I just got back from a fascinating energizing trip to America’s third largest metropolis, the city of Chicago. A city of fabulous architecture, extraordinary energy, friendly intelligent and largely progressive people, intriguing politics and a centre of dynamic culture, music and art.I spent a large chunk of my time at a convention of political scientists from a wide spectrum of academics from across the U.S. and a small but significant representation of researchers and scholars from Europe and Asia.The paper I presented there on quantitative easing and the rediscovery of Keynes after the crash can be viewed on this site. (  https://haroldchorneyeconomist.com/2011/03/page/2/  )        But over the four days I spent there I also managed to walk about a chunk of downtown central Chicago , marvel at the architecture and the metropolitan energy on display but also speak to a wide variety of people including sadly far too many homeless people or people in trouble because of the severe recession that the U.S. is slowly beginning to recover from. There were plenty of people in the streets asking for help. So Rahm Emanuel has plenty on his plate when he takes over(a pretty sure bet) as Mayor later in the year. One of the most urgent priorities seems to me to be an enhanced   program to aid the homeless and the poor, hopefully with federal help that could apply throughout America. The windspent shore of Michigan ave, the elegant and magnificent skyscrapers, the vast expanse of the railyards and the bridges over them that reminded me of my hometown Winnipeg, the Chicago of Carl Sandburg, Studs Terkel, Saul Bellow, Saul Alinsky, Barack Obama, 2nd city review and the Art Institute, and the homeless man who asked brother can you spare a dime on Wabush all deserve it.