Taking My Chicago Voice Elsewhere

For as long as I can remember, “why” has been my favorite word in the English language. “Why does this do that?” “Why are things this way?” I watched many children’s educational programs during my formative years, but the only lesson that has stayed in my memory is the “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” song from The Mickey Mouse Club.

Two years ago, I was a transplant from the Nation’s Capital frustrated with the dearth of deep analysis from Chicago’s media sources about social and political matters.  The reporters were thorough in telling who, when and where their stories took place, but rarely were experts called to analyze why events occurred.
Interactions with native Chicagoans who resignedly accepted the status quo annoyed me greatly.  However, as someone with a degree in sociology and work experience in politics, I needed to know why government corruption, street gangs and neighborhood abandonment dominated the city’s landscape.  Who and what were the underlying influences behind the actions?

In my early posts, I sought to balance my positive and negative observations about Chicago from inside and outside of The Loop.  I was beyond the tourist phase of my relocation, but I was still new enough to the city to believe in finding solutions to social problems in the Rust Belt’s largest city.

Soon after launching this blog, I started writing about Chicago politics for an online news source.  As a former BosWash resident who missed living in a vibrant region, I decided to focus “My Chicago Voice” on my adopted hometown’s role as the leading Rust Belt city.

Ever the optimist, I saw much potential in the rebuilding and repopulating of abandoned areas.  Why overcrowd the Sun Belt with additional homes and roads, I wondered, when the Great Lakes cities had access to vacant lots and 20 percent of the world’s fresh water?  Why should Chicago be the de facto economic leader and migration center? And why do Forbes writers hate the Rust Belt so much?

Judging by the number of hits on my Rust Belt posts, I was far from the only person asking those questions.  I wrote “Negative List from Forbes Devoid of Rust Belt Cities” six months ago, but Googlers searching for “Forbes 10 dying cities” still find and read that piece.  My second-most popular article, about the economic growth of an eastern anchor, sparked a discussion on City-Data.com’s Pittsburgh forum.

In April, I created Political Rust Press with the goal of writing about political topics affecting the Rust Belt.  Since then, though, I’ve continued to investigate possible cases of government malfeasance  in Chicago and Illinois, leaving me with little time to analyze the region as a whole.

When I began this blog, I wrote as a powerless outsider trying to understand the inner workings of Chicago politics. I end it as an outsider with the power to write about the work of Illinois’ political insiders.

Despite The Heat, #TeamBulls Remains An NBA Powerhouse

I'm a sports fan and a social media junkie, but I avoided TV, Twitter and Facebook last night to escape any mention of  the NBA finals. Although I had cheered on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first four games, I couldn't bear to watch the team's possible elimination by the Miami Heat.  When I went to sleep, I was blissfully ignorant of the outcome of Game 5.

Shortly after rising this morning, I logged on to Twitter. To my surprise, while neither team was a trending topic, #TeamBulls was. Had the Thunder eked out a win? Was the city, and possibly much of the nation, uniting in its common hatred of the Heat? I had incorrectly assumed that I would learn the result without scrolling down.

So, I switched to Facebook, where many of my friends have vigorously expressed their allegiances throughout the finals. A link to an article was at the top of my news feed:

"LeBron James and Miami Heat win NBA championship"

*sigh*

Despite my evil wishes, karma did not bite the Heat. I must admit, though, that the champion's team had a much better supporting cast than many contenders, including the Bulls.

Here in Chicago, we're left with "what if' scenarios for the Bulls. What if the starters hadn't had so many injuries during the strike-shortened season? What if Derrick Rose hadn't torn his ACL in the first round? What if C.J. Watson hadn't thrown that ill-fated pass to Omer Asik? What if the team didn't have Carlos Boozer?

One scenario, however, remains the same. Win, lose or out of the game altogether, #TeamBulls rallies like a champion:

"#Heat win the championship, yet #TeamBulls is the No. 1 Trending Topic worldwide. Gotta love our fans. :)"
It's a bright, sunny day in Chicago, even without the NBA title.