Obama or no, Chicago's public parks should not be free for the taking

It's a great honor for Chicago to host the Obama Presidential Center, which could bring exceptional benefits to residents and businesses alike. But it's disgraceful and undemocratic to confiscate 19-plus acres of nationally significant, historic Olmsted & Vaux-designed parkland, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and held in public trust for nearly 150 years, for the purpose.