Police Intimidation Watch: Chicago to Pay $100,000 to Photographer Beaten by Cops

[Addy101]

Spoken like many of my friends from the lowland. Yes, things work differently over on this side of the pond. Different in Chicago from NYC, Des Monies, Tampa, Boston and D.C. Our country is a mixture of cultures, laws, approaches and people.

I grew up in Upstate New York and spent almost 10 years working in Manhattan (most of the time living in Brooklyn and Queens). Moving the the Chicago area I was shocked and sickened by the approach to politics there. How many Illinois Governors are have spent time in jail over the past 20 years? (answer, LOTS!).

Having lived in Cook County for about 25 years I can tell you there are dozens of people, perhaps hundreds who work in different political jobs in and around Chicago work are wonderful honest folks.

Hundreds of people have tried to make things better over the years, frankly it doesn't matter who is in power, I doubt it will ever change. I've seen a bit of politics here in Iowa and did while I was in Upstate and can say I've seem silliness everywhere.

Political theory is about as accurate as economic theory. Unlike science, they both are best guesses. There is no way to prove that if you do X, that every time you will get Y.

Fixing China, I believe their current president is working towards it. SO many variables, cultures, issues and people. Please understand that countries have wildly different histories and cultures. The ability of Australia to outlaw semi-automatic firearms does not mean it will work anywhere else but Australia.

Most of the Netherlands is under sea level, your entire country knows the importance of infrastructure. Few other countries have that understanding ingrained into every man woman and child.

Please don't over simplify aspects of the world that work well for you and expect everyone to follow your example. We are all very different and yet in many more ways, very much the same.

B2 (;->

Well, it is up to the people of Chicago to change something or not. China isn't a democracy, there it is dangerous to try to change things. The US is a democracy and the political rights are ensured by the legal system. It might be difficult, but you can make a change if you want to. There are people in China who want to change things, why aren't there more people in Chicago who want to change things?

Over here, in the Lowlands, there are also people who complain, but like in the US we're a democracy - just like here on this forum, I'll tell people to go out and change things: vote, join a political party, join the political debate, do something.

This is from the US declaration of independence:

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

You don't have to try to change the (Chicago) government, but you can. That is not (just) a Dutch idea, it is an idea that is one of the foundations of the USA. It is the basis of democracy. A "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" only as long as people are willing to engage in government. If you don't engage in politics, nothing will ever change - but you will get the government you deserve.

You might be right, maybe nothing will change. But if you don't try to change things, you'll never know. If the founding fathers hadn't decided to start the American revolution, the 13 colonies still would be British colonies. You have a choice.

-- the political cynicism in the western democracies really, really bugs me --