Sears Tower forever

By Gerald Skoning

March 18, 2009

However, the neighborhood fell upon hard times as jarring urban changes occurred in the late ’60s. Sears decided change was in order. As would be expected in the corporate world, the company established a strategic planning team given the task of presenting options on relocation of the headquarters.

A number of options for the relocation were considered. One was to develop a sprawling suburban corporate campus (similar to what Motorola, McDonald’s and Baxter, among others, have done). Another idea, somewhat out of the blue, and moderately risky, was to develop the world’s tallest building in downtown Chicago. No one thought the latter could possibly appeal to Sears’ executive leadership.

Somehow, Mayor Richard J. Daley got wind of the tallest building proposal. As the ultimate promoter of everything downtown Chicago, he saw major economic development opportunity and made it clear Sears should and would opt for the tallest-building-in-the-world option. The mayor made it crystal clear that zoning and building code hurdles would be no problem for Sears. Economic development and the stream of tax dollars in the city’s future would trump any of those petty concerns.

His Honor got his way, and Sears decided to relocate its headquarters to a city lot bordered by Wacker Drive, Franklin Street, Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street, where the Sears/Big Willie Tower stands today. An alley on the property caused an issue about relocation of utilities. The city agreed to assume the minimal cost of relocating the utilities, which the late Len O’Connor claimed in his book “Clout” was an example of corrupt corporate influence in the city. My father’s response to O’Connor’s assertion was that Sears would pay more in city taxes every day than the total cost of the utilities relocation project.

My brother and I had a unique opportunity to explore the Sears Tower as it neared completion. We rode in a construction elevator to the 110th floor of the building, then in the final stages on construction.

With panic in our eyes, we walked out onto wooden planks across the I-beams that framed the top floor of the building. Steeplejacks and other bold construction workers scurried around the wind-swept top deck as if it were the ground floor. All in all, it was a frightening experience, even for my brother, who was a seasoned Navy fighter pilot with numerous aircraft carrier landings. Fighting acrophobia, we braced ourselves against the howling wind and gazed out at the amazing panorama of metropolitan Chicago that has attracted millions of visitors to the Skydeck in the 36 years since the tower’s completion. We were shamelessly proud of our dad. A father stands tall in the eyes of his sons, but all the more so 1,450 feet up.

We felt proud of our city, and even more proud that the Sears Tower would dominate the skyline for years to come. We thought the “Sears Tower” would be a lasting monument to our great city and tribute to our retail merchandising heritage for decades to come.

The Sears Tower will always be the Sears Tower to me and our family. Like other Chicago icons, there are those of us who will never think otherwise … Marshall Field’s, Comiskey Park, the Chicago Stadium, the Wrigley Building and dare I say Tribune Tower.

Naming rights be damned. Sears Tower forever.

Gerald Skoning is a Chicago lawyer

Being from Chicago, Chris and I feel exactly the same, word for word. The Sears Tower will always be Sears Tower, and so far, I haven’t spent a dime at Macy’s. It’s a nice store, but I just can’t do it. I’m not sorry about that either. Marshall Field’s was a Chicago institution. We may as well re-name the city “Youbuyityounameit-ville, USA” I can’t believe this. More wasted money by corporate America or should I say Corporate UK in this case since they are based in LONDON! Really, re-name your own f-ing landmarks and stay out of MY CITY! Assholes!

Land of Lincoln

It would be really funny if it weren’t the truth. How sad. Have I mentioned how proud ashamed I am to be from Illinois lately? Buncha crooks I tell ya! This is now the 4th Illinois governor in the last what, 20 years to be arrested? Hopefully they will catch Mayor Daley some day too…honorable my foot! Fix the schools jackass! We don’t need the olympics, use that money to fix the crappy schools!

-Sabrina-

Next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.

Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you’ve both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn’t have let you have. But I also know that it hasn’t always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn’t make up for all the time we’ve been apart. I know how much I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I’d make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn’t seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you’ll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It’s a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

Forget that Land of Lincoln stuff, Illinois has hit a new low! This morning, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested for bribery in an attempt to sell the empty Senate seat that will be left by President elect Barak Obama. Nevermind that former Gov. George Ryan is already rotting away in a jail cell for his corruption, surely Blago thought he’d get away with it?!? How stupid can you be!? In my personal opinion, Ryan should be left in jail until he dies, and any politician campaigning for his early release must be getting some sort of kick-back. Dick Durbin, I’m talking about YOU! Anyway, here’s the story about our oh so wonderful Governor…it’s not just a sad day for politics, it’s a sad and EMBARASSING day for Illinois! Not 1, but 2 crooked, corrupt Governors, WAY TO GO ILLINOIS, I’m SO PROUD TO BE FROM HERE – - NOT!!!

This photo says it all…”Are You A corrupt Politician? Come To Illinois!”- Ugh, I think I need to vomit!

“(CNN) — Hours after federal investigators announced they had arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff on corruption charges, U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald declared Tuesday a “sad day for government.”

Rod Blagojevich is currently serving his second term as governor of Illinois.

