Chicago - City of Big Shoulders - What Happened to You?

            CHICAGO

HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:

Ever since Carl Sandburg wrote this poem in 1916 Chicago has always been the "City of Big Shoulders", the epitome of the "Blue Collar" attitude. These sturdy individuals worked hard, saved their money, lived within their means, played hard, prayed hard, told it like it was and raised their families to do the same - at least they use to.

So what happened? Why is it that they now elect and re-elect politicians who go to Springfield and Spend like drunken sailors on their first shore leave, leaving huge deficits for the children of the whole State of Illinois to deal with?  How have we become the laughing stock of the Nation for our crooked political culture, high debt level and high jobless level?

What happened to that proud "Blue Collar Culture"?