Today’s quotable
Tuesday, Sep 2, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Chris Miller (R-No Relation) at an Illinois Freedom Caucus press conference this morning…
We’re here to talk about crime. We’re here to talk about Chicago, and we’re here to talk about the federal government stepping in and cleaning up this mess. […]
But the real question is, why doesn’t Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker want the federal government to step in and make their communities safe again? This defies any common sense or common logic when it comes to this.
You know, if they told me the Easter Bunny could come in and fix this, I’d say, ‘Come on down and let’s get this done.’
- Kelly Cassidy - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:50 am:
Presumably, “they” would be able to articulate exactly what the Easter Bunny could do to meaningfully contribute to the progress being made here already and what skills and experience they’d apply to make things better, but sure.
- Chicago voter - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:54 am:
My BS meter goes DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING-DING.
- Stephenson County - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:56 am:
IMO, The Illinois Freedom Caucus, is the mess that need to be cleaned up. Il. GOP will never be relevant with these people showing their ignorance all the time.
- Casper the Ghost Bus - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:56 am:
This is a tremendous break through.
Rep. Miller (no relation) and the House Republican Caucus supporting more taxpayer resources for the City of Chicago. Wow.
He deserves credit for standing up and saying the people he represents want more of their tax dollars going to Chicago.
Sending in the National Guard could cost taxpayers well over $100 million and Rep. Miller thinks there’s no better use of those dollars than spending them in Chicago.
This change of heart on Chicago funding from Miller and his HGOP colleagues could also clear the way for more tax dollars going to Chicago Public Schools and the Chicagoland transit systems.
Kudos to Rep. Miller for supporting more resources for Chicago.
- Montrose - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:57 am:
It’s nice to see him double down on his inability to discern between good ideas and bad ideas.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:57 am:
Perhaps the answer to the question “Why hasn’t anyone done this before?” is “Because it’s a very dumb idea.”
– MrJM
- Huh? - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 11:58 am:
Given the current administration, I doubt the federal government could clean out a cat litter box, much less than “clean up Chicago.”
I further doubt that anything coming from a republican’t side of the aisle could be considered common sense and logical.
- NotRich - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:01 pm:
It wasn’t bad this weekend. Only 9 shot n killed. 54 shout and wounded. Brandon is making it safer.
- CornfieldCowboy - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:03 pm:
apologies if you already shared this link in recent days. I have always remembered this
https://www.oakpark.com/2010/04/27/oak-park-state-rep-wants-national-guard-on-west-side/
- H-W - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:07 pm:
The disconnect between immigrants (undocumented workers) and crime rates prove Rep. Miller to be wholly unfit to make such speeches about solving crime.
The disconnect between using federal troops to support local and state law enforcement, and Trump’s theoretical plan to arrest undocumented workers, shows Rep. Miller to be out-of-touch with his own national party and its agenda.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:12 pm:
=== stepping in and cleaning up this mess. ===
This is a bigger fantasy than the Easter Bunny. There is no stepping in and cleaning up the mess. It’s an occupational force that would have an impact strictly during the occupation. Even the “successes” would diminish as the criminals adapt.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:18 pm:
===I have always remembered this===
A certain group of lawmakers who specialize in getting news media coverage have used that issue time and again over the years. Rod Blagojevich, who definitely fell into that category, did as well.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:19 pm:
If you put a cop or guardsman on every corner ordinary crime would be virtually zero. It would also be very very expensive. It would also by definition be a police state. Which is what Illinois did not vote for….
- ChicagoBars - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:38 pm:
Being fair to Rep Chris Miller (R-No Relation) maybe be got the Easter Bunny confused with Elwood’s old friend Harvey the rabbit. That Harvey is one miracle rabbit.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
Interesting. Because there are folks who study crime reduction and have made recommendations about what works; when in place, those recommended actions had a positive effect. To quote Rich’s weekly column: “The murder rate has been declining both in the city and around the country for the past couple of years, at least partly because of a big surge in federal funding of the sort of anti-violence programs advocated by Crown. That federal funding has now been cut off.”
How does Rep. Miller (no relation) feel about that? If he supports the Easter Bunny, at least in theory, where was he when funding for an actual program with a proven track record lost its Federal funding? Did he discuss this with his local congressperson?
- TJ - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 1:28 pm:
Asking the Easter Bunny for help is actually pretty darned concrete of a plan compared to what the national GOP has been suggesting on fixing things as of late.
- ChicagoVinny - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 2:51 pm:
Why didn’t the colonies want the redcoats to step in and make their communities safe again?
- System Reboot - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 2:56 pm:
Gotta love that Mr. January 6th Freedom Caucus is now pro-big government
- Which one’s Pink - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 3:21 pm:
Personally, I think Santa Claus would be a better option than the Easter Bunny. But, that’s just me.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 4:39 pm:
= I doubt the federal government could clean out a cat litter box, much less than “clean up Chicago.”=
To be fair, the NG troops in Washington have been picking up the parks very nicely.
Rep Chris Miller is nothing but a country troll jealous of the city people.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 4:44 pm:
===have been picking up the parks very nicely===
After a ton of park employees were laid off.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 5:50 pm:
= After a ton of park employees were laid off=
Well, there is that too.
Park beautification probably isn’t the role most soldiers envisioned.
- Give us Barabbas - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 6:59 pm:
They are being all they can be. Like Hegseth said, they will ignore distractions and concentrate on warfighting.
Against litter, if they have to.
- Glock21 - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 8:38 pm:
We are so deep in the Orwellian opposite-world of this consolidating authoritarianism. The Illinois “Freedom Caucus” full of so-called “small government” “federalists” calling for the invasion of their state by federal forces and troops.
Their supporters begging for them to arrest their political enemies and eradicate people they deem “undesirable,” while being horribly offended at calling their palingenetic ultranationalist movement “fascist.”
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Sep 2, 25 @ 9:44 pm:
Trump is just sending the troops in for the show business angle, about as realistic to crime fighting as his TV show was to his actual business ability was. Put the Guard in a squad with the Englewood Rangers in 007 and that might make a difference. (Just the Illinois NG. Any other state coming in is just an invasion.)