Category Archives: Chicago
Hastert Hush Money
I was wondering how it was possible that I was watching Donald Trump, the Republican “presumptive nominee” for president of the United States, giving a foreign policy speech yesterday afternoon.
Then news broke that former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert had been sentenced to fifteen months in prison and fined $250,000. He was guilty of structuring bank withdrawals to hide the fact that he was taking out millions in cash.
How is it possible that a former politician and high school wrestling coach was able to withdraw $3.5 million in cash? The former Speaker had parlayed his status as an elite Washington insider into a job as a high paid Washington lobbyist.
Hastert Hush Money
The cash was hush money Hastert paid to a former high school wrestler whom he had molested when he was his coach. The judge called him a “serial child molester.”
Here’s the story in the NY Times. Here’s a National Review story about Hastert’s rise from suburban Chicago high school teacher to Washington insider.
Gun Control
President Obama is big on collectives. He thinks that, since we didn’t pass his gun control legislation, we are “collectively responsible” for those shot and killed at a community college in Oregon. He’s getting pretty darned tired of having to point this out every time there’s a mass shooting. Jacob Sullum at Reason is getting pretty darned tired of explaining why this makes no sense.
Last weekend in Obama’s adopted hometown Chicago 14 people were shot, 6 were killed. Chicago has the gun control laws the president says we need.
Financial Struggles of Rubio and Hastert
The NYT is on Marco Rubio’s case. The paper reported he’s had 4 traffic tickets in 17 years! Not only that, he used an $800,000 book advance to pay off $100,000 in student loans and buy an $80,000 fishing boat – or a “luxury speed boat”. All this packed into not one, but two stories. The second story appeared on Wednesday’s front page under the headline Rubio Career Bedeviled by Financial Struggles.
The editors seem unaware that Rubio’s financial struggles are the same struggles bedeviling a lot of normal people. Jon Stewart is on The Times’ case.
Meanwhile a picture directly above the Rubio story, in the print edition, features the financial struggles of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Hastert’s struggles aren’t so much like those of normal people. He’s accused of agreeing to pay $3.5 million in blackmail. Paying blackmail isn’t illegal, but using your own cash to do it is, if you withdraw over $10,000. Hastert tried to avoid that by taking out less than 10 grand more often. Apparently that’s illegal too.
Jon Kass of the Chicago Tribune is not happy with Dennis Hastert.
Chicago Mayhem
Why are all those kids showing up at the border? The New York Times says they’re escaping gang violence in big cities in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
Chicago
Should some of them find their way to Chicago they can enjoy the blessings of liberty while feeling right at home. Over the Fourth of July weekend 17 people were murdered and 82 wounded by gunfire in Chicago.
Update:
Looks like some have found their way to Chicago.
Dope Scandal
Twelve ballplayers got 50 game suspensions in the Biogenesis dope scandal. A-Rod got 211. Hardly seems fair, but neither is cheating. Besides nobody likes him. You can see his entertaining press conference in Chicago here.
And here are “The 15 Most Hilarious quotes from Alex Rodriguez’s 2009 ‘I’m sorry for Taking Steroids Interview'” dug up by New York Magazine.
