Althouse: "Mayor Rahmbo had already come under suspicion as being an advocate of privatization but his current move left little doubt."

May 31, 2013

"Mayor Rahmbo had already come under suspicion as being an advocate of privatization but his current move left little doubt."

"Emanuel’s demonstration demolition is meant to endear him to the elite privatization movement. The destruction of public education will make way for more neoliberal policies, and of course, some nice business opportunities for friends and contributors. The only force strong enough to oppose the corporate ‘reformers’ is the teachers unions, which has made them enemy no. 1. If the unions fail to stop the looters it will be open season on universal education throughout America."

Alarm is raised at FireDogLake.

63 comments:

Patrick said...: If the unions fail to stop the looters it will be open season on universal education throughout America."

Because the teachers' unions have demonstrated so clearly that only they are able to educate. A very narrow and wrong view of what "educate" means. Because what the teachers' unions mean by "educate" is "give us more money."; 5/31/13, 11:35 AM
rehajm said...: If the unions fail to stop the looters

So the unions are stopping themselves?; 5/31/13, 11:38 AM
chuck said...: FireDogLake talking about elitists? Don't these folks ever use a mirror.; 5/31/13, 11:38 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: If the unions fail to stop the looters...

They're trying to loot what we rightfully stole!; 5/31/13, 11:39 AM
Colonel Angus said...: What is going on right now in Chicago will find its way to your door.

I suppose if my community's schools are as shitty as Chicago, that will be a good thing.; 5/31/13, 11:44 AM
ricpic said...: Stop the looters, unions! Could it get any more surreal?; 5/31/13, 11:45 AM
Strelnikov said...: I look forward to open season on "universal education" by which I assume the deep thinkers at FireDogLake mean the government controlled schools currently providing a record low quality product in exchange for record high "investment" in them.; 5/31/13, 11:46 AM
Strelnikov said...: During the "debate" over raising our Deep Blue state's income taxes last year, a foregone conclusion, we were treated to the sight of PEU members, mostly teachers on paid days off, marching around the Capitol chanting, "Raise our Taxes!" A more hypocritical display I have never seen. And, of course, they got what they wanted.; 5/31/13, 11:50 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I'm curious - what does Fire Dog Lake think of this?; 5/31/13, 11:54 AM
Leland said...: From various reports I've heard, it seems the open season is literally on the students. A public school in a high crime area is not a safe place.

Neither is a private school, but a private school would have staff held personally responsible and thus would provide protection. Bonus, the private school staff would be held personally responsible for students education performance as well.

Kids would stay safe and get smarter, which makes them useless to union bosses everywhere.; 5/31/13, 11:56 AM
SteveR said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/31/13, 11:57 AM
Synova said...: If I had the funds I'd start a private school... preferably k-12... Prepper/Military Academy. Not that I'm a prepper but I'd still have the kids learn how to build dangerous stuff. And radios out of a bit of wire and tinfoil. And I always hated PE, but there would be a lot of PE. And universal karate. And swords... probably the ARMA type. And a gun club, too. And maybe wilderness survival as a requirement of graduation.

Just for the pure subversiveness of it all and being able to watch heads explode.; 5/31/13, 11:57 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The collective left like to blame standardized tests. The corrupt unions, who take pay raises while our children fall through the cracks, are the backbone of the corrupt progressive left.; 5/31/13, 11:58 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/31/13, 11:58 AM
test said...: News at 11:

Public Education in America Sucks: Leftists Alarmed Things May Improve; 5/31/13, 11:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Poor kids trapped between union thugs and corporate looters. Pretty soon they will "graduate", take student loans to feed another set of looters for worthless degrees, and spend the rest of their lives slaving to pay off their loans.

If the unions had not failed the students, there wouldn't be any corporate looters to loot their loots.; 5/31/13, 12:02 PM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Who cares if the kids all get shitty educations?

There aren't any jobs for them anyway.

Well, maybe they can get jobs as school teachers so the kids next-in-line will all get even shittier educations and on and on and on.

