My mother was a cosmetologist. My father had a beauty supply store in the back of this store [5118 W. Chicago Avenue] and my dad pretty much ran that. They retired about six years ago and I bought them out and took over. I’ve been here, though, for about 38 years.
I love politics. I love history.
As far as the election goes, at the end of the day, I think it boiled down to philosophy. Chuy’s philosophy is more in harmony with mine.
I think Rahm is more of a corporate guy. I remember Mike Royko wrote a column once and he was talking about how the wealthy in Chicago normally vote Republican in national elections, but locally they’d always support Daley. He was a Democrat, but he was fiscally conservative. The wealthy had no fear of his politics.
Rahm’s philosophy and governing style will probably benefit the wealthy more than those at the bottom of the [economic] totem pole, which is really not a true democratic way of governing. The democratic way of governing is helping people lower on the totem pole.
When government cut taxes for the wealthy, they don’t stimulate the broader economy, because big business won’t invest money in a bad economy. It’s too volatile. That’s why government has to do it. That’s what was done under FDR [Franklin Roosevelt]. He raised taxes on the wealthiest people who weren’t paying their fair share and who were partly responsible for the Great Depression.
FDR helped stimulate the economy and he created government jobs. Those are the jobs that helped benefit the American middle class — postal workers, etc. At that time, the private sector was still discriminating against us.
That’s why it was necessary to have affirmative action programs. Those came into effect in the late 1960s and early 1970s mainly to stop discrimination in the private sector; whereas government had to be a little more equitable in their hiring and promoting of blacks.
Since Reagan, corporations have taken over control of the government. They basically put in place the politicians they want. Most of them have been Republican, but you do have fiscally conservative Democrats. I just don’t think that dynamic benefits working class people.
CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
