June 2011

Ahhh…School Politics

ArchPundit June 30, 2011 0 Comment

With all of the problems the Chicago Public Schools face, you might think I’d find this little tussle just a silly sideshow:

After the initial sit-in last year, CPS agreed to the parents’ demand for a library and agreed to spare a nearby field house from demolition. However, the district said, the library would be built inside the school, not in the field house, as parents had asked.

Parents at the time accepted that plan, so long as the library was not constructed in newly rehabbed areas of the school. But as the district tried to begin construction of the $400,000 library last week, some parents, community agitators and leftist activists from across the city converged on the neighborhood, blocking construction crews from entering the school.

Protesters said a library inside the school would displace special education classes — an assertion CPS denies. Instead, the group asked the district to support an estimated $750,000 project to transform the run-down, one-story field house into a parent center and library. And the group recently added a new demand: That CPS pay part of the cost of the field house project.

It’s actually a perfect example of stupidity that makes actual changes in the District, or any district nearly impossible. I’m not that thrilled with Brizzard and do not see him as what the CPS needs.  However, trying to extort the rehab of a field house out of a cash strapped district and blocking a library in a school is absurd and a perfect example of the kind of myopic view of activists less concerned with the District’s ability to concentrate on teaching and performance.

If you want neighborhood development the CPS may be a good partner, but it’s not a cash cow for pet projects.

Most Important Article of the Day

ArchPundit June 30, 2011 0 Comment

Census: Number of black children living in 25 biggest US cities drops by half-million

Last year’s census found that the number of black, non-Hispanic children living in New York City had fallen by 22.4 percent in 10 years. In raw numbers, that meant 127,058 fewer black kids living in the city of Jay Z and Spike Lee, even as the number of black adults grew slightly.

The same pattern has repeated from coast to coast. Los Angeles saw a 31.8 percent decline in its population of black children, far surpassing the 6.9 percent drop in black adults. The number of black children in Atlanta fell by 27 percent. It was down 31 percent in Chicago and 37.6 percent in Detroit. Oakland, Calif. saw a drop of 42.3 percent, an exodus that fell only 6 percentage points below the decline in flood-ravaged New Orleans.

—-

Demographics experts said a combination of factors appeared to be at work. Americans in general are having fewer children than they once did, due mostly to increased use of birth control. That has been true, too, among black mothers. Teen pregnancy rates among blacks have also plummeted.

But the more significant trend, experts said, may be a migration by young black parents to the suburbs.

Saint Louis had the same phenomenon occur.  One of the issues the article doesn’t cover and will become more clear as the rest of the Census data is released is that much of hte housing being moved out of is falling down and there is a cheap supply of obsolescent housing in the inner ring suburbs.  As middle class families have gotten smaller we also expect better housing with more bedrooms and bathrooms.  Much of the housing from pre-and post-war inner ring suburbs is small and doesn’t have what modern middle class families expect.  This has created a glut of cheap housing in a lot of suburbs allowing many working class and working poor black families to move out to inner ring suburbs.

One interesting impact will be on education and it can be seen in many inner ring suburban districts already.  Instead of being able to focus improvements in big school districts, the new reality means that multiple districts have to be addressed making the process that much harder.

The other area is public safety where the challenge of addressing crime is far harder when the problem crosses multiple jurisdictions.

How To Be a Dick

ArchPundit June 30, 2011 0 Comment

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1-7io3OBoDQ[/youtube]

It’s not calling the President a dick that’s a problem. It’s a problem that the entire analysis of the press conference yesterday by the President was dickish because he pushed back at the bullshit Republicans have been pushing during the stand off over the federal debt limit.

Dicks like Boehner, Cantor, and The Turtle from Kentucky have voted repeatedly for an increase in the debt ceiling for years while supporting keeping the wars off budget and ignoring the effect of tax cuts on the deficit.  Yet, these dicks insist on cutting programs and not even closing any unnecessary tax breaks for companies with record profits.

It’s not that he called the President a dick that’s a problem. It’s that Halperin is a delusional dick himself.  And a douche nozzle.  Treating this negotiation as anything other than insane is what a dick would do.  If Republicans want to fight over the budget–fight over the budget, but leave the debt limit increase out of it.

