All articles contained within this blog written by John H. Whitehead

Just moments after Chicago was officially eliminated from the Olympic bid many mainstream news outlets and unknown bloggers have opted to play the blame game. Some appear to blame Obama's lackluster last-minute appeal while others place emphasis squarely on crime in the city once home to the likes of Al Capone, the Blackstone Rangers streetgangs and innumerable corrupt public officials. As a resident of this great city - I can assure you that while some Chicagoans are generally disappointed - many more of us simply do not care. This is not a sour grapes reaction to losing by a long shot. It is well known that Chicago has long been divided on the sensibility of having the international games in "The City that Works" - but isn't working - right now. A billion dollar budget deficit, nightmarish traffic congestion despite never-ending road construction, a severely underfunded public transit system, well-publicized instances of police brutality and the recent killings of at least 32 Chicago Public school students could have all played a role in the IOCs' decision to take the games elsewhere. Scratch the surface and there lies a sinister tale of gentrification (already in progress) of the African-American communities where the Olympics were to be held. Take your pick - either way bringing the games to Chicago would have made as much sense as bringing a sippy-straw to a knife fight. Not a good idea. Not the best way for King Richard (Daley) to solidify his "legacy".

Let talk turkey dollars. I'm not revealing state secrets here - Google these if you think i'm lying. Chicago is in the midst of a billion dollar budget deficit. Hundreds of city employees have been laid off, schools are underfunded, and the public transit system is grossly underfunded (the very capable transit chairwoman resigned only last week). A once city-owned tollway has been sold to a foreign company to cover the budgetary shortfall, the parking meters have been "leased" to a separate company at reportedly $1,000,000,000 (that's one billion dollars) less than it's actually worth over the life of the 75-year contract. Yet despite this Chicago has spent 100 Million Dollars in the bidding process alone to host the Olympic games.

The world is also very aware of the instances of city corruption and police misconduct (i.e. "Burly cop beats tiny female bartender - on videotape and is acquitted"). This week the world was shocked to witness the videotaped death of a honor student bystander at the hands of a mob of savage teens. How many police patrol officers would one-tenth of one-hundred million dollars provide? How much money could be better invested in improving the safety and quality of life in Chicago communities?

Olympics supporters purport that the games would build communities and provide jobs - but the numbers simply aren't there. In actuality, local residents have been very vocal about losing their homes in the areas surrounding the proposed Olympic venue sites due to increasing taxes from new construction of $500,000 condos in areas where most can barely afford to rent. Where would the supposed jobs come from- Merlin's magical hat? Would these jobs even be sustainable? Once the games were gone - so would the hot-dog vendor positions.

America - Obama knew what he was doing when he didn't go all out for the games - this man is no idiot and has the best advisors in the world. Don't blame him - he knew that his beloved hometown was not the best choice for the games. The threat of terrorism associated with these games for all of America should also not be summarily dismissed as it is a very real possibility. I don't blame him for waiting until the last minute to attend the event. He was damned either way.

Chicago may not have won the games but by not having to shoulder this awesome burden - we just may have taken home the gold. The starter pistol has been fired Chicago- so let's stop playing games and let's get down to serious business - making Chicago the World Class City that it pretends to be.

Vagrant, derelict, drifter, loafer, panhandler, vagabond;  society has many names for the down-and-out. Like "hobo" and "bum," the word "tramp" is considered vulgar in American English usage, having been subsumed in more polite contexts by words such as "homeless person" or "transient." But call them what you will - busy intersections, street corners and highway off-ramps are dotted with scores of people begging for “spare change” or holding cardboard signs with “Please Help. Homeless Vietnam Vet – will work for food/beer/verbal insults. God Bless.” scrawled in permanent black marker.

In efforts to curb this “epidemic” many cities had begun arresting panhandlers but the Supreme Court ruled such arrests were unconstitutional as “begging” is a protected form of free speech. NY panhandler Eddie Weise, arrested 26 times, was awarded $100,001 after he sued and the  city admitted that it was using a panhandling law that was declared unconstitutional in 1992.

Now many cities are left with very few options in dealing with the problems of vagrancy, substance abuse and violence that often accompany “transient populations”. Just this week Chicago Police officers shot and killed “an aggressive panhandler” after he grabbed and held a knife to an 80-year old male pedestrians’ throat. Though this assailant is believed to have suffered from a mental disorder – on the other end of the spectrum are those in complete control of their minds and wallets and actually consider begging a profession- and in some cases, a very profitable one. Louise Stark, author of "From Lemons to Lemonade: An Ethnographic Sketch of Late Twentieth-Century Panhandling" writes that "the modern panhandler often considers begging a job, in many ways an entrepreneurial enterprise.”

Meet: Jason Pancoast and Elizabeth Johnson, self-described "affluent beggars" from Ashland, Oregon.  Johnson and Pancoast, who have been together for 14 years, support themselves and their three children, ages 6, 3 and 3 months old, by panhandling.  According to Pancoast, begging can be lucrative. He claims the family sometimes makes $300 a day asking for money and has made as much as $800. The family also receives $500 a month in food stamps. While beggars may defend panhandling as simply a way to survive - others see something a little more sinister at work- a scam.

Debbie, (an Ashland, OR. resident who asked that her last name not be used) remembers Johnson, Pancoast and their children and has given Johnson money on several occasions. "That kind of thing tugs on anyone’s heartstrings," she says. But then Debbie saw Pancoast drop Johnson off a local mall in a nice car and kiss her and the baby goodbye. "Then I became a little bitter," Debbie says. "I was working my tail off at three jobs — and I see her eating at restaurants that are so expensive I can’t afford to eat there."

From the newly penniless to the life-long gambling/drug addict – “tramps” trolling for change seem to be everywhere. Begging has even adapted to the internet taking on an "e-panhandling" role. Instead of begging on the streets, cyber panhandlers set up a website where they "beg" for money. (Think Octo-mom).

Have you ever been tricked by a tramp, bamboozled by a bum or vexed by a faux vet?

Or do you give panhandlers the benefit of the doubt?     B.C.