Teacher unions key part of Chicago's corrupt predatory political culture
But you know, we gotta have "good" schools
There are places in America (besides Washington DC of course) that are synonymous with corruption, New York, LA, New Orleans, Kansas City. But Chicago, home of Al Capone, Mayor Daley, and community organizer OG Saul Alinsky rises above them all. Chicago is America’s second city but it consistently ranks as America’s number one city for political sketchiness.
Four-Peat: Chicago Ranks No. 1 In Corruption, Report Finds
From government sanctioned car impound scams…
An Inside Look at Chicago’s Seedy Car-Impound Netherworld
Impound in Chicago is the automotive netherworld, an opaque labyrinth where bureaucratic inertia separates cars from their owners. It's a system so densely packed with obscure rules that it can take vehicles from even the innocent, never to be seen again—at least not by their rightful owners.
To bribery…
Former Chicago Transportation Official Sentenced in Bribe Scheme Tied to Contractor
To who knows what this was all about, but it might send former Illinois House Speaker and Chicagoan Mike Madigan to the clink.
Prosecution rests in Madigan trial as defense calls witness dropped from feds’ list
Not to mention the string of recent Illinois Governors who have done tours in penitentiaries.
This culture of corruption has infiltrated the governor’s mansion, with four of Illinois’ past 10 governors spending time in federal prison.
Crony capitalism and taxpayer exploitation are baked into Chicago government.
Chicago’s Road to Dystopia Is Paved with Public-Pension Promises
But even in this mess there is one clear champion of the crony system in Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). It is a machine of disfunction, waste, graft (legal and likely otherwise), that costs the taxpayers of Chicago far too much while preforming far below par. The CPS is a classic example of a political parasite growing so large it’s in danger of killing the host.
And it’s not like the mayor is going to do anything about it. In fact mayor Brandon Johnson seems to be hurrying things along.
That in the end may be the best thing for the city. During the next significant economic downturn things will get ugly(er) in Chi-Town.
(From MishTalk)
As background to this story, Johnson’s initial cohort of appointed board members resigned unanimously in November when Johnson told them to fire CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Johnson sought to terminate Martinez because Martinez didn’t support Johnson’s push to take out a high-interest loan to cover CPS’ $300 million shortfall.
Please note the CTU proposal includes annual raises of 10-12 percent after factoring in cost-of-living adjustments. And the union demands 13,000 new positions despite falling school enrollment.
The CPS leaders say this would push the district’s deficit to $4 billion by 2029. That nearly half of the entire budget.
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