more affluent the bigger the hand outs. Some millionaires don’t even pay any taxes, and corporate retirement umbrellas, salaries, and pensions, by themselves, are like winning the lottery in terms of handouts.
Like most, I like to think I achieved my good fortunes the old fashioned way—I earned them—yet reality dictates that much of what I received in life has involved good parenting, luck, assistance from many others, and government welfare. Perspective is always humbling.
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- BMO Harris Bank branch in Austin robbed
Authorities are investigating a Saturday morning bank robbery at a BMO Harris Bank branch in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.
WLS 731 mins ago
- Married couple found dead in Garfield Ridge
A man and woman both in law enforcement were found dead Sunday morning in the 5300 block of South Austin.
WLS 746 mins ago
- Chicago shootings: 7 dead, 22 hurt since Friday night
Seven people have been killed and at least 22 others have been wounded in shootings across the city since Friday evening.
WLS 7
- Husband and wife -- both officers -- found shot to death in Garfield Ridge home
A Cook County Sheriff's Office correctional officer and his wife, a Chicago police officer, were found shot to death inside a home in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood Sunday morning, officials said.
Chicago Tribune
- Transcript reveals confusion over ferry evacuation
A transcript released Sunday shows the South Korean ferry that sank was crippled with confusion and indecision well after it began listing dangerously, possibly adding to a death toll that is officially at 58 but could...
FOX News Chicago
- Thousands sign up to work for UberX, other ride-share services
Reagan Rucker knew she wanted to join the thousands of local motorists hauling strangers around in their cars the first time she took an UBERx ride as a passenger. "I said 'Let me try this,'" said Rucker, 40, who took on a $300 monthly payment for a 2009 Hyundai Elantra (to meet Uber's requirements for late-model, four-door sedans), went through criminal-background and driving-record checks, and ...
Daily Herald
- Woman wanted for Wicker Park bank robbery
Authorities are searching for a woman who robbed a bank Friday afternoon in the Wicker Park neighborhood on the North Side.
FOX News Chicago
- Pope Francis, huge crowd joyously celebrate Easter
Marking Christianity's most hopeful day, Pope Francis made an Easter Sunday plea for peace and dialogue in Ukraine and Syria, for an end to terrorist attacks against Christians in Nigeria and for more attention to the...
FOX News Chicago
- Clergy see Easter sermon as way to entice more faithful
Pews fill up so much for Easter the faithful have to show up earlier than usual to find a parking space, and some churches even tack on extra services to accommodate the crowds.
Times of Northwest Indiana
- Valparaiso mother lived for family
Sandy Sievers was a quiet, kind woman who always put her family as her first priority, said her niece, Dena Rae Hancock.
Times of Northwest Indiana
- Swimming, hiking, history, ecology all highlight the Indiana Dunes
A well-planned visit to the Indiana Dunes region could start at the Indiana Dunes Tourism Visitor Center at 1215 N. Ind. 49, Porter, just north of Interstate 94 and the Indiana Toll Road.
Times of Northwest Indiana
- Man killed in crash on Dan Ryan Expressway near Chicago Skyway
A 22-year-old man was killed in a crash Saturday morning on the Dan Ryan Expressway. The dead man was identified only as Deante Dillion, who was pronounced dead shortly before 5 a.m. at Stroger Hospital.. The crash happened near the Dan Ryan’s merge with the Chicago Skyway, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s …
Chicago Sun-Times
- Algonquin girl becomes face of national parks
Aida Frey knew she wanted to be a park ranger ever since her first visit to a national park. Three years later, the 13-year-old from Algonquin has visited 163 national parks and historic sites with her family, and earned about 300 badges, pins and medals as part of the National Park Service's Junior Ranger program. "I don't have a favorite because each national park is special in its own way ...
Daily Herald
- Breaking down the Bulls-Wizards season series
Here's a closer look at the regular season games between the Bulls and Washington. The Wizards won two out of three, becoming the only team in the East to win a season series against the Bulls this year.
Daily Herald
- Geneva kayak trip turns fatal
A kayak trip down the Fox River in Geneva turned into tragedy Saturday afternoon for a group of friends from downstate Bloomington when one of them drowned after losing control of his kayak, authorities said.
Chicago Tribune
- Man drowns after kayak falls from Geneva dam
A 26-year-old man died on Saturday after getting caught in the boil at the Geneva dam, Geneva Fire Lt. Todd Loomis said.
Kane County Chronicle
- 2 South Side teens killed over Facebook dispute, mom says
Two Chicago teenagers were shot to death Saturday over a dispute on Facebook, the mother of one of the victims said Saturday night. Sixteen-year-old Jordan Means and an 18-year-old friend whose name authorities were withholding pending notification of his family were found dead just after 10:30 a.m. Saturday in an apartment in the 8200 block of South Houston Avenue on the South Side, according ...
Chicago Sun-Times
- Boy, 16, shot on South Side
A 16-year-old boy who police said has gang ties was shot multiple times late Saturday afternoon in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
Chicago Tribune
- Baby Boy, Wrapped In Bag, Found Dead In Gangway
About 8:30 a.m., the boy — described as a newborn — was found in a gangway in the 2700 block of North Hamlin Avenue.
CBS Chicago
- Geneva woman dies in Plato Township motorcycle crash
PLATO TOWNSHIP – A 54-year-old Geneva woman died Saturday when the motorcycle she was driving went off the road and struck a guardrail on eastbound Route 20, west of Switzer Road, according to a news release from the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
Kane County Chronicle
- Man dies after kayak falls from Geneva Dam
A 26-year-old man died on Saturday after getting caught in the boil at the Geneva Dam on Saturday, said Lt. Todd Loomis of the Geneva Fire Department.
Kane County Chronicle
- One Dead, One Rescued In Kayak Accident On Fox River
Two young men in the kayak were plunged into the river; one young man was ejected from the kayak and the other young man was stuck inside.
CBS Chicago
- Ministers Lead Ant-Violence Protest In South Chicago
South Chicago ministers lead an anti-violence procession through the neighborhood, on the Saturday before Easter.
CBS Chicago
- Blackhawks give up late goal, lose in OT; Seabrook will have hearing Sunday
ST. LOUIS — The post-whistle skirmishes grew larger and more vicious. The hits were harder and more dangerous. The conversations between captains Jonathan Toews and David Backes and referee Brad Meier grew longer and more animated. Gradually, the game was unraveling. Suddenly, the Blackhawks’ season might be, too. The St. Louis Blues took a 2-0 series lead with Saturday’s 4-3 overtime victory ...
Chicago Sun-Times
- Man, 25, faces armed robbery charges
A 25-year-old man behind a string of armed robberies in and near Palos Hills was charged Friday after officers stopped him outside a pantry he allegedly robbed two weeks earlier, police said. Nicholas Koliopoulos, of Palos Hills, faces two counts of armed robbery, a Class X felony, one count of felony aggravated robbery and one count of felony reckless discharge of a firearm. Officers arrested ...
SouthtownStar
