Inappropriate Race Card played in Cook County Insanity

The Cook County Board has settled into a nice Friday, 5PM traffic pattern over the budget. You know, gridlock, anger, name calling, finger waving...yeah, the middle one! The Cook County Board meeting has all the language and intelligence of a playground full of 5 year olds! President Todd "my friends call me Urkel" Stroger admits he doesn't have enough votes to pass his Crazy 888 million dollar proposal for NEW massive Cook County sales taxes. It appears that county commissioners are now considering cuts in programs and services. And, like a bunch of 5 year olds not getting what they want, the name calling and stupid slap fighting is in full swing!

And then BLAM! There it is! The Race Card played! ... for no good reason.

"Budget would pass 'if Todd was a white man'"

Commissioner William Beavers said "if Todd was a white man, he wouldn't have half these problems," further alleging "this is a remake of the Harold Washington days" at City Hall, where racially fueled votes often ended in 29-21 decisions.
"Who's gonna control the county -- white or black -- that's all this is," he said.

Beavers railed on that one of Stroger's top critics, Commissioner Tony Peraica, "hates everybody who's black ... all black elected officials," going on to say Peraica used to beat up black people growing up in the Bridgeport neighborhood.

Peraica and others say the comments are not only untrue, they're born of a desperate frustration that Stroger can't pass a 2 percentage-point sales tax hike or other increases.

"Todd Stroger's credibility -- which has nothing to do with race -- is at a low ebb," Peraica said. "He needs to build up that credibility."

Even Commissioner John Daley, a Stroger ally, was surprised by Beavers' words, defending Peraica. "It's wrong for anyone to play the race card," he added.

Yet, prompted by a reporter's question, Beavers yelled not to forget that he's "the hog with the big nuts and I'm gonna tell you what it is."

When commissioners voted to make cuts to county Recorder Gene Moore's office, cuts Moore said he supports, Beavers implied Moore wasn't smart enough to understand the cuts and Republican commissioners must have used racial intimidation to get him to agree. (or MAYBE common sense, that the increases are WRONG without making cuts, or even a budget for anyone to see BEFORE the increases are asked for? Nope, that ain't it - Quick play the Race Card!)

Name-calling continued as Commissioner Liz Gorman, county Republican Party chairman, ripped into fellow Republican Peraica unprovoked, reading from a list of insults, calling him a "loser," "pathetic, pathological liar," an "abusive weasel" who is "no man," and an "ineffective leader" who has "no substance."

A shocked Peraica said Gorman has "no self-respect" and her attack was "abominable" and "despicable."

Then, Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno joined in and called Peraica "a jerk."

The attacks were the most noteworthy thing to come from a nine-hour meeting designed to help fill a $239 million budget deficit. About $1 million was cut Tuesday. Oh man! Wipe the sweat from thy brow! A whole Million out of a 3 BILLION dollar budget! Wow! Better get another box of erasers for the next meeting gang!

Though Todd 'Urkel' Stroger wants to pass his $3 billion budget by Friday, even he conceded that's not likely. He said commissioners are "afraid" and need to show "common sense" in approaching the budget. Allow me to translate, drop a pair and pass my Crazy 888 increase, damn it!

Commissioners will meet again Friday. I don't know anything about Peraica. Maybe he's a Klan Grand Wizard or something? What the hell do I know? I'll tell you this much - It looks like everybody is blaming him for being some sort of tattletale on the playground. "You're taking away our Crazy 888 M! Because of stupid Peraica, we have to be accountable for all that money! He went and told the voters on us! Whah! "

I have to say, that who knew reporting on something as stupid as the Cook County Board meeting would have generated so much entertainment? It's all fun and games until someone looses an eye, my gym coach used to say. Maybe it was my dad. All I know is that I wasn't allowed to cry unless it was bleeding or broken.

Playing The Race Card

I've seen the Race Card used many times. I've seen it used effectively when it needed to be played to force true justice. I've seen it overplayed, and become watered down. I've seen it used when it absolutely should not have. I've sen it used in the wrong game (Mr. Michael Vick- I'm talkin' to you!).... and then there's this time.

Todd can't get his budget passed because his budget is wrong. He's asking for more of MY money when he can't account for the money he's already TAKEN from ME. His ability to get a budget passed has nothing to do with the fact he wears glasses, is right handed, or has two brown eyes, okay, Mr. Beavers? And to compare the Late Harold Washington and Todd Stroger is a great injustice to the memory of a man who actually lead people, and worked very hard to be and keep the position that he held. Shame on you Mr. Beavers. Shame on using Harold Washington and Todd Stroger in the day, let alone comparing the two. Your race card ought to be revoked.