For many years the US government has fought the “War on Drugs”, with virtually no success in reducing either the supply or usage of illegal substances.  Probably the greatest casualties of the drug war are black males, who (if not killed) are incarcerated for dealing and possession of drugs at twice the rate of white males.  Just as prohibition of alcohol turned Chicago into a playground for Al Capone, prohibition of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. is the fuel that fires gang violence in cities and towns throughout the United States.

The Federal Government is the chief benefactor for drug dealers, because prohibition drives up prices and profits.  Likewise, the government is the dealer’s chief nemesis, as he may end up serving a long prison sentence if convicted for drug crimes.  Roughly 50% of black prisoners are convicted of violent crimes, with 23% being jailed for drug offenses.  However, much of the violent crime is the direct result of gang turf wars that are standard operating procedure in the drug business. In some states, one in ten black males is incarcerated.  Sadly, it has been estimated that one in four black males will spend at least some time in jail during his lifetime.  By the way, most drug users (the customers) are white, not black.

Most social scientists and economists have come to the conclusion that the use of dangerous drugs is a health problem and not a crime.  Governments have yet to come to this realization.  Until decriminalization (or legalization) of drugs is achieved, gang violence and the terrible consequences it reaps will be proportionately high in black and minority neighborhoods.  It will also increasingly affect white neighborhoods.

Over the past fifty years, politicians (black and white) have been all too willing to trade the lives of young black men to further their careers.  The last great political boss, Richard J. Daley, who served as Chicago mayor from 1955 until his death in 1976, owed his political career to the support of black democratic aldermen on the south side of Chicago.  He got those votes by guaranteeing these aldermen that the Chicago police would not unduly bother the drug, rackets, and prostitution businesses in their neighborhoods.  It was a good deal for the mayor and the aldermen, but a lousy deal for black and other minority residents, who had to put up with shootings, muggings, and unsafe neighborhoods.

In the 2008-2009 academic school year, 36 Chicago public school students were killed.  Every time a young black kid gets gunned down on the streets of Chicago, current mayor Richard M. Daley refers to the incident as a “gun crime.”  They are not gun crimes; they are gang crimes that would be drastically reduced if drugs were decriminalized.  Former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke was way ahead of his time when he advocated decriminalization in 1987.  It is too bad there aren’t more big-city mayors with the vision, guts, and understanding of Kurt Schmoke.

As a (half) black man, and a person who has worked for years in the black community, Barak Obama is well aware of gang and drug problems in Chicago and other US cities.  He, of all people, should be using his bully pulpit to educate lawmakers and the public about the importance of reducing violent crime through the decriminalization of drugs.  Unfortunately, instead of dealing head on with the drug issue, an area in which he has true expertise, he’s decided to spend his time “experimenting” with the US economy like a seven year-old with a brand new chemistry set.

As of today, the outstanding national debt of the US government is roughly 12 trillion dollars.  That’s TRILLION, with twelve zeros.  The national debt is the accumulation of the annual overspending of the federal government (the excess of expenditures over tax revenue) since the founding of the republic in 1776.  With a GDP of roughly $14 trillion, it would take the entire output of the US economy for one year to pay off the National Debt.

Of course, each year that the federal government has a deficit of income over spending (the announced deficit for fiscal year 2009 alone was $1.4 trillion) the national debt rises.  Often I hear people criticizing the rising national debt because it “passes burdens to our children and our grandchildren.”  Ironically, the real burden of rising deficits and national debt isn’t the inter-generational transfer of wealth; it is the damage that these deficits cause for the present generation.

The debt has to be borrowed.  For example, the $1.4 trillion that we will overspend this year will have to be borrowed by selling US treasury bonds.  The projected additional $9 trillion of overspending that is estimated for the next ten years will also have to be borrowed.  This means that the Federal Government will enter the capital markets to finance nearly $12 trillion over the next decade.  As the government borrows more and more, this drives up interest rates and “crowds out” private companies who are trying to borrow money to engage in truly worthwhile business ventures.

