> Most Jackson county roads through the '20s were dirt or gravel. 
> Pendergast concrete pulled Jackson County out of the mud.  Much of the
> current road surface of Chrysler in Independence from south 
> of 23rd street
> up to the square (for example) is Pendergast concrete laid 
> down in 1934. 
> That is the surface you are still driving on today.  Kansas 
> City's City
> Hall was built using Pendergast concrete.  It looks like it's 
> holding up
> pretty well compared to many of it's contemporaries. 
> 
> Look at the ridiculous scams pulled around here today and 
> they make Tom
> Pendergast look like an exemplary businessman.  Do you really 
> think that
> the community didn't get their money's worth?
> 
> Harry Truman traveled back to Kansas City from Washington 
> D.C. to attend
> Tom Pendergast's funeral when Truman was a US Senator.  

Well, that's not really the reason. Harry came back to attend as a Freemason
(he was either Grand Master of Missouri or in the Grand line at the time).
They belonged to the same Masonic Lodge. Harry probably delivered the
Masonic funeral Service for brother Pendergast. Pendergast was a crook, but
even crooks can do good things. He is the prototype of the modern
politician. also there was a lot more pride in workmanship in the 30's than
today. The high quality of the Pendergast concrete probably has more to do
with the workers than with Pendergast.

While I'm on the soapbox.

It a really sad statement to make "You're better off shooting to kill than
to wound". Although I know many law enforcement people, and yes many of them
do shoot to kill for many of the reasons described here. it just sad to
think that our inconvenience and property are worth more to us than doing
the right thing. All I have left to say on the subject is,

"The Police in New York City, chased a boy right through the Park, in a case
of mistaken identity, They put a bullet through his heart."

My cousin was killed like this, sitting in his living room by a police
officer. The real criminal was one block over, the address was one digit
off. You can justify it all you want, but murder is murder. It is just plain
wrong.

That's all I have to say,
Brian