Who can explain it?

Chicago will get at least $1 billion in stimulus funds, according to reports.

But can anyone--anyone at all--explain how it was decided that Chicago would get $1 billion and not, say $800 million, or 1.2 billion? How why it will "preserve 1,000 CTA posts" or "750 teaching positions?" And not 1,000 community service jobs, instead of 650?

The most basic explanation of how these decisions were made is totally missing. It's as if the public had no say in these matters, which, of course, it hasn't.

This is the biggest single distribution of public money in our history, but we are supposed to sit by like a bunch of serfs, waiting for Czar Daley II to make these decisions. Nothing, nothing at all, seems to be able to stop this and restore our basic rights as a self-governing people.

Who caused the housing meltdown?