-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Great idea! Let’s make it EVEN MORE DIFFICULT for parents to get to work by 9:00 a.m.
There is something to be said about how starting school early leads to lower test scores: I remember in high school I had practice before school and was there at something like 6:15 am several days a week for school to start at 7:30, but 8:45 am? come on!
Do they really think the later start time will increase educational scores? We need to hold administrators and teachers accountable for educational standards first and foremost. And I don’t think it is because kids can’t get up before 8am. For example, there are many sports teams and other school events that start early throughout the year and I see plenty of kids up ready to go. Stop lowering the bar for our kids and start raising it for teachers. This is just another delay in reforming education in this state, if you can even call it that anymore.