Enjoy the decline, retards!; 5/31/13, 12:06 PM
Methadras said...: Oh noes!!! Cronyism in the halls of Chicago government? Say it ain't so. Whatever shall we do?; 5/31/13, 12:07 PM
Anonymous said...: Giddy-up!; 5/31/13, 12:08 PM
Peter said...: Then again, perhaps it's just politics.

'Mayor Rahmbo' got rolled by the teachers union in the recent negotiations: he talked tough, but was forced to capitulate. These unions are obviously not his friends. So, where else is he going to look for allies?

IMHO this is a fundamental decision that all Democratic politicians must make: shall they sell their souls to the teachers unions, or try to survive after a break with them?

The Unions have plenty to offer: largesse at campaign time, armies of volunteers to work the phone banks and at the grass-roots level in workplaces and neighborhoods. The unions project the image that since they're invincible- do you really want to force them to defeat you?

But constituents are increasingly unhappy with their too-often-dismal urban school systems, and they retain the power of the ballot box.

It's a tough choice. More than a few urban Democrats across the USA have broken with these unions; unfortunately, practically all of our Wisconsin Democrats remain all too obviously union-owned-and-operated.; 5/31/13, 12:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Marshal said...
Public Education in America Sucks: Leftists Alarmed Things May Improve...

and students begin to think thoughts that contaminate the thoroughly washed brains.; 5/31/13, 12:10 PM
Amartel said...: The cronies are fighting with each other. Pass the popcorn.; 5/31/13, 12:17 PM
Phil Kola said...: Like a sinkhole filled with fire ants; 5/31/13, 12:20 PM
Phil Kola said...: Like a sinkhole filled with fire ants; 5/31/13, 12:20 PM
Henry said...: I think the union is right for the wrong reason. At least they're no less wrong than the mayor.

The overall direction of the Chicago Public School system is not necessarily toward more charter schools are anything else that remotely looks like reform. It is toward more centralization and consolidation.

Instead of consolidating, the district should be broken up. Let the poor schools on the West Side form their own district. Let the poor schools on the South Side form their own district. Let them have school boards voted from their districts instead of appointed by the mayor. Give them budget and taxation authority.

Almost everything about CPS dooms it to failure. You can thank a Democrat (Major Daley) for that.; 5/31/13, 12:29 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: A fairly small subset of American public schools have shitty students. Shitty parents who tend to have shitty kids are to blame.

It's time to stop wringing our hands over shitty students in our urban schools.; 5/31/13, 12:30 PM
Brennan said...: You guys! This is all Bill Ayers secret plan. He's a closet right winger plotting to destroy universal education.; 5/31/13, 12:30 PM
Anonymous said...: CTU and it's president represent all that is wrong with public education in Chicago. They are Rahm are made for each other.

Many Rahm cronies are going to get rich off of his investment vehicles for public projects which are beyond city council and inspector general review. Rahm magically made $16M dollars between the Clinton administration and going to Congress from a very short stint in local investment banking by steering deals to favored parties. His buddies expect a handsome return from their investment.; 5/31/13, 12:31 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Henry is right too. We should break up these ginormous urban districts into more manageable neighborhood-centric districts and let them experiment with ideas and changes.; 5/31/13, 12:32 PM
Brennan said...: Henry is right too. We should break up these ginormous urban districts into more manageable neighborhood-centric districts and let them experiment with ideas and changes.

This is what Bill Ayers and Barack Obama cooked up in the Local Schools Council. It was a huge failure. Poor Bill had to keep teaching. Obama got to be a politician to play golf, smoke cigars, and inhale the backroom smokethons over poker.

Chicago has bigger problems that its schools cannot fix. There is too much graft and a majority of the residents depends on it. That tipping point is past. Wagons North, South, East or West! You're surrounded by good options. Just get the heck out of Illinois.; 5/31/13, 12:36 PM
I Callahan said...: We should break up these ginormous urban districts into more manageable neighborhood-centric districts and let them experiment with ideas and changes.

