Gangs are in control of Chicago's streets

By most accounts, Chicago, Ill., is a cesspool - a poster child for urban decay, violence, corruption and massive financial problems.

Social historians can better explain the background of this failed urban trash heap, but the bottom line is that Chicago will serve as an example of what can go wrong when decades of poor decisions come home to roost.

You may have heard that a massive shortfall of funds is forcing the Chicago public school district to close 54 schools in an "attempt to rescue an academically and financially failing education system."

Despite the normal protests of unionized teachers, the plan will be implemented and 30,000 young students will now shift to neighboring schools to reduce the drain of tax dollars.

But here's where the fun really begins.

There is a substantial concern that many of these students will be forced to walk through hostile gang turfs to attend their new schools.

So school officials are consulting with gang leaders to reach some sort of truce during school hours to reduce the potential for violence against these young students.

And to that end, the financially-strapped district is spending over $16 million on a "Safe Passage" program to implement this gang truce.

The "Safe Passage" program stations adults along the school routes to monitor gang activity as the children walk to school.

Now let me see if I have this right. Government officials (in this case school leaders) are asking for the cooperation of violent gangs to assure that children are unharmed on their way to school?

Is this the best we can do?

The city has acknowledged that they cannot control the gang activity but are hoping to exert influence on when the gunfire erupts.

Have we reached a point in our society where we seek to coexist with evil? Is Chicago reluctantly telling the world that the gangs run the third-largest city in this great nation and our best hope is to seek a temporary truce to protect our children?

If that's the message - and it apparently is - then it's no wonder Chicago has over 500 gang-related murders each year.

Chicago was once a nice place to visit although you would likely not want to live there. Chicago now is no longer a nice place to visit and instead is an embarrassment.

And finally, Chicago is also a sterling example of failed political agendas that have proven unworkable in example after example.

We can only hope and pray that the nation does not follow the example of the Windy City, though the leader in the White House sees no problems in his hometown.