Resurrection students bake for bipartisan cooperation
January 11, 2012 3:00PM
Updated: January 11, 2012 3:00PM
Frustrated by the recent failure of the Senate Super Committee to compromise on a way to reduce the federal deficit, students in the Resurrection College Prep High School Accelerated Political Science class hosted an assembly on Dec. 13 to speak to fellow students about the need for bipartisan cooperation from both Democrats and Republicans.
The class members decided to launch a symbolic project named “The Bipartisan Bake Sale: Baking Across the Aisles” in order to demonstrate that students of differing political views can work together to create solutions to problems facing the nation.
Students invited local politicians to attend the student presentation, including State Rep. Michael McAuliffe, R-20th; Chief of Staff Kim Stark for state Sen. John Mulroe, D-10th; and Chicago aldermen Mary O’Connor, 41st Ward, and John Arena, 45th Ward. O’Connor, an alumna of Resurrection College Prep High School, stressed the importance of young women’s involvement in the political process.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-9th, also expressed her support for this project and was scheduled to speak to the entire student body of Resurrection College Prep High School on Jan. 12 on the issues of bipartisan cooperation, the federal deficit, budgetary issues and political involvement by students. Other officials invited to the student assembly included state Rep. John D’Amico, D-15th, and Chicago Aldermen Nicholas Sposato, 36th Ward, and Margaret Laurino, 39th Ward.
During the assembly the members of the political science class presented information about the national deficit and how it impacts students and their families. They urged classmates to write to their elected officials and to support the bake sale, which was held the next day.
“The Bipartisan Bake Sale” was held Dec. 14 and raised more than $500, which included contributions from O’Connor, McAuliffe and Mulroe. The funds will be sent to Congress as both a real and symbolic effort to reduce the national debt. Along with the contribution to the federal deficit, students have included a letter to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-20th, the senior senator from Illinois who has worked closely on the deficit proposals that went through Congress in the fall.
Occupy the 41st Ward. Start with the alderman's office, and ask why did she vote for such a lame ass budget, library cuts, no increases to dwindling police numbers, mental health clinic cuts, increases in water fees, fines and millions of dollars in goofy cameras!
ReplyDeleteStudents should have been protesting the politicians fear of dealing with corporate blackmailers like CME and Sears.
ReplyDeletePartisianship has nothing to do with the economic crisis in this country. We have local democrats in office who hone conservative, corporate values which completely trample the rights of the lower and middle class.
ReplyDeleteForget this partisan nonsense and educate today's young people about how the country's economy has been wrecked by some very self serving elitists who enlist the help of scut maids like our local politicians. Rahm Emmanual fancies himself an elitist and bosses the little alderpeople around like they are his paid servants. God help us all.
They should have been protesting corporate tax cuts voted on by BOTH parties.
ReplyDeleteBake for ending bipartisan idiocy
I say less time on baking, more time on math. Give the kids examples of the improbable mathematical odds of, well, the guy who recently hit the million dollar lottory jackpot for the 2nd time in 10 years. Resurection H.S. could hire an Acctuarial for a day who could break down what the odds where for the man to hit it big twice. Or better yet, teach the odds of an investment banker - now who used to be an investment banker that we all know...Rahm Emanuel!...Teach the kids what the odds were when he raked in 16 million dollars inless than 3 years, as an investment banker.
ReplyDeleteGive real life examples. Make it fun. Math. More math. Rahm would love this because as the planet knows by now, he loves the children more than anyone.
Do we really want kids to be as cynical as the people who commment on this blog?
ReplyDeleteMost of these comments are not cynical at all. 2:23pm, look up the definition of cynicism
ReplyDeleteWhat I find as shocking, and I'm not being cynical or funny, is why on earth would anyone send $500.00 from the bake sale to lower the national debt? We have billionaires who haven't EVER paid a dime to the government in the form of taxes, and we have local students sending the government bake sale money?
ReplyDeleteThe national debt has occurred as a result of the rich not paying their fair share of taxes. We wouldn't have debt if corporations like CME and Sears would pay their fair share.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the Catholic Church paid taxes, we wouldn't have a national debt. And they should pay taxes if they want to lobby to control our reproductive rights.
ReplyDeleteCouple things here:
ReplyDelete1. You can agree/disagree with the bake sale, but you must be civil.
2. This blog discusses politics. People have a wide range of political beliefs and ideologies...lets discuss differences with respect.
3. There are other posts on the blog to deal with corporate wealth, the economy, the occupy movement, etc... Say the negative stuff there.
I posted this to give credit to the students who are working on highlighting bipartisanship..
Commentors aren't commenting on a bakesale or bipartisanism. The gist of the thread has to do with why we have national debt. We have debt because politicians have allowed wealthy corporations and individuals to bypass paying taxes for a myraid of reasons (politicians have been bought off with political contributions, for one). And why the priviliged don't pay taxes makes no sense to those of us who do pay city, county, state and federal taxes.
ReplyDeleteIts just an odd project for students who attend a private school that doesn't pay taxes to be commenting on the national debt. But, I agree, corporations, though now referenced as people, who don't pay their fair share of taxes and who reap from infastructure paid for by working taxpayers, should be the ones paying. Bipartisanship has nothing, really, to do with the issue. Billionaire, non-taxpayers are bipartisan on the issue of not paying taxes, as they are both democrats and republicans.
ReplyDeleteNot for profits are in a tailspin about having to now pay for city services, like water use. Years ago not for profits received free garbage pick-up from the city, too.
ReplyDeleteWe have national debt, true. Where did it begin? What made it worse? In my opinion, Clinton signing NAFTA into law around 1994 caused the downward spiral. Many, many manufacturing jobs lost because of NAFTA. ANd NAFTA crafted by none other than our current mayor, Rahm. NAFTA was Rahm's baby - he created and nutured it into law.
ReplyDelete"Not for profits are in a tail spin?" Do you mean that not-for-profit mansion on State Street - aka The Cardinals' residence? Nice tail-spin.
ReplyDeleteI hear Rahm is looking for money to pay for the G8/Nato summits. Maybe the students can have another bake sale and send the money to Rahm so the anarchist can burn down our city.
ReplyDelete