-- 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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Education investments are paying off for the teachers and the Teachers union!
The students? Meh!
First they need to fix the society, so they can get better parents who read to their children, and THEN this investment will surely pay huge dividends. We just need to make sure we keep investing year after year.
Never, and I mean, never did my parents read to us or get involved with our studies. They were OUR studies, not theirs. We had our jobs: going to school, doing homework and chores, they had their jobs: making a living and providing a home. My Dad made it to 6th grade; Mom graduated grammar school. Dad became a master mechanic; Mom kept a home and did factory or retail work. I never saw them read a book … though Dad read the newspaper from front to back each day and Mom was a whiz with numbers and spelling. So,… Read more »
Absolutely right. But somehow today’s educators think it is a bridge too far to expect them to make sure kids learn to read. They seem to honestly believe that somehow “socioeconomic” factors can be fixed while the schools are turning out large numbers of functionally illiterate graduates. The resistance to examining the educational system itself for this failure is amazing.
I vehemently disagree! To the extend one can, a parent should read to their young children. There is a plethora of evidence to suggest it extremely beneficial. You likely had other stabilizers in your home that helped you to succeed – structure, nurturing parents and accountability. All these things contribute to better outcomes. My own parents believed similarly to yourself – teachers are for teaching. That philosophy makes me cringe. I didn’t love learning but somehow managed to do fairly well for myself. Still, to this day, I wish I had made different choices. A rural school education that didn’t… Read more »
The goal is to fatten greedy union bank accounts, not educate children
Holbrook is confusing a Democratic Party jobs program with an investment.
No Schitt Sherlock.