10 Reasons Why Chicago is the Greatest City in America…Seriously

we don't claim to be the greatest city in country, we just are. Tourists love us for our deep dish pizza, Chance the Rapper, 5 Star Hotels, and state-of-the-arts hospitals and trauma centers. Let's face it, our mayor is not the only thing that sinks in our beautiful city, just ask any one of our 50 rats...I mean aldermen. 

Chicago is the only city where our star quarterback makes losing look easy. No sense in wasting millions of dollars on a seasoned QB when we got Khalil Mack leading our defense; that $141 million will be well spent way after we win the Super Bowl. Go Bears! 

Our freeways are open to anyone who don't mind getting shot while driving, anytime of the day, because that's just how we roll. Unfortunately, carjacking will cost you extra. 

"We love our sugary drinks tax free, and any president who can shoot basketball, save the economy and look damn good doing it." 

In Chicago, you'll find a camera on every street corner, bus and train because in our fair city crime is like an in-law visiting you for the first time--while you're away at work. You knew the chances of them visiting you one day were high, you just didn't know when. And once you're no longer a virgin to being a victim of our notorious crime, in the city best-known for its crooked politicians, you can sit back and enjoy listening to some good blues music. Chicago and blues, just seems to go hand-to-hand for some auspicious reason.

Yep, I guess you can say we're the city that works, with or without a state budget. Of course we wouldn't be Chicago if we didn't have at least one snowstorm to remind us why we truly love this city. Our kids get to stay home from school, because being a knucklehead is kind of patriotic these days. 

"We're the only metropolis that when we say Netflix and chill we really mean Netflix and freaking chill, because it's cold as hell outside." 

All I'm saying is no matter where you're from, Chicago will always be home to the people who know and love this city for the good parts as well as the bad. And if you're ever planning on visiting the windy-city, make damn sure you're wearing a clean pair of underoos because God knows anything can happen here.

Get On the Right Side of History

As Published by the Chicago Sun-Times, by William J. Booker, June 21, 2019

Mitch McConnell and Republican lawmakers don't think African-Americans deserve reparations for slavery. Although it's true no living white person is responsible for slavery, all living white people have benefited from slavery the same way all living black people wear the scars of slavery.

What we do know is that America was built on slavery, the separation of African families, and the genocide of decedents of African-Americans. We also know that numerous US companies: NY Life, Tiffany and Co., Aetna, Brooks Brothers, Bank of America, Wachovia, and JPMorgan Chase and others got rich from the slave trade.

Slavery helped to create the white middle class, although African-Americans were excluded from benefiting from same government programs that their taxes helped create, denying them the opportunity to create wealth.

It's clear that the Republican leadership is totally against reconciliation or atonement of any kind for centuries of atrocities perpetrated on generations of descendants of African-Americans--including their own constituents.

"The irony is, after all the racist comments and tweets President Trump has made, stoking flames of hate and embolden racists, Republicans could go down in history as actually living up to their montage "Make America Great Again" with one unanimous vote, putting them on the right side of history for once."

Though Republicans lawmakers have no intentions in the slightest gesture. It's apparent that not even a $20 Harriet Tubman bill (Scheduled to be released in 2020) can change the true face of this nation.

As Rev. Martin L. King, Jr. said, “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check—a check that has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’ But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity in this nation.”

:: Stepping Into Fatherhood ::

As printed by the Orlando Sentinel, by William J. Booker, June 16, 2019

There are many men helping to raise children that aren't their biological kids. These men have changed diapers, helped with science projects, dropped off and picked up kids from school, attended recitals, baseball games, and have been the voice of reason in an otherwise chaotic world. Some of these men have even helped put kids through college, and taught them a thing or two about remodeling a bathroom, fixing a leaky faucet and changing a car tire. It's the small things that theses men, better known as stepfathers, do that sometimes go unnoticed but are appreciated by their children. Stepfathers are men who have accepted the responsibility of being a parent to children who are not theirs, but love them just the same.

"We shouldn't forget about all the things stepfathers do everyday to help make their children's lives more enjoyable..." 

They may not have asked to be fathers, but they have embraced fatherhood and all the joy, inconvenience and laughter that comes with it. They love and support their spouse's kids as their own. And while any man can essentially conceive a child, let's be especially thankful for all the stepfathers, who have stepped up and shown us what it truly takes to be a great dad!

 “Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.” -Barack Obama

Give Chicago Wounded Neighborhoods What They Need

As As Published in the Chicago Tribune By William J. Booker

When neighborhoods of color are disenfranchised, properties are devalued, improvements and services to our communities are never made, and many middle-class people inevitably move to the suburbs. Thus, people who can't afford to move out become trap in an environment lacking opportunity, and struggle to survive by any means necessary. Many of these neighborhoods on the south and west side of the city, fueled by poverty, are now left in ruins and overrun by violence.

"You can't expect a goldfish to survive in a dirty fish tank if you never change the water. Nor can you expect people to survive in communities that lack opportunities & investment." 

It breeds crime in the entire city. However, if you treat people with respect and give them the tools and opportunities necessary to support themselves and their families they can be capable of doing amazing things. But what you can't continue to do is piss on a person's leg and tell them that it's raining. Those days are over.

Thankfully, we now have a Mayor who fully understands the value of strong communities and is willing to do whatever it takes to put an end to a lot of the senseless violence that has taken over the city. In light of it all...the city that works, must work for everyone--no matter what side of town you live on.