“Gov. Blagojevich has taken us to a new low,” he said. “This conduct would make [Abraham] Lincoln roll over in his grave.”

Fitzgerald said the government had bugged the governor’s campaign office and placed a tap on his home phone.

FBI agents arrested Blagojevich on Tuesday on federal charges in part related to the selection of President-elect Barack Obama’s successor, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Federal officers took Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris — also arrested on corruption charges — into custody at around 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. ET) without incident, FBI spokesman Ross Rice told CNN.

Each was charged with a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and a count of solicitation of bribery, authorities said.

The government says the two were “conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits” for the Illinois governor by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a U.S. senator to replace Obama.

The Obama transition team is aware that Blagojevich is in federal custody, but has no comment, according to a senior Democratic source.

The government also accuses Blagojevich and Harris of threatening to withhold state assistance to the Tribune Company — the company that owns the Chicago Tribune — in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field baseball stadium. The company also owns the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field.

In exchange for assistance, the governor and his chief of staff wanted the newspaper to fire Chicago Tribune editorial board members who were sharply critical of the governor, the government said.

It alleged the two also sought to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions.Blagojevich and  Harris will appear later Tuesday in court, the attorney’s office said.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday that it’s “a sad day.”

The governor’s arrest calls into question whether he retains the power to name someone to replace Obama in the Senate, said Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s senior legal analyst.

“One of the many interesting legal questions that is going to come out of this is, if Blagojevich is arrested, and not able to perform his duties in a normal way — is he allowed to name Obama’s successor? I don’t know the answer to that,” Toobin said.

The investigation into Blagojevich and Harris has been going on for several years, Rice said. Tuesday’s arrests are “pretty much a culmination of that case,” he said.

In a 76-page affidavit, federal authorities say wiretaps caught Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat in exchange for financial benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

At times, he discussed obtaining a substantial salary for himself at a non-profit organization or an organization affiliated with labor unions, as well as placing his wife on paid corporate boards where she might make as much as $150,000 a year, the government said.

During one recorded conversation, Blagojevich said he needed to consider his family and said he was “financially” hurting, the affidavit said.

“I want to make money,” Blagojevich said, according to the affidavit.

The governor also often weighed the option of appointing himself to the Senate seat, saying he was “stuck” at governor and might have access to more resources as a senator than as a governor, the affidavit says. A Senate seat could also help him remake his image ahead of a possible presidential run in 2016. “If … they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it,” he said in one conversation.

The intercepted phone calls also caught the the governor and Harris discussing the possibility of the Tribune Company’s obtaining assistance from the Illinois Finance Authority in efforts to sell the Cubs and the financing or sale of Wrigley Field, the government said.

Blagojevich allegedly directed Harris to tell Tribune officials that state assistance would be withheld unless members of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board were fired. The governor saw them as “driving discussion of his possible impeachment,” the affidavit said.

“Our recommendation is fire all those [expletive] people, get ‘em the [expletive] out of there and get us some editorial support,” the governor allegedly said in one phone call.

Federal authorities also allege the governor and Harris schemed with others — including convicted real estate developer Antoin “Tony” Rezko — to obtain financial benefits for himself, his family and others, including his campaign committee, Friends of Blagojevich.

Reports from the Chicago Tribune last week said federal authorities were investigating the governor and were secretly taping his conversations — with the help of his former congressional chief of staff, John Wyem.

“I don’t believe there’s any cloud that hangs over me,” Blagojevich told WLS-TV in Chicago on Monday, as he responded to the reports of wiretapping. “I think there’s nothing but sunshine hanging over me.”

He added, “By the way, I should say if anyone wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it. I appreciate anybody who wants to tape me openly.”

Blagojevich, who turns 52 on Wednesday, is in his second four-year term as Illinois governor. His term ends January 2011.

Before that, he served as a U.S. Congressman for Illinois’ 5th district from 1997 until 2003, according to his online biography.

He and his wife have two daughters.

Blagojevich announced last month that he was forming a panel to review candidates to replace Obama’s Senate seat.

Several Illinois Democrats — including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, a former congressional candidate who now serves in Blagojevich’s administration — have been mentioned as possible Senate replacements for Obama.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reacted to the news, saying “I talked to the governor a few days ago, of course, about the Senate appointment and of course I’m very disappointed.”

“Any time a high-ranking official, governor of a state like Illinois — especially — it reflects bad on government generally. I’m terribly disappointed and concerned,” he added.

When asked what Blagojevich’s arrest means for the appointment of Obama’s Senate successor, Reid said he wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know. Maybe it means the lieutenant governor does it. I don’t know.”

The state’s last governor, George Ryan, was convicted in April 2006 on racketeering and fraud charges.

Ryan reported to a federal prison in Wisconsin in November 2007 to serve a 6½-year sentence. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of the United States said it would not hear an appeal from Ryan.

On December 1, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ilinois, asked President Bush to consider commuting Ryan’s sentence, saying Ryan “has already paid a significant price” for his crimes.

“George Ryan is 74 years old. He has lost his state pension benefits and a commutation will not restore them. He would emerge from prison facing economic uncertainty at this advanced stage of his life,” Durbin wrote.”