Inside Chicago Government

The effect of polls on voter behavior; how we might finally get good elected officials; and those who find elections too odious or corrupt to vote. Length 8.7 minutes.

How Chicagoans use county government; how formerly obscure county commissioners became visible; and how county reformers helped distract from the real power abusers. Length 9.9 minutes.

How to remedy the over-reliance on property taxes; an intriguing proposal for term limits; and votes as personal statements about the system. Length 8.5 minutes.

Whether Mayor Daley ever appeared in the Gay Pride parade; what will really determine whether Rahm Emanuel can run for mayor; and what the Rahm haters want. Length 8.7 minutes.

How Mike Quigley opened the floodgates to scrutiny of tax-increment financing; how Quigley turned mayoral irritation into electoral success; and Mayor Daley's final gift to Chicago. Length 5.8 minutes.

Dave and Ben discuss their co-written article on the secret "do not hire" classification of layed-off Chicago public school teachers. Length 10.1 minutes.

Why Ben's not afraid of mayoral retribution; which candidate has the most similarity to Daley; and when Ben will write about the Daley legacy. Length 9 minutes.

Why the Chicago Public Schools administration would authorize a contract violation; how charter schools might circumvent anti-patronage protections; and who actually makes decisions to dismiss teachers. Length 8.1 minutes.

Whether the Daley administration's really lied about tax-increment financing; why state Rep. John Fritchey really wants the city to give up TIF reserves; and the limits of cynicism. Length 7.4 minutes.

The effects of crime cameras on policing; whether police officers should beat up bad guys; and respect versus fear of the police. Length 7 minutes.

What fundamental rights private operators of public land can deny the public; appropriate uses of park space versus leased space; and restrictions that a reasonable person might expect. Length 5.6 minutes.

What Mick Dumke brought to the Reader and Joravsky's articles; the future of government reporting at the Reader post-Dumke; and a look at the Chicago News Cooperative's reporting. Length 7.9 minutes.

Why the inspector general audited tax-increment financing; the fact of Millennium Park's non-budget development; and why aldermen think the IG shouldn't investigate TIF. Length 8.5 minutes.

Whether teachers and students should sacrifice for administrative largesse; how Mayor Daley helps private firms compete with public schools for public dollars; and what it takes to get the public's attention. Length 8.1 minutes.

Ben Joravsky reflects on the tenure and departure of Alison True, the recently-fired editor of the Chicago Reader. Length 8.7 minutes.

The father of tax-increment financing activism; the myth of TIF complexity; and the financial penalty for a school system that doesn't divert money to TIF districts. Length 7.1 minutes.

Whether unions should focus on company policy, worker benefits, or both; the Chicago Teachers Union's ignorance of how the city raises and spends public dollars; and a fledgling movement to get the Chicago Public Schools to withdraw from tax-increment financing. Length 8.4 minutes.

When schools lower property values; the capitalization of new schools--then vs. now; and why schools have ended up in parks. Length 6.7 minutes.

How to get the city to publish public information; the myth of the super-hero teacher; and teachers as whistleblowers. Length 6.9 minutes.

Tax-increment financing's fundamental flaw, and how to fix it; Block 37--the poster child for the original TIF model; and the Board of Ed's legacy of stealing from schoolchildren. Length 8.5 minutes.

The typical Chicagoan's phases of TIF understanding; Ben outlines an unlikely TIF debate; and city officials who believe that Chicagoans don't want to know the true cost of government. Length 8.6 minutes.

Whether candidates who don't run in a primary should have a harder time running in the general election; the limited focus of the liberal wing of Mayor Daley's party; and whether Forrest Claypool and his ilk really intend reform. Length 7.5 minutes.

The tenuous connection between Chicago Public School positions, titles, and business cards; putting words into the CPS spokeperson's mouth; and how the CPS budget resembles the city's reporting on TIF districts. Length 8.3 minutes.

Whether Chicago Public Schools staff cuts appear in its budget; the importance of honesty in budget-making; and what Chicago leaders respond to. Length 6.7 minutes.

How state Rep. Debra Mell resembles former Pres. Reagan; how the Incumbent Alderman Protection Act could lock up all the nominators in a district; and why the state eliminated Chicago mayoral primaries. Length 6.9 minutes.