Chicago Alderman Gets To Decide Whether Business Gets to Stay Open

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The alderman at the center of the uproar over "Chairman Fred Hampton Way" is back in the eye of the storm -- this time over a sidewalk cafe permit for a South Loop hotel embroiled in a labor dispute.

At the behest of Ald. Madeline Haithcock (2nd), the City Council's Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to deny the Congress Plaza Hotel at 520 S. Michigan the permit it needs to continue operating a sidewalk cafe.

That will force the cafe to lay off 25 employees, forfeit what's left of the outdoor dining season and lose thousands of dollars spent on outdoor furniture, canopies, food and menus. Sidewalk cafe permits run from March 1 through Dec. 1.

In a free market,consumers decide whether a business can stay open.In a politically run racket:politicians have the ultimate veto on everything.This address is in an area Chicago's Mob has a long history of control.