Government may have a role to play in people’s lives, but Mayor Richard Daley drew the line Thursday when it comes to dress codes and duck’s liver.
City Hall shouldn’t tell taxi drivers what to wear, and it shouldn’t dictate what is on Chicagoans’ plates, the mayor said in response to proposals being considered by the City Council.
And though Daley said the council has every right to weigh in on the Iraq war, he left no doubt that he believes American troops should stay where they are.
Ald. Edward Burke (14th), concerned about the shabby appearance of some Chicago cabbies, on Wednesday introduced a measure that would require them to wear white, collared shirts and khaki, navy or black pants with matching socks. Meanwhile, Ald. Joe Moore (49th) is pushing for approval of an ordinance that would ban the sale of foie gras, the liver delicacy that animal rights advocates say is produced by inhumanely force-feeding ducks or geese.
“How far are we going in all this?” Daley asked. “How far do you want government to be there in your home constantly? That is a big question. And some people really believe in this.
“Joe Moore believes in this,” Daley said. “And Ed Burke believes that … government should be involved in your daily life, every day.”
Perhaps tavern patrons should be subject to a drinking limit, Daley said.
“Drunk driving is serious,” he said. “Should we limit drinking in a bar to two drinks? That could be the next question. It’s a health question, isn’t it? It’s a safety issue.”
The mayor agreed that cabbies should be well groomed, because they are the first Chicagoans some people meet when they visit the city. But instead of passing legislation, he called for conversation.
“You work with the industry, and let’s see what we can do dealing with their appearance,” he said.
In a passing slap at a council concern in another area, Daley questioned whether cabbies would be permitted to buy their white shirts at Wal-Mart. Citing the chain’s treatment of employees, aldermanic critics last year scuttled a proposal for a new Wal-Mart on the South Side.
Daley, who answered reporters’ questions at a City Hall news conference on unrelated matters, said that “if we keep moving down this path, then I think we will have to get everyone a computer, a hand-held computer, to figure out whether they can do this or do that in the city of Chicago.”
At a meeting on Wednesday, the council passed a resolution 29-9 calling for the “orderly and rapid” withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Daley, whose son, Patrick, is in the Army, described the council action as “very thoughtful,” and he said that supporters of the measure “don’t want to see any young man or woman, whether Muslim or Arab or American killed.”
“I wonder … in the Revolutionary War why France kind of sided with the U.S.,” he said sarcastically. “They were wrong to do that.” And “why would people side with the North in the Civil War? I wonder why.”
The people dying in Iraq “are dying for a purpose,” Daley declared. “They want our freedom that we have here in this country. Some people don’t believe they should get freedom. Some people don’t believe in the Muslim world. Certain people don’t believe they should have a right to a democracy and be able to vote and have a constitution.”
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gwashburn@tribune.com