I think this would then drive up the price even higher. You'd need more staff, separate systems for busses, etc.; 5/31/13, 12:37 PM
edutcher said...: If Tippytoes has lost FireDogLake, he's lost Hyde Park.; 5/31/13, 12:40 PM
Big Mike said...: @Synova, that is brilliant! Just remember Title IX -- in addition to having your school field male shooting teams in the Scholastic Steel Challenge (handguns) and Scholastic Clay Targets (shotguns), your school should have female teams. After all, Kim Rhode will retire someday.; 5/31/13, 12:43 PM
gerry said...: Chicago will follow, inexorably, Detroit.; 5/31/13, 12:44 PM
SJ said...: And I thought that actions intended to destroy Gov-employee Unions was the kind of thing that Scott Walker and Republicans liked doing.; 5/31/13, 12:48 PM
Henry said...: I think this would then drive up the price even higher. You'd need more staff, separate systems for busses, etc.

I may be wrong, but I don't think you're getting Walmartesque efficiencies of scale here.

Almost 700 schools for 400,000 students, non of it locally accountable. 45,000 employees, about half are teachers. The budget is $4B.

The mayor appoints the board that controls the entire district. The mayor controls all of it.; 5/31/13, 12:50 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Never let a crisis go to waste. If the Dems add more centralized government control, they will.; 5/31/13, 12:53 PM
I Callahan said...: And I thought that actions intended to destroy Gov-employee Unions was the kind of thing that Scott Walker and Republicans liked doing.

Maybe you've been believing a caricature instead of what's true.; 5/31/13, 12:54 PM
Revenant said...: I think this would then drive up the price even higher. You'd need more staff, separate systems for busses, etc.

That would be true if the larger school systems actually needed all the staff they employ. In reality you could probably sack 90% of the non-teachers (and a fair chunk of the teachers themselves) and things would do nothing but improve.; 5/31/13, 1:04 PM
3john2 said...: FireDogLake talking about elitists? Don't these folks ever use a mirror.

No, because their reflection doesn't show up in mirrors.; 5/31/13, 1:16 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I Callahan:

You whack up the current central budget on a per student basis and each neignborhood district gets the same amount to spend per student. They each decide how to spend the money- maybe smaller districts require fewer bus service because more kids can walk to a nearby school? etc.; 5/31/13, 1:16 PM
Sigivald said...: Fight! Fight! Fight!; 5/31/13, 1:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Sweet, it's like the Iran Iraq war: we can watch and hope that both sides lose!; 5/31/13, 1:18 PM
James said...: Rahm is not going to win any battle with the Chicago Teacher's Union. Look how quickly he buckled when the CTU went on strike last week and the parents started marching in the streets after a few days. He even fired the schools chancellor and they still prolonged the strike.

I live near the Illinois border so I listen to Chicago radio daily and I've gotten to learn much about Karen Lewis, the union head. She is a true disciple of Alinsky and a dedicated Marxist so she's attacking Rahm from his left. Plus she's as politically incorrect as they come...the radio stations have a field day playing her quotes. One of her more famous comments was to the effect that if "Ernie Duncan had attended public school he would have gotten his lisp fixed."; 5/31/13, 1:27 PM
Sam L. said...: The HORROR! The horror...

That dog on fire should be thrown into the lake, STAT!

The comments, and parody, just write themselves!; 5/31/13, 1:29 PM
Tibore said...: "If the unions fail to stop the looters it will be open season on universal education throughout America."

Given the state of education in too many places, I'd say a change is needed. Boo to FDL to insinuating that change can't be good without the current structures.; 5/31/13, 1:46 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I asked a woman how her boy is doing in school and she said a lot better now that he changed schools. Turns out it was the boy's decision to change to get away from his budding reputation as bully. He picked his school himself and now he wants to be a scientist. I encountered them at the grocery story where their interaction went like this:

Now the celery is in pieces pick up the celery keep it together pick the stalk off the floor put it in the basket no not in your mouth keep it all together now you have to get up that one back okay now how are you going to get up the other thing it's still in the basket no not on the floor use both hands it's in your pocket don't put that there.

