Prepare to Vomit

Hide all spew-able beverages from your computers. This ain't going to be pretty:

• Chicago aldermen have used their newly expanded, taxpayer-funded expense accounts to hire relatives, lease expensive vehicles and pay for downtown parking, according to a Tribune analysis.
  
  The money -- up to $73,280 for each of the 50 City Council members -- comes from a budget line that gives aldermen wide discretion to cover an array of expenses related to official duties. After years of aldermen crying poor, Mayor Richard Daley agreed to more than double those funds to $3.7 million for 2008 -- even as the city struggled with a growing budget hole.
  
  The Tribune analysis of the 2008 expense funds, augmented by other public records and dozens of interviews, showed a broad range in what aldermen deemed necessary spending to do their jobs and serve their constituents. It also raised new questions about political patronage and nepotism on the public dime.

Yup. In the midst of a growing budget crisis and union contracts coming due, Shortshanks doubled the aldermanic expense accounts. Additionally, the aldercreaures got 6% raises for themselves, 5% raises for their staff and an increase in their "discretionary funds" that now total about $1.33 million per aldercreature.

But hey, share the pain, blah blah blah. 500 layoffs, blah blah blah. No hiring blah blah blah. Be sure you click on all the links in the Tribune article, and wonder aloud that we can't get a contract for almost 26 months now.