The Blaisdell Blog

I love Chicago.   The Second City has culture, science, commerce and brawn and loves them all equally.   It is a city where you can find a die-hard Cubs fan who also takes visitors to see the “Picasso” thing in Daly Plaza.   Sure, the city runs on corruption.   The famous Chicago columnist, Mike Royko, used to say that in Chicago an honest judge was one who, once he was “fixed” stayed “fixed.”   The whole city runs that way and I doubt it would operate at all if you had to depend on merit and probity, but it is the city of broad shoulders.      Chicago is also the most segregated city in the United States of America.   While segregation by race has lessened over the last decade it is still true that 1 in 4 blacks, 1 in 6 Hispanics and 1 in 13 whites live in high poverty areas.   Of course, that also means that 3 in 4 blacks, 5 in 6 Hispanics and 12 of 13 whites do not live in these areas—which is good news.  But these ar...

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I will read the liturgy at 1 st Lutheran’s evening service.   There was a time when a woman would never be behind the lectern at a Lutheran service.   My religion has evolved just as the theological message has remained intact.   The first lesson is Isaiah 9:2-7.   You may be familiar with it if you enjoy listening to Handel’s Messiah.   While everyone loves the Hallelujah Chorus, the entire work is spectacular and my personal favorite is the passage that includes the words of Isaiah:             For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.             It will be hard for me to read those words without falling into the lilt of the music.   For many that music is Christmas.   We ...

E very year there are loud and sometimes rancorous debates about how we should make the Christmas season politically correct for a massive and diverse population.   For some people the best way to include everyone is to exclude the Christians for which the holiday was named.   This naïve and egocentric look at the holidays shows a failure to understand the core lesson of tolerance.   Tolerance is a double edged sword.   When you protect a citizen’s right to diversity you also, by definition, place the same burden of tolerance upon them.   That which is given must also be returned, else you lose all.    It is this requisite largess which is truly the sharper edge of the sword. At its best, Christmas has a positive message of hope, generosity, love and gratitude.   As a believer, Christmas is my time to look forward to the awesome and wonderful gift to come on Easter morning.   If you don’t see it as that, then enjoy the season for the b...

Since the creation of the United States, the third most important law we have ever passed, after the Constitution itself and the Northwest Ordinance, is the creation of the Federal Reserve System, affectionately known as the “Fed.”   Our Fed is the central bank of the United States.   It was created in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson.   It is divided into twelve districts (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Atlanta, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Dallas, Kansas City, San Francisco, and Chicago), each with its own bank.   The Fed sets the nation’s monetary policy, supervises and regulates banks, and helps to maintain the stability of our financial system.                 You need only look at the difference between the financial stability of our country, and those without an independent central bank to see the value of the Fed. The steady, modest and intelligent work of the Fed is co...