Becoming upset because the President called out bullshit is exactly what is wrong with the Washington commentariat.   Politics is a way of resolving conflict.  A much better solution than the alternative that involves guns and all sorts of nasty stuff.  There’s nothing wrong with a good battle of ideas and idiots like Halperin don’t recognize that there is nothing wrong with it.   In fact, it just might lead to responsible government with clear lines drawn for an election.  Do you want an austerity program that will drag the economy into a long slow lost decade as the Japanese had in the 1990s or do you want to try and get the economy moving and through targeted spending on infrastructure?  It’s not being a dick to give voters a choice–it’s being a leader.

Boehner, Cantor, The Turtle from Kentucky all are being just as combative every day, but only in Washington does that make Obama a dick.  He’s upsetting the Mark Halperin cocktail circuit and that’s most important.

Given Rambling Disorganization Isn’t a Crime

ArchPundit June 27, 2011 0 Comment

At least we know this streak in Governors going to prison is going to end at 2.

For Those Who Thought a Second Trial Was a Waste

ArchPundit June 27, 2011 0 Comment

There was a gadfly juror last time that stopped a number of counts.   This was always a solid case overall and it shows today.

Judy Baar  Topinka’s release:

CHICAGO – Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka released the following statement Monday in response to a jury finding former Gov. Rod Blagojevich guilty of 17 counts against him:

“I am heartened by the Jury’s verdict against Rod Blagojevich, and pleased to see justice after many months of waiting. But make no mistake: this is nothing to celebrate. Through his unconscionable behavior and reckless leadership, Blagojevich inflicted damage on Illinois that will take years, if not generations, to repair. He broke the public trust and mismanaged dollars with a zeal that was unique even in our storied state.

“I find his behavior reprehensible and am personally pleased to see him held responsible. But more important, I hope that today’s verdict delivers a reminder that elected leaders serve the public, not the other way around – and they will be held accountable, even if it takes a while.”

“While I look forward to turning the page on Blagojevich, I hope that the lessons learned from his prosecution live on. Ironically, it would prove to be his greatest contribution to our state.”

Many of us, including her, tried to tell everyone.  It’s amazing what it took to get this clown out of office.

I Love Michelle Bachman

ArchPundit June 27, 2011 0 Comment

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PsLfL9vMaUY[/youtube]

Washington Times

Mrs. Bachmann grew up in Waterloo, and used the town as the backdrop for her campaign announcement, where she told Fox News: “Well what I want them to know is just like, John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.” (Someone has already posted the clip to YouTube under the name BachmannLovesGacy)

John Wayne, the movie legend, is in fact from Iowa and the John Wayne birthplace is a celebrated landmark — only it’s in Winterset, which is a nearly three hour drive away from Waterloo.

Gacy, though, had his first taste of the criminal life in Waterloo, where he lived for a short time, and where he had his first criminal conviction for an attempted homosexual assault, which landed him in prison for 18 months.

He would move back to Illinois, where his killing spree started, and lasted about six years. In 1980 he was convicted on 33 counts of murder, and was executed in 1994.

Michelle Bachman wouldn’t brag about it, but Waterloo has one of the larger and historic African-American populations in Iowa and is a diverse place.  It’s a great town, even though it produced this idiot.

Guilty on 17 Counts

ArchPundit June 27, 2011 0 Comment

Including all of the charges on the Senate shakedown.

Guilty on race track and hospital verdicts

No decision–Ari Emanuel and the school and one on the tollway. One not guilty on the tollway charge.

Justice is sometimes slow, but it usually comes along. He will receive a long sentence most likely and will likely not be in the lowest security prison to begin with.

At 5 PM and perhaps 6 PM Stuart Shiffman, a frequent commenter here, will be on WICS to discuss the verdicts.

18 of 20 Charges Reached Unanimously

ArchPundit June 27, 2011 0 Comment

While I don’t assume anything at this point, that can’t be a good thing for Rod.

Really?

ArchPundit June 15, 2011 0 Comment

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3cvAjIdEy0[/youtube]

Not quite as good as this one from last cycle though:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDwwAaVmnf4[/youtube]

GOP Congressional Fights

ArchPundit June 14, 2011 0 Comment

Via Rich as well

In some cases, the freshmen are being pitted against each other, creating political enemies among rookies who should be spending their first term bonding with fellow home-state newbies. For example, in Illinois, Republican Joe Walsh may have to run against freshman Randy Hultgren, meaning one of them will end his career after just one term.