Stop the Political Exploitation of Children
Why are politicians allowed to exploit children for their own political purposes, and when will the media listen to readers and listeners who are sick to death of the self grandiosity of politicians? Aren't we all tired of Rahm using "the children" at his press conferences, to strong arm city ordinances, contracts and back room deals?
In the photo below we have the mayor and alderman cutting a ribbon to a new annex for a school that has been over crowded for years. The annex was rallied for by the parents, children & teachers, and paid for by TAXPAYERS.
These pols mugging for the politically motivated moment in front of a camera with children had nothing to do with this school annex.
The politicians in this photo should be ashamed it took so long, as constructing this annex came well after the mayor closed 50 functioning schools and created plans for charter schools to replace them all over the city. Upgrading neighborhood schools is the last thing on the mayor's list of things to do, as evidenced by the remaining schools in the 41st ward overdue for upgrades and the continuous need for MORE teachers in 41st Ward Schools.
The picture that should have been taken, is a picture of the children, their parents and their teachers who endured years of the hardships of overcrowding.
Photo from DNAinfo
When will the Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) demand these politicians stop the political exploitation of children?
Notify Amnesty International. They need to be made aware of the political torture we are going through.
ReplyDeleteThe mayor's constant use of the children to pass legislation has become the but of jokes everywhere. Alderman Colon chastised the mayor at this week's City Council meeting for using "the children" to persuade people. Yes, I am sick of having the mayor portray himself as savior of the children in a twisted attempt to get his own way.
ReplyDeleteMost everyone in Chicago now mocks the mayor's "for the children" mantra. Disingenuous and insulting at this point. Overused, and now it backfires. One of tiny dancer's PR people needs to work up the guts to tell him. They won't though, disagree with that boss and you are unemployed.
DeleteSomeone needs to tell Mayor Emanuel, even Dexter had "a code". He left the innocents alone.
DeleteChicago's repugnant and emotionally manipulative mayor was busted along time ago by most Chicagoans who switch the channel when he enters a room. Schools are local government basics. we pay taxes for schools and for children to be educated. These two elected officials neglected to do their jobs in a timely manner. Now that the next election is close at hand we will be seeing photos of these people taking credit for anything and everything. Our job as voters is to call them on their neglectful and abhorrent behaviors, and vote them out.
DeleteSo Rahm loves the children, huh? This is the same moron whom it took three days to talk out of sending kids to school in -14 temperature polar blasts. The man is evil.
ReplyDeleteThe media definitely has a role
ReplyDeleteso, do parents. I would never agree to have my kid in a politician photo
DeleteI work for a non-profit who recently opened a new program. At the ribbon cutting, politicians were climbing over each other to get in the photo ops, but during the development of the project, they didn't answer phone calls, wouldn't provide letters of support or assist in any way. Bunch of phonies.
ReplyDeleteNotice, you never see the mayor's children, at their elite University of Chicago Lab School, in press photos.
ReplyDeleteDNAinfo is all about making politicians look good. No objective writing there
ReplyDeleteUsing kids in photo ops is despicable. Most of the schools in the 41st ward are overcrowded and need space. Overcrowded schools should have been the mayor and alderman's first priority. Instead, they are ramming charter schools down everyone's throats and closing CPS schools to bust the teacher's union. Most parent's see though the nonsense, and won't allow their children to be used as political pawns. But there are always the patronage workers kids who are openly exploited so their parents can hang on to their jobs.
ReplyDeleteNotice, after the mayor closed 50 schools, we did not have to pay rent for, his next priority was to bolster charter schools, so his wealthy friends could rent the city their buildings for millions of dollars. The mayor's LAST priority is building or adding anything to neighborhood schools- he wants them to fall down and die. He is purposely starving out neighborhood schools so parents send their kids to charters or private schools.
DeleteKeep the kids out of politics. Let them enjoy their innocence.
ReplyDeleteMost politicians exploit whatever they can to serve themselves, including using children and puppy dogs. the problem in Chicago, is the mayor and the alderman are over the top about it, and the media feeds it.
ReplyDeleteThere are still not enough teachers at Edison. How about an increase in budget so there are enough teachers to teach at the over capacity school? Do it "for the children" mayor and alderman!
ReplyDeleteI'm a parent and agree the addition was years overdue. The lack of teachers ALSO NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. The ratios did NOT change.
DeleteI'm sure the alderman "feels good" after this photo op. But I am a genuine parent of an Edison Pk school student and am wondering when we will be getting more teachers???
DeleteNeed new people at the helm. Vote these two out.
ReplyDeleteSee what happens when only 19% of the voters in the ward actually vote. And an alderman gets elected by only 238 votes. You get this. Next election, let's get someone to run who will prioritize based on what we need, and not what the mayor tells him/her we need.
ReplyDeleteNotice how the 41st ward isn't home to charter schools, just like there are no charter schools in Wilmette or Winnetka. The mayor and alderman know charter schools won't be tolerated in the NW side hoods, and at the same time, they wait until the walls are caving in, and there are 40+ kids/classroom to upgrade the current neighborhood schools. Govern by neglect is their motto.
ReplyDeleteCharters are on their way to the 41st ward. And they are the reason for the delay in local school upgrades.
DeleteCONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION LIST note: from FY2011. What took so long? Dollars were set aside for this project before Emanuel and O'Connor took office. Why did it take so long after the dollars were appropriated?