In this way all workers, regardless of age, are denied employment opportunities in the private sector because the businesses that would have hired them couldn’t borrow the money they needed to create jobs.  The main “burden” of high national debt is not one that is passed on to future generations, but the burden of job losses and forgone prosperity that would have occurred immediately, if the government hadn’t sapped up available capital that would have grown private businesses.  Rather than burdening future generations, the debt damages the economy in the here and now.

Ironically, future generations are less burdened by the debt than might be generally imagined.  As the Federal Reserve “buys back” the government bonds that were created to finance the debt, this increases the money supply and causes inflation.  The government-created inflation allows future generations to pay interest on the debt in “cheaper” dollars.  As a “tongue in cheek” example, some day in the future a $40 trillion national debt won’t be such a big deal when a hamburger costs $5,000!  Hmmmm…come to think of it, my tongue isn’t in my cheek as much as I would have thought a few years ago.

As I write this blog, the Minnesota Twins are in Minneapolis preparing to play game 3 of the American League Division Series.  Down two games to the Yankees, it is doubtful that even the miraculous Twins will beat the high-payroll Yankees twice to earn a trip back to the Bronx.  Yet, the Twins made an incredible run to the playoffs, staging one of the most exciting baseball games I’ve ever seen against Detroit in game 163 at the Dome.

On Monday, April 12, 2010 the Minnesota Twins will christen their new outdoor ball park in downtown Minneapolis.  Target Field will be packed and there is no question that the new park will have some tremendous amenities that could never have been found in the Metrodome.  However, Target Field has two serious shortcomings that can’t be corrected and will inflict discomfort on Twins fans for years to come.

Before commenting on the new Target Field, I want to give the Twins credit for not “demonizing” the Dome.  This year the Twins have spent a lot of money promoting the new park, but took time to celebrate the glorious history that was made in the Dome.  “Glorious History” I say?  You bet.  Remember that in the mere 27 years that the Twins inhabited the Metrodome, they won two World Series championships.  Contrast that with the Cubs, who have not won a World Series in the 95 years they have been playing at Wrigley Field.  World Series championships are rare for small market teams.  While I hope this is not the case, there is a distinct possibility that Target Field will see the bulldozers before the Twins win two more World Series championships.  Over time the Metrodome will be remembered less for the Teflon roof and the “baggie” in right field and more for the fact that visiting teams hated this building in which the Twins thrived.

The first and most serious shortcoming of the new Target Field is the lack of a retractable roof.  I just checked the high temperatures in Minneapolis on April 12th for the last six years.  The highest temperature was 62.5 degrees (2006) and the lowest temperature was 31.7 degrees (2008).  The average high temperature for April 12 over the past six years is 44.38 degrees.  If you want to make some money between now and April 12th, stock up on winter stocking caps with the Twins logo.  You’ll sell a lot of them between April 12th and May 15th.  When we think of an outdoor ballpark, we envision a warm Friday evening in July, sipping a beverage and wearing a tank top.  We don’t envision sitting in the grandstands with a stiff wind at 50 degrees!   The reality is this; for one-third of every baseball season, Target Field will be darned uncomfortable.  This will affect attendance.  Just ask the clubs in Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland.  History will confirm that we built Target Field “on the cheap”, unlike the folks over in Milwaukee.  Miller Park was expensive, but the Brewers can accommodate their fans comfortably, no matter what the weather.

The Twins website says, “Target Field’s roof canopy is one of the largest in baseball and will provide added protection.”  In reality, if you look at the field, you will find that there is no roof above the vast majority of seats, giving little protection from the rain or the sun.  When it rains at Target Field it will not be possible for the fans sitting in the lower sections to acquire rooftop protection by moving up; the canopy just does not extend out far enough to cover many seats.  A roof does more than protect fans from rain; it also protects them from the blazing sun.  Anyone who’s baked their brains out in the unprotected bleachers at Wrigley Field knows that this is something that no one over 30 years of age wants to do for very long.  On hot summer days some fans prefer the sun, but most fans want to be in the shade.  The canopy isn’t very big at Target Field.

