Take That, City Council

Lord Jesus.

The Honorable Richard M. Daley exercised his first ever veto today.

He did so against the big box ordinance passed by the city council on July 26th.

He has upped the ante in what proves to be a thoroughly entertaining fight between big box retailers, labor unions, Hizzoner & a rebellious city council.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is theatre of the highest magnitude. It don't get no better than this.

You may remember my post about my feelings on this big box brouhaha.

I hypothesize that the drama didn't jump off until Wal-mesee didn't pay the proper respect to the powers that be in our fair city and tried to do an end run around the "Chicago way" of doing business.

Some say that the ordinance is racially motivated as no one raised a peep about big box retailers when they were springing up like mushrooms on the north side but the minute the urban emerging markets were being probed (that's corporate speak for minority neighborhoods) the drama started.

Whether you believe either one, a mixture of the two or have a theory of your own this is gonna get messy.

But the bottom line is a sister still can't get reasonably priced goods and services within walking distance of the flat

I'd like to see the author of the big box ordinance, Alderman Joe Moore, schlep everything he needs to live and function on the bus or in a cart