I have been a resident of the South Side for 16 years, and I have gone to all but one of the South Side Irish parades.
This parade was started by a small group of residents as a family parade to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Even though it has grown, it has managed to remain a family-oriented parade.
In recent years, however, it has included more and more politicians, and I, for one, am sick of it. This year, President Clinton and Pat Buchanan might be in the parade. This is not because they “Salute the South Side Irish,” as their banners will invariably say, but because the Illinois presidential primary is two days after the parade. They (the politicians) are never around for the parade when they are not up for election, but they manage to make time when they need the votes.
So my question to the politicians is: Are you going to be around for next year’s parade? If not, we don’t want you in this year’s parade.
