Is Chicago, Illinois a Liberal City?

Whether you vote for blue or red, Democratic or Republican, it is entirely up to you. However, it might influence you as to where you want to move, and Chicago may be your destination. So, what is it about Chicago?

Chicago is a very liberal town, as is most notable according to the 2016 election. As is seen in Cook County, IL records, 73.9% of people voted Democratic, while only 20.8% of people voted for the Republican party, leaving 5.3% to vote as Independent.

So, what makes Chicago such a liberal city? There’s not really anything wrong with being a liberal, as long as they’re doing what they can to benefit the people. In other words, let’s learn as to why, together.

What Does Liberal Mean

According to the Dictionary definition, it means, “relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.” For liberals, in most cases, it means being able to have a free market, free trade, individual rights that include both civil and human, capitalism, democracy, gender equality, well, the list is incredibly long in all respects, but they want everything to be fair and equal in short.

Liberals strive to be open-minded in their views. They want to be progressive with the times, rather than abiding by what may be generally accepted. Liberals don’t want to be restricted by other’s points of view and want to be inclusive of what others have to say, as well as progress the government along with the times. It’s more about reforming as new problems or situations arise rather than thinking the old is what is best.

Liberals are most often viewed as the “left” side of the party, or more of an “extremist” point of view for the Democratic side. Just as the Conservatives are viewed as the “extremist” side of the Republican party. They’re not really extremists, they just take their views more seriously as well as expand upon those into something that isn’t broad but aspects that need to be instilled in order for everyone to be free and equal. Basically, a Liberal takes the views of the Democrats not only more seriously, but also they take it to a different level of what they are looking for in not only a Presidential candidate but also someone who is going to enact those views that they are hoping others will embrace.

What Laws Have Been Added and/or Changed

Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana is always a huge subject when it comes to the general public. There are so many who are against the legalization of marijuana, and there are also so many who want to decriminalize it. In January of 2020, Chicago, along with the rest of Illinois, marijuana was officially legalized. For the Liberals, the importance of legalizing marijuana is to decriminalize it so that smoking it in the comforts of your own home, whether for recreation or medical use, is seen as normal. One of their main reasons to legalize it is so that criminals who have received harsh sentences for minimal ounces of marijuana can be released for something minor in the grand scheme.

Religious Crimes and Prosecution

There were a lot of changes that came about during the 2020 election, especially for Illinois. One of their newest laws is that those who choose to commit murder against those who are praying or doing other religious activities at a place of worship will be tried and sentenced according to those crimes. Of course, murdering someone is a crime itself, but a part of the hearing will be that those who killed someone while they were worshipping will be a major factor in the sentencing. This in the hope that it will be able to protect those who are practicing other faiths besides Christianity.

Mental Health Protocols for Police

During the Pandemic that started in 2020, suicides have slowly been on the rise. Unfortunately, many police officers are not trained on how to notice the signs of someone who is experiencing either a mental breakdown or is extremely suicidal. As part of a new law, police officers will be receiving training regarding how to recognize and help those who are showing signs of obvious distress and/or suicidal tendencies. It’s not only for the benefit of others but as well as themselves and how work-related stress can have serious consequences.

Sexual Harassment Guidelines

Unfortunately, sexual harassment is an ongoing epidemic that seems to plague our nation. Illinois’s new laws plan to help teach people how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace. This requires both public and private companies and corporations to teach their employees how to not only avoid but protect themselves when they are experiencing sexual harassment. This also prevents private employers from having employees sign non-disclosure agreements. With this new law in place, there is encouragement that employees are able to learn how to take care of themselves should a problem arise.

Genetic Information Protection

There are a lot of new companies that are creating genetic testing for people to spit in a bottle in order to find out their lineage and ethnicity. Illinois has put this law in place so that clients will have privacy protections in place in order to protect the consumer. Companies are prevented from sharing information about their consumer to either health or life insurance companies without the direct consent of the tested person. This prevents companies from increasing prices or premiums due to health concerns that come with the genetic test results.

History of Politics in Chicago

The beginning of the political system in the United States started with the Democratic party taking hold of the political system in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, the Democrats were considered bullies and tried to control the votes early on. There was a great deal of corruption from the start, and they tried to encourage deceit at the polls as often as possible. Unfortunately, the Republicans happened to do the same things they hated the Democrats for when they came into political control in the 1890s. They chose to do the same tactics such as encouraging people to vote often as well as replace the appointees to be entirely Republican; all things they shamed the Democrats for doing.

There was a great deal of political struggle between the 1870s and up until the 1930s. The United States itself was struggling to find its own political gain in the world and how the government would be able to control and also be a part of the people. There was a lot of political unrest among the states, as well as the government as a whole. There was a great ordeal when it came to racial prejudices and injustices throughout the U.S., and this certainly didn’t exclude the state of Illinois. Exploitation was widely apparent when it came to the color of someone’s skin and their jobs and homes they could have and the services they could provide. It took a long time for them to overcome, and there are still a lot of problems that go on within the nation, and Illinois itself.

When the Women’s Suffrage movement occurred in 1913, women were suddenly thrown into the harsh political atmosphere that was harshly controlled by men, and at that time, the Republicans. Women were officially, and legally, allowed to vote and be a part of the political climate, such as run for positions and vote for who they wanted in office. Unfortunately, the Republicans tried to control that by electing a Republican supporter, Louise Osborn Rowe, to be the new commissioner of public welfare. But after only a year, she resigned from office because she was being charged with operating a kickback scheme in the welfare department. This did not go well for the Republican party, and the Democrats latched onto this.

Illinois has a long line of mayors doing some rather dubious activities, but never actually being convicted for anything they did. For example, during the start of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mayor at the time demanded a manhunt for anyone practicing the LDS faith, as well as a price on Joseph Smith’s head. At the time, there wasn’t anything saying this wasn’t bad, but the Mayor certainly was judged afterward for choosing to manhunt people. Some other types of nefarious activities include paying for votes, payoff, bribery, or to help reform the police department.

Though Illinois had a rough start to the democratic status, they still were able to make history by making certain milestones within the young country’s history, especially during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their shift in democratic and economic priorities helped to ascertain their status as a responsible state. It changed its status to be more immigrant and migrant-friendly and chose to open its borders to help integrate its population as well as help them grow its population. It was important for them to be more open-minded when it came to inviting people into their borders for a period of time.

Related Topics:

If you like the article above, here are some other similar articles you should check out!

17 Reasons Not to Move to Chicago Illinois (Voted by the Locals)Opens in a new tab.

13 Best Family Neighborhoods in Chicago, ILOpens in a new tab.

Is There a lot of Crime in Chicago, Illinois (What you Should Know)Opens in a new tab.

Recent Posts