The Twins are one of the most unique and successful franchises in Baseball, and they have my sincere wishes for their continued prosperity at Target field.  The concourses and concessions of this new baseball kingdom will be fantastic.  Outdoor baseball is wonderful when the weather cooperates.  After all, what is better than the smell of the newly cut grass and the clear blue sky?

Baseball Trivia Question: Why do some teams have an “open date” the day after their home openers and some teams do not?

If you look at the April 2010 schedule for the Minnesota Twins, you will see that they open against the Red Sox on Monday, April 12th.  The next two games of the three game series are played on Wednesday, April 14th and Thursday, April 15th.  Why is Tuesday, April 13th an open date?  Hint: You will find the same “open day gap” the day after opening day for the Cubs, the White Sox, the Tigers, the Cardinals, the Royals, the Red Sox, the Yankees, and several other teams.  You will NOT see that “open date” gap for the Brewers, the Angels, the Dodgers, Mariners, the Marlins and other major league teams.  Why do some teams have the “opening day gap” and some do not?

Answer: I’ll provide the answer to this Trivia Question in a special email to my blog subscribers on Monday evening, October 12th.  If you haven’t joined my Sunday morning email reminder list and want to be included, just email me at bbwinona@charter.net.  There is no charge, no usernames, and no passwords.

A couple of weeks ago I correctly predicted that President Obama would go to Copenhagen to support Chicago’s Olympic bid.  I incorrectly predicted that Chicago would be selected by the IOC as the site for the 2016 Olympics.  Friday morning thousands of Chicagoans filled Daley Plaza to hear the disappointing news; Chicago received only 18 votes in the first round balloting, the fewest of the four competing cities.

As a Chicago homeowner and frequent visitor to the city, I’m both relieved and disappointed with the IOC decision.  I’m relieved that the Chicago wasn’t allowed to take on this enormous task, because the city’s politicians have not evidenced a shred of fiscal responsibility over the last twenty years.  There is little question in my mind that the $4.8 billion construction budget would have ended up costing Chicago’s taxpayers at least $20 billion by the time the Olympics was held.  There is also the well-deserved perception that most of the money would have gone to political insiders and their friends.

Over the next few days people will speculate why Chicago was not selected.  Some will blame Obama, some will blame US foreign policy, some will blame Bush, some will blame Michael Jordan, some will blame Oprah, some will blame the ongoing feud between the IOC and the US Olympic Committee, and some will blame no one, saying that Rio was selected mostly because the continent of South America truly deserved to host its first Olympic games.

What is really important for humbled Chicago is that its government and people move forward to reestablish its legacy as a great American city.  Alas, ‘the city that works” is no longer an accurate description for the once proud capital of the Midwest.  Fortunately, many of the problems that plague Chicago are rooted in political ineptness and are theoretically changeable.  Unfortunately, the democratic machine that controls the city is well fed from taxing to death the businesses and individuals that make Chicago home.  The city also imposes crushing rules and regulations on those who wish to prosper.  The government that used to be wise enough to take a few eggs from the golden goose has lately pursued killing the goose.  Chicago needs to again be the city where free-enterprise prospers with encouragement from city hall, not in spite of the city hall.

In spite of the above observations, I love Chicago like a crazy man.  The place oozes excitement and energy.  Despite its problems and contradictions, Chicago is a truly incredible place.  Gifted writer Nelson Algren once said, “Loving Chicago is like loving a woman with a broken nose.”

Long-time Chicago Times columnist Irv Kupcinet may have summarized Chicago the best when he wrote:  “I’ve reported murders, scandals, marriages, premieres and national political conventions. I’ve been amused, intrigued, outraged, enthralled and exasperated by Chicago. And I’ve come to love this American giant, viewing it as the most misunderstood, most underrated city in the world. There is none other quite like my City of Big Shoulders.”