Sweet Home Chicago!

Babagounj

Strength through joy
or do as Philly did .

The 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened and diet beverages is funding nearly 2,000 pre-K seats this year as well as several community schools. The city hopes it will bring in $92 million per year for the education programs and to in part fund renovated parks and recreation centers.

To hit its annual target, the city needs to collect $7.6 million a month in tax revenue. The first collection was due Feb. 21 but collection information won’t be available until next month. Early projections from the city's quarterly manager's report predict only $2.3 million will come through in the first collection.

Two months into the city’s sweetened-beverage tax, supermarkets and distributors are reporting a 30 percent to 50 percent drop in beverage sales and are planning for layoffs.


One of the city's largest distributors says it will cut 20 percent of its workforce in March, and an owner of six ShopRite stores in Philadelphia says he expects to shed 300 workers this spring.

Soda companies, supermarkets report 30-50 pct. sales drop from soda tax
Distributors say layoffs coming because of Philly soda tax - Watchdog.org
Distributors say layoffs coming because of Philly soda tax
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
So less expirienced teachers will improve the education?
I love the teach for america go getters who come into a school system as clueless rookies, work a few years, and then abandon the system for some job in law or politics, or whatever their actual goal in life is. Ya, that's what we need, a constant cycle of inexperienced and low paid teachers. That'll solve everything.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
Pay off their student loans in exchange for 5 years of service.
I wouldn't complain about that, but I'm not so sure that idea is all it's cracked up to be.

We have a half-assed version of that now, 5k forgiven for 5 years of service, 17.5k forgiven for 5 years of math, science, or special-ed.

It hasn't solved our nationwide teacher shortage for starters.
Second, it's a government handout that benefits the higher education industry more than the teachers. When the government gives guaranteed loans out like candy to anyone that ask for one, it's a solid bet that education costs are going to consistently rise exponentially. We need to address the costs rather than just throwing more money at it after the fact.

A better solution would be to just compensate teachers more in the first place so that paying the loans back wouldn't even be worth talking about.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
I wouldn't complain about that, but I'm not so sure that idea is all it's cracked up to be.

We have a half-assed version of that now, 5k forgiven for 5 years of service, 17.5k forgiven for 5 years of math, science, or special-ed.

It hasn't solved our nationwide teacher shortage for starters.
Second, it's a government handout that benefits the higher education industry more than the teachers. When the government gives guaranteed loans out like candy to anyone that ask for one, it's a solid bet that education costs are going to consistently rise exponentially. We need to address the costs rather than just throwing more money at it after the fact.

A better solution would be to just compensate teachers more in the first place so that paying the loans back wouldn't even be worth talking about.
You'll never fix our education system until you get rid of the Unions and control from the US National Government.
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
You'll never fix our education system until you get rid of the Unions and control from the US National Government.
Maybe, who knows, but I don't really see any plausible transition to that scenario. Dr. Paul's campaigns in 08 and 12 proved even conservatives don't actually want small government, or at least that our election system won't allow libertarian ideals to prevail.

I'm not gonna touch on the union aspect, but I'd love to see libertarian ideals get a fair crack at governing for a while to see how it would play out.
 

BrownArmy

Well-Known Member
You'll never fix our education system until you get rid of the Unions and control from the US National Government.

So we should turn schools into the equivalent of 1930's coal-mines?

IDK...teachers Unions have their problems, and we can agree to a certain extent that nationalized control of anything is inherently problematic, but can we agree that a certain base-level of standardization amongst basic education is a good thing?
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
I'm sure that could be done at the state level therefore allowing the local schools to prepare students for jobs in their state or adjoining states.
I would have agreed a few years ago. But my state has been given this opportunity and :censored2:ing blown it on epic proportions.... although they won't admit it, everyone who actually does the job knows the standards for evaluations are totally :censored2:ed.

Granted, many of those standards are tailored around getting federal funding, but the system basically let them take part in the creation and implementation of those standards, which they still can't meet lol. It's so :censored2:ed it's laughable.
 

Babagounj

Strength through joy
Increasing school spending has never worked .
So let's try decreasing school spending .
First ones to be let go are anyone making double the median household income for that school district .
Do away with the administration .

My town has only one school K- grade 6 , all in one building .
Does it really need a superintendent and a principal ?
 

DriveInDriveOut

Inordinately Right
Increasing school spending has never worked .
So let's try decreasing school spending .
First ones to be let go are anyone making double the median household income for that school district .
Do away with the administration .

My town has only one school K- grade 6 , all in one building .
Does it really need a superintendent and a principal ?
If your town has only one school you might be out of the loop of how to run a school district of a few million people.... just something to think about.

I find it interesting that when you want to decrease spending you start with the salaries of the people who are actually doing the work..... is there really no where else you think we could cut waste first? War on workers.....
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Our system of education is built on the 19th century Prussian education model and what makes this most interesting is that the method imposes an absolutism to authority that many argue paved the way for a fascist state in the 20th century. And where do we find ourselves today in the 21st century? This model assures obedient citizens and obedient workers who question nothing.

Education is becoming more and more an open source venture, mainly because of the internet. Even universities put their courses and lectures for free on line. You have to pay to get the credit but you can still learn the material for free. I subscribe to a number of channels such as Yale, UCSD, MIT among others. Other websites like Kahn Academy have helped students from public and private school students to home schoolers. Some classroom teachers have even used Kahn Academy lesson as instruction which frees the teacher to wander the room and give one on one assistance and both student and teacher love this.

Top down education I think within a couple of generations will be seen almost as prehistoric and abandoned with a new education process geared not towards schooling the student but adding and encourages the student in becoming an autodidact as being the way forward. Schooling, like what one does with fish is a 12 year process but education is a lifetime pursuit