By Hal Dardick A coalition of Chicago public sector unions resistant to a push by Mayor Rahm Emanuel for changes to the pension system released a report Monday that concluded that the city should focus on new or higher taxes instead of significant cuts to benefits. The We Are One Chicago group contended that cutting […]
Rahm Emanuel Wants Springfield to Raise Property Taxes
February 5, 2014 by 10 Comments
With the city of Chicago facing a pension crisis of their own, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is looking to Springfield for help. He wants the Michael Madigan and John Cullerton to get the legislature to raise property taxes so he doesn’t get the blame. Last Friday, the mayor held a 2.5-hour meeting with the Illinois House […]
Dillard’s union PAC receipts outpaced even Democratic Senator John Cullerton
September 24, 2013 by 4 Comments
Most surprising is that Dillard’s union PAC receipts outpaced even Democratic Senator John Cullerton, who is widely seen as the leading union supporter and a major obstacle to real pension reform.
Illinois Politics has been corrupted
November 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
Illinois is known worldwide for its crooked politics, and now it is also the most financially busted state. Wherever the money comes from to achieve these titles, it doesn’t come cheap. Look no further than the supposedly broke education system. The IEA and CTU Unions took $132 million in dues from the teachers in just […]
Karen Lewis Takes Aim at Critic of CPS Teachers
September 16, 2012 by 2 Comments
By Karen Lewis September 14, 2012 Millionaire capitalist Bruce Rauner, ranked No. 90 on Chicago Magazine’s “100 Most Powerful Chicagoans,” and who donated enough money to the Noble Network of Charter Schools to get his name on one, published a scathing opinion aimed at Chicago Public Schools teachers in Wednesday’s Tribune. The amount of anger […]
Chicago Public School Faces Nearly Billion Dollar Deficit by 2014
September 10, 2012 by 3 Comments
Chicago Public Schools voted on August 22 to spend $400 Million in reserves. This budget shortfall will be updated based on the teachers contract, which most likely means an even bigger shortfall. In addition, CPS will have to start making full pension payments again in 2014 after a 4 year pension holiday. The expected deficit […]
The CTU Strike is About Protecting Raw Political Power
Sometime in just about all our lives, we have been touched by the magic that a great teacher can perform in the classroom. I know I have been. However, we must not allow this nostalgia for a great teacher to lead to a romanticized view of what is actually happening day in and day out […]