As far as benefits to the City go, temporary jobs are plentiful and useful, especially if they last 4-6 years. Take a look at some of the other benefits involved in getting the Games. For example, the Sept 16-22 edition of the Chicago Defender, page 6, there is an interview with Chicago 2016 Chief of Staff Kurt Summers. He says, “Chicago 2016 commissioned a study in December that identified the potential gains Chicago stands to receive if we win the Games. For starters, the study found that from 2011 through 2021 the Olympics would stimulate $22.5 billion of incremental economic activity in Illinois and $13.7 billion in Chicago. And the study also found that 315,000 new jobs would be created in Illinois and 172,000 in Chicago.”

After reading that you may still want to make an argument that “temporary” jobs don’t matter, but they do. 315,000 jobs that stimulate an additional $22.5 billion in economic activity over 10 years is worth the potential threat of having someone get a $100K kickback in construction costs due to the City’s corruption.

And finally, as far as crime goes: Have you looked at the comparative statistics to the number of people living in the areas that were previously home to the Olympics before and after the Games? With increases in population come increases in crime — it is what happens when population density increases (typically). Also, like I said in my original comment, the post Olympic plan for the City is by far the best I’ve seen. It plans for what happens after. In Atlanta the plans for after the Olympics were barely existent. No one really thought they were necessary. The market was supposed to take care of what was left. We now know that this isn’t the case, and Chicago has planned for it.

I obviously support Chicago getting selected on Friday. I will probably be watching the coverage all day. You probably will read this (or maybe not) and still not agree with me. But if we get them and it is a success for the City, you will probably regret that you didn’t have faith in our City’s staff (most of which we elected to office) to create something wonderful for Chicago.