Over the weekend the country was gripped by the saga of the great Chinese balloon. Ben riffs. And former Alderman John Arena offers a primer on fact and fantasy in government. For instance, candidates say they will hire more police and they will cut taxes. But you can't hire police, and pay pensions, without raising taxes. Or they say, no issues matter except crime. When, of course, there are dozens of issues that also matter. So they're speaking in code. And what are they really saying when they speak that code? When you think about it--the Chinese government's insistence that it's only a weather balloon (not a spy balloon) may be no more ludicrous then the stuff Chicago politicians tell us everyday.

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