And I'm thinking, "he gets to pick his own school?"; 5/31/13, 1:57 PM
Darrell said...: Gee. This is just like Syria. You can't help but hope both sides sever the big arteries at the same time and a tornado with sharks pops up out of the blue.; 5/31/13, 2:10 PM
Clyde said...: Elections have consequences. As you sow, so shall you reap.; 5/31/13, 2:14 PM
David said...: Chip, maybe he thrives away from Mommy. Let's hope.; 5/31/13, 2:42 PM
Anonymous said...: Chicago has only recovered about 46% of the jobs lost since 2009. For all Rahm talks about cozying up to business, it's really an insane proposition to firms outside of Chicago to move into Chicago. The predominant trend is to leave Chicago.; 5/31/13, 2:50 PM
I Callahan said...: To all who responded to my comment:

There are some great ideas in your comments. And unfortunately, that's why they'll never be tried.; 5/31/13, 3:16 PM
Insufficiently Sensitive said...: I thought the Unions WERE the looters.; 5/31/13, 3:50 PM
Michael Haz said...: Sometimes a story like that just makes me smile.

The laboratory of liberal governance that is Chicago seems to be having some adverse outcomes with its experiments, even though they have been drafted by the Smartest People Alive at U of C.; 5/31/13, 4:02 PM
Marty said...: Here in California the Dems are squabbling over the umpteenth "reform" of the government school system. (No wonder we need a full-time legislature.) This after suckering voters to raise taxes on "the wealthy" or risk fatally ruining our schools. What most people miss--probably on purpose--is the fatal flaw of a government education mandate: it's forever and always political, with the never-stated goal of depriving the direct consumers of the "product" any effective say in its management or outcomes. Rahm and the teachers unions are thoroughly contemptuous of parents and students whether engaged in their little internecine warfare or singing "Kumbaya." It's the nature of the beast.; 5/31/13, 4:28 PM
Unknown said...: I'm not quite getting how privatizing schools will make them lean left. If that's true you'd think there would be a lot fewer objections to school vouchers from the left.; 5/31/13, 4:29 PM
B said...: wyo sis said...I'm not quite getting how privatizing schools will make them lean left.

I think the danger here is forcing unions into the privatized school model. With a inarguably left leaning union hierarchy ready to go to bat to protect their 'rights' teachers would feel comfortable with politicizing class rooms without any fear of losing their jobs over it.

It a win win situation for the left if they can force a large enough state presence in the privatized school model to get unions into those schools sooner or late. The state is relieved of the need to subsidize as many hugely expensive yet still failing schools in exchange for the much cheaper voucher option. With the unions pushed into the privatized school model at some point the left regains the same control over the curriculums. The unions might not appear overnite but get enough left/union sympathetic teachers in those schools and they'll vote to join.

Privatized schools are a cheaper and far more productive alternative than state controlled education for engaged students and families. Beyond setting standards for learning (which privatized schools tend to exceed handily) the state would be very short sighted to push for more control.

Then again, the left only takes the long view when it comes to establishing and maintaining power. Never for the consequences.; 5/31/13, 4:50 PM
Portia said...: Hey, it's FireDogLake, let's ignore them.; 5/31/13, 5:14 PM
Swifty Quick said...: Faster!; 5/31/13, 5:25 PM
TMink said...: Looters? The looters have been in charge for the last few decades. Let someone with a clue and a desire to produce measurable results give a try.

Trey; 5/31/13, 5:51 PM
RonF said...: The destruction of public education

He's not destroying public education. Public education requires that the State ensure that all of it's citizens get an education paid for by the public. It does not require that such education be provided in a school operated by government employees.; 5/31/13, 9:54 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: Wow, Rahm's in trouble. When you've lost the commies...; 6/1/13, 5:48 AM
Rusty said...: Right about now Emannuel is scheming for some way to get Skippy Daley indicted.
The parking meter scandal is costing the city more than it made on the deal.
The parking meter company is located in Ireland.
I would like to see a list of minority stock holders of the parking meter company.; 6/1/13, 7:30 AM