ReplyDeleteYes, greater than three years later... http://41stwardcitizens.blogspot.com/2011/12/edison-park-school-to-get-new-addition.html
ReplyDeleteThe Edison Park addition announcement was posted on the blog on December 15, 2011. The mayor closed 50 schools in a matter of a few months. Amazing what the mayor and the city council can do when they want something done.
DeleteSo, why did it take so long?
DeleteHello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I think we need someone who can really get things done. I will be running in the primary and am interested in hearing your concerns.
I predict the mayor will halt on using the children as a PR stunt and move on to be a man "for the poor" very soon. He needs votes and will have to win over the majority of the voters who are not wealthy.
ReplyDeleteRibbon cuttings are a waste of time. No one who cuts the ribbon has anything to do with the work involved to build it. A picture of the kids in a new classroom with their teacher would have been a great photo.
ReplyDeleteCharter schools crop up overnight and it takes 3 years to build an addition to a neighborhood school? There is a solid message there. Who lets that happen? Maybe the next alderman will make sure the remaining schools in the ward are annexed in a timely manner. Politicians using kids in their photo ops rubs me the wrong way. In Chicago we are over-exposed to using "the children" thanks to our mayor. Parents, boo at any politician who uses "the children". Only parents can be a voice for their own children, not a bogus politician.
ReplyDeleteUsing children for political emotional appeal is a form of child abuse and political malpractice. There should be consequences. Politicians like Mayor Emanuel and Alderman O'Connor are using children as metaphorical human shields.
ReplyDeleteI'm the parent of a child at Edison Park Elementary. This project was by no means a done deal. The alderman worked hard on making sure the job got done and worked very closely with the school throughout the process. Many, many parents agree. It was a exciting time for students, faculty and parents at the ribbon cutting.
ReplyDeleteMoney was set aside in the 2011 budget. It was a done deal, but the city dragged its feet hoping to get a few charter schools up north.
DeleteThe Edison Park School Addition project was a done deal years ago. Why it took so long, no one knows. I'm happy for the current parents, but for a parent like me who had a child attend during the worst of times, I am wondering why it takes years of overcrowded conditions to implement action? At what point does ISBE have to step in and say, this is crazy.
DeleteGlad to hear you are happy with the new addition that took 3 years. If you noticed, Rahm and the CIty Council closed over 50 schools in a matter of months, and are allowing charters to be built at lightening speed all over the city. But somehow, here in the 41st it takes 3 years. This is inexcusable. The other aspect of this post was to speak out about the objectification of children for political purposes. The better picture would have been of the children, their parents and teachers... sans the politicians.
ReplyDeleteRahm; the Michael Jackson of politics. My kid has many talents; one being the ability to barf whenever he wants. I told him how proud I'll be if he heaves all over the stage when Rahm shows up at his school.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe CPS Board is scheduled to vote at its January 22 meeting on the applications of 21 proposed new charter schools.
“For every charter that opens, existing public schools lose essential funding. This charter plan impoverishes and destroys our system of neighborhood schools,” said Ald. Bob Fioretti (2).
CPS closed 50 neighborhood schools just last year, citing underutilization. “This wild rush to open a bunch of privately operated schools lays bare the Board of Education’s misplaced priorities.
The Mayor and the Board ought to focus on channeling expanded resources to neighborhood schools, instead of undermining them.”
Ald. Rick Muñoz (22) added, “In recent months, we’ve learned that some charter schools and their operating companies are riddled with corruption and cronyism. They are not accountable to the public.” Muñoz cited the example of the recent revelations about charter operators UNO and Concept, which have used political connections, free trips, and insider contracts for private gain at public expense. “Until there is more effective oversight of charter operators, we should treat any potential expansion with extreme caution,” Muñoz said.
Yes, let's start paying attention to neighborhood schools that are overcrowded in the 41st Ward.
DeleteEdison Park School gets an addition, Edison Park Train Park gets an upgrade, Edison Park, Edison Park. Why does Edison Park get all the money from the city?
DeleteBecause the alderman was the chamber of commerce president for many, many years.
DeleteA few things need to be clarified about your assertion that the politicians in the photo have nothing to do with the new addition:
ReplyDelete1. You are correct in that aldermen have no power over schools, so the alderman taking credit here for a school addition is a joke. Only the school board has the authority to build, close, annex, charter, etc.
2. You are incorrect, in that, in Chicago, although we have a school board, the mayor hold the power because he appointed the school board. What is fundamentally wrong is the school board not being elected. An elected school board would be beholding and accountable to the taxpayers, and thus would most likely act to best serve the public. But an appointed school board is beholding only to Rahm, who wants to eliminate neighborhood public schools and privatize them to every Tom, Dick and Harry who financially supports the mayor. Next election, parents, remember to vote for the mayoral candidate who will support an elected school board.
And while I am on the subject, the difficulty in the 41st ward is it was one of just two wards in the city Rahm did not win in the election. But, the alderman is a cheerleader for the unpopular mayor on this side of town. Hopefully, whoever runs against the mayor will win, and if that happens, it would help the 41st ward to elect an alderman who can think independently.
Our greatest asset in Chicago are the children. Protect them from political predators like Rahm and O'Connor.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, do not allow these two to sell our public school system. We saw what happened when the parking meters were sold to the highest bidder --- taxpayers were screwed. The same thing is happening now with the selling of our NEIGHBORHOOD schools. Protect them like you would protect your children.
When your child goes to apply to Harvard and they list "Fly By Night" Charter High School on their application, do you think they will be taken seriously?
BTW, I am a Taft Grad, and I have a MBA from Northwestern, and I am raising a family in Norwood Park.