--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As it happens, Chicago is the nation's…" description: "\"As it happens, Chicago is the nation's leader in municipal privatization efforts. That's right: The city that conservatives portray as the citadel of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/thomas-frank-4078_back_as-it-happens-chicago-is-the-nation-s-le_483790.jpg" --- # As it happens, Chicago is the nation's leader in municipal… ![“As it happens, Chicago is the nation's leader in municipal privatization efforts. That's right: The city that conservatives portray as the citadel of the power-grabbing, government-growing left has been selling itself off in pieces for years. It signed a 99-year lease for the Chicago Skyway, a…” quote by Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/thomas-frank-4078_back_as-it-happens-chicago-is-the-nation-s-le_483790.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/thomas-frank-4078_back_as-it-happens-chicago-is-the-nation-s-le_483790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/thomas-frank-4078_back_as-it-happens-chicago-is-the-nation-s-le_483790.jpg) > “As it happens, Chicago is the nation's leader in municipal privatization efforts. That's right: The city that conservatives portray as the citadel of the power-grabbing, government-growing left has been selling itself off in pieces for years. It signed a 99-year lease for the Chicago Skyway, a toll road in the city's South Side, back in 2005.” [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chicago leads in privatizing public assets, contradicting its left‑leaning image, showing that political labels can mask economic realities. **In simple terms:** Chicago privatizes despite left image. Key Takeaway Recognize that political branding may hide true policies. Themes politics economics urban policy privatization Mood analytical skeptical Type political economic When to use this quote - city planning - infrastructure - public debate - policy analysis Key Concepts public‑private partnerships municipal finance Questions to Reflect On - What are the hidden costs of privatizing public roads? - How do political narratives affect public perception? A Different Perspective Privatization can reduce public control and accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efforts/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Municipal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/municipal/) [Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation/) [Privatization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privatization/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) ## Related quotes > [Allowing a private rather than a public entity to take over your toll road merely means that your tolls will have to be that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/allowing-a-private-rather-than-a-public-entity-to-take-over-your-toll/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [In the United States, under 3 percent of municipal food waste - so that's the food scraps that goes into people's garbage cans -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/in-the-united-states-under-3-percent-of-municipal-food-waste-so-that/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [Lebanon is restless, Syria got its walking papers, Egypt is scheduling elections with more than one candidate, and even Saudi Arabia, whose rulers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fields/lebanon-is-restless-syria-got-its-walking-papers-egypt-is-scheduling/) [Suzanne Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fields/) > [In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minority set-aside programs in municipal contracts were unconstitutional. The court wondered if there were proof that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-1989-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruled-that-minority-set-aside-programs/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [In Rio we built a Center of Operations, a situation room that gathers information from municipal departments and allows us to manage and help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-paes/in-rio-we-built-a-center-of-operations-a-situation-room-that-gathers/) [Eduardo Paes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-paes/) > [Municipal laws are a supply to the wisdom of each individual; and, at the same time, by restraining the natural liberty of men, make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/municipal-laws-are-a-supply-to-the-wisdom-of-each-individual-and-at/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [There's not a doubt in my mind that you will see a spate of municipal-bond defaults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/there-s-not-a-doubt-in-my-mind-that-you-will-see-a-spate-of-municipal/) [Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/) > [When I was brought up in Sweden, there was a great opportunity for young people to learn how to act in our municipal theaters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-von-sydow/when-i-was-brought-up-in-sweden-there-was-a-great-opportunity-for/) [Max von Sydow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-von-sydow/) > [Municipal debt outstanding doubled in the past 10 years. 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