Memo to Gov Abbott: don't mess with Illinois
Chicago is a beautiful city filled with opportunity. We don't need or want outside forces from Texas or anywhere else coming here to further Trump's dangerous agenda.
Memo to Texas Gov Abbott-
Your decision to disenfranchise the opposition to Donald Trump in Texas by imposing a mid-decade radical gerrymander is our era’s attack on Fort Sumter. It is a declaration that Texas and the Republican establishment no longer want to share a democracy with the rest of us. We’ve been here before. Texas was on the losing side then, and it will be on the losing side now.
Meanwhile, I understand you are considering sending your National Guard troops up to my city. Big mistake.
Let me warn you that many of the troops you send to Chicago won’t be coming back to Texas. Now, I know that your ears will hear this as a threat of violence. That’s not correct. On the contrary, it is the promise of opportunity.
For years, folks from the cold north have sought a warmer welcome in states like Texas. And, in fairness, Texas has a lot to offer. Those blue cities of yours have been powerful engines of growth. But you are about to reverse the flow.
If your troops show up here, they will see a beautiful city. They will meet people who won’t let bounty hunters chase down women who want to travel out of state. They won’t have to worry about drowning from floods because of an ideologically driven refusal to spend money on early warning systems. They won’t have to worry that the power will go out after a storm because of ideologically driven deregulation. They won’t have to worry that their public schools will close so that politically connected cronies can pocket voucher money.
Instead, they will encounter a city with the highest level of educational attainment of any big city in the nation. A place with a diverse economy and lots of opportunities. They will see our stunning lakefront and walk through our diverse and proud neighborhoods.
We will ask your troops why you thought it was a good idea to force them to leave their families and their jobs. We will ask them why you thought they should spend their precious time cleaning our parks and strolling around our gardens. Then they will start asking those questions themselves. No matter how many books you ban, people have a tendency to think.
Here in Chicago, they will meet people who are warm and friendly. You have folks like us in Texas, but you ignore them. You have this idea that kindness is weak. How else would a guy like Ken Paxton still have a position in your state’s government? But here in Illinois we strong and kind. Maybe winter has taught us humility and the importance of looking out for each other.
A lot of those Texans you send here aren’t going to be coming back. When word gets out others will follow. It could be the start of something very big. A new migration, this time away from the kind of thuggish cruelty on offer in Texas. A migration back to American values, small d- democratic governance, and to real freedom and a fair shot at the American dream.
P.S. You better think about renting those busses again.
P.P.S Our Governor, J.B. Pritzker helped us take care of the last crowd you sent here. This time he’s making it clear that states should help each other, not invade each other. I suggest you take note.
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