Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon on AM560: Why We Need to “Relentlessly” Make the Blue State-Red State Case
November 5, 2026
7 Comments
Glennon raised the stakes of the moment in broader civilizational terms: “This election in Illinois is not about the usual pedestrian issues… it’s about nothing less than whether Western civilization survives in our democratic republic of America because [the left], just on the open border alone, will destroy the country, and now they’re bringing in the jihadists, frankly, into the party.” Audio and summary linked here.Audio and summary linked here.
New Trier High School made national headlines nine years ago as a “canary in a coal mine” for political indoctrination in public schools. The canaries lived.
Among the consequences of economic growth that badly lags national averages are billions of lost revenue every year. Yet denial reigns in Illinois, fueling the vicious cycle of demand for higher taxes.
This a unbelievable story. six months of research and it still doesn’t answer any questions. nobody is taking charge and completing the task of helping the home owners . every single government person just deflects the whole issue waiting for the next person to solve and take care of it. Shameful!
Yes, truly unbelievable. We wrote several times about it nearly three years ago. Naturally, the problem was ignored: https://wirepoints.org/to-speed-chicagos-lead-pipe-replacement-end-the-obscene-overcharge-its-paying-wirepoints/
The cost is only six times the national average? That’s all? Just like ‘affordable’ housing units at over $600k each. And highway construction costs at four times the national average. And the CTA extension estimates at five times the national average per mile. Who thinks spending money in Chicago makes sense any longer? The infrastructure here is collapsing with no solution in sight.
Why, Unions and corruption.
Madigan and Burke have cousins in the plumbing business in Chicago.
Is this question asked with a straight face? Really? Why is it so expensive? Do any of you need an explanation? Who writes this crap?
I was a plumber for 50 years. Just me, a laborer, and a guy with a backhoe could easily do one water service line replacement in less than an 8 hour work day. I doubt that we ever charged more than $4,000. That didn’t include any hard surface replacement or landscaping, if needed. But we didn’t leave a mess. I guess we didn’t charge enough?
Because it takes a dozen highly paid union members to do the job that can be done by half as many.
You didn’t really think a toilet seat costs $75,000? It’s Chicago. Even you people can connect the dots. Think about the sheer number of kickbacks and pay-offs that need to occur to get the job done.
Because its ‘the Chicago way’…
The crew replacing the pipes = 1 person in the truck, 1 person in the backhoe, 3 people standing around watching 2 people in the hole doing the work…
Because Somebody’s Cousin has to do the job.