The Independence Day holiday provided a wonderful snapshot of the Chicago branch of the ruling class at play. If you follow the money of Chicago politics, you soon realize the importance of the role of a seemingly obscure local official, the Cook County Assessor. That office, currently occupied by Joe Berrios, who worked his way up the machine from precinct captain, has enormous powers to raise or lower property tax bills.   So how does a member of the Chicago Machine that rules politics in the city, county and state, and which brought us Barack Obama, honor our nation’s founding? Chicago City Wire reports: Arriving home from long family weekends today, many Chicago homeowners went from relaxed to girding themselves upon greeting their new, much larger property tax bills in the mail. News of the specifics of this year's Cook County's big property tax hike came just in time to dampen 2017 Fourth of July celebrations. But Cook County Assessor himself,...(Read Full Post)