The Culture of Corruption in the Land of Lincoln

As the eyes of the nation, once again, turn to Chicago and its out-of-control crime and gang activity and the city's Mayor and other "community leaders" like Jesse Jackson and David Axelrod call for nationwide gun control because their gun control laws, which are the strictest in the nation, are failing to reduce shootings, it is the perfect time to take a look at corruption in Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois.   

People, especially young people, look at the individuals that represent them as role models.  If their politicians are corrupt and lawbreakers, then it is more likely that they will be as well.  Political leaders create the climate of the areas that they represent. 

The tale-of-the tape from the most corrupt state, county, and city in America:

 

ONE (1 each):  Number of state treasurers, attorneys general and Chicago patronage chiefs EACH convicted of corruption since 1980.

THREE (3): The number of Congressmen convicted and imprisoned since 1972 – Dan Rostenkowski, Mel Reynolds and. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

FOUR (4):  The number of Illinois governors since 1960 that went to the Big House – Blago, Ryan, Walker, and Kerner.

FIFTEEN (15):  The number of Illinois state legislators that have been convicted and imprisoned since 1972.

NINETEEN (19):  The number of Cook County judges convicted of corruption since 1972.

TWENTY PERCENT (20%):  Percentage of elected Chicago aldermen convicted of crimes since 1970.

TWENTY (20): Number of suburban Chicago mayors and village presidents convicted of corruption since 1972.

THIRTY-ONE (31):  Number of Chicago aldermen convicted of corruption since 1976.

FORTY-SIX (46):   Number of public officials convicted of corruption in the Chicago area in 2010, ALONE.

SIXTY-ONE (61):  Number of corruption scandals in Chicago and its suburbs since the 1970s.

SEVENTY-NINE (79):  Number of then-current or former Illinois, Chicago or Cook County elected officials that were found guilty of a crime by judges, juries or their own pleas between 1972 and 2006.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY (130):  Number of elected officials from the suburbs of Chicago convicted of corruption since 1980.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY (150):  Number of TOP Cook County officials that have been convicted in the last 140 years.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY (250):  If the number of Chicago alderman sentenced to prison since 1972 was extrapolated to the US House, it would be as if roughly 250 congressman had gone to jail in the same period.

THREE HUNDRED (300): Number of Chicago police officers convicted of corruption, including gang protection, since the 1960s.

FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE (469): Number of politicians from the federal district of Northern Illinois that were found guilty of corruption between 1995 and 2004.

FIFTEEN HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE (1,531):  Number of federal convictions of public officials and businessmen in Cook County for corruption or corruption-related crimes since 1976.

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT (1,828):  Number of total convictions of Illinois politicians for corruption since 1972.

And they wonder why there is so much crime and violence in Chicago…



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