Chicago has just sent businesses a message: “It’s time to adopt labor-saving machinery. Fire some workers.”
It sent a message to adjoining suburban towns: “You will get lots of Chicago public transit commuters looking for work — cheap.”
It sent a message to the city’s welfare office: “Prepare for a flood.”
It sent a message to the 42% of students in the city’s schools who drop out before high school graduation: “Your future here is in small crime or on the welfare rolls.”
It sent a message to the 58% who graduate: “You had better find a way to be worth $13 an hour. Soon.”
It sent a message to economists everywhere: “Your work has not penetrated the Chicago City Council.”
