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The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board cited Wirepoints’ analysis of Chicago Public Schools’ declining enrollment as part of its critique of the district’s new preliminary teachers contract. As the board says: The union still got its money, but as usual the losers are the students.
Read In Chicago, the Union Wins Again HERE
Read more from Wirepoints:
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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You can’t win a game by playing defense exclusively. Flogging does not improve morale. There’s no magic statistic that will change voter sentiment. Wirepoints needs to focus on building up a base. You build up a base by recruiting, teaching how to speak effectively, how to successfully organize, and how to teach others to do the same. Strong positive leadership translates universally throughout a movement. We have the moral high ground and a strong majority on all the important issues! Enough with the disparaging headlines and complaining.
We provide them with an essential tool they need: facts. And they are usually facts not available someplace else.
How are your “facts” working out? How long have you been doing this? According to Wirepoints staff, things are worse than ever. That doesn’t sound like a winning formula.
That’s certainly not our fault. I think our reporting of facts has been very successful. It takes more, though.
The Washington Post posted anti-Trump facts and evidence several times a day for 10 years now, and yet here we are today.
Facts are worthless without guidance and utility. What is is going to help the average Joe more: the number of U-Hauls that left Illinois or an article that summarizes the position of candidates in important races and where to vote?
Facts are nit worthless. They are valuable and don’t need your guidance. Or your conclusory opinions. Query the level of your education? If you have guts you will answer.
I completely disagree. The voters in Illinois won’t follow anything but mindless cheerleading. They are rent seekers too dependent on the system, and many are poorly educated. I want to see the numbers, and then more numbers. No one else does it consistently but Wirepoints. Your point might have some validity if the finances in Illinois were not a completely intractable and unsolvable mess. There is no solution. People with smarts want to know their options, which frankly no matter the salesmanship and snake oil are diminishing by the day. I read a WBEZ article the other day about the… Read more »
The WBEZ/ST article on transportation is horrible, is horribly lazy, where the writers simply took everything from “United We Move Illinois” big labor lobbying group. They’re the ones who are claiming there’s a funding cliff. They’re the one’s coming up with $700 mil budget cliff figure, etc, etc…Big picture, the machines so pervasive you now have the public sector unions setting the issues and dreaming up legislation fixes, almost entirely for their own benefit. The TIER 2 “fix” deal is even more sickening example of are public sec hero’s dreaming up ‘safe habor’ issue that they have no proof is… Read more »
The goal of WBEZ/ST is to report what “United We Move Illinois” says about politics. It’s propaganda. That’s how these ‘news’ organizations survive.
Every movement for change needs two elements: the thinkers (like Thomas Jefferson) and the doers (like George Washington). It serves no purpose to constantly rail against the Thomas Jeffersons because they aren’t acting like the George Washingtons.
You seem more like the George Washington type every movement needs. Get to work, and leave the Thomas Jeffersons alone to keep making their vital contributions to the cause.
Just what did anyone expect given the history of this?
CTU doesn’t give a fig about public approval – most people hate CTU members already – they just want money. These greedy maggots deserve zero from the taxpayers. After the Illinois financial collapse and imminent CTU poverty I’ll try and restrain myself from kicking them when I step over them in their gutter filth lives.
800 new jobs? That is enough educators to fund 40 new schools to relieve “over-crowding” elsewhere.
They “won” 800 new jobs +++PLUS GAURANTEED ZERO LAYOFFS+++ for all the new hires from ARPA-COVID fed $billions$….absolutely astounding in a bankrupt Chicago/CPS!!!
In bankrupt Chicago & CPS, astoundingly not only did CTU “win” $1.5 billion in additional 800 new jobs, 5% raises +step raises (7-8%yr?), expand “sustainable schools”, etc…. but far bigger “win” for CTU is they secured ALL the jobs, programs & no school closings made possible with now spent ARPA-COVID fed $billions$. Who’s going to pay in following years for all the now permanent spending ARPA-COVID fed $billions$ on top of the $1.5 $billion in new spending$? looks like it’s grab your ankles and squeal like a pig for your progressive hero Stacy & crew time for all you taxpayer/homeowner… Read more »
Just close it. Fire them all. Leave it closed. Sell the properties. With all the extensive absenteeism by students and staff, would anyone really notice?
The fish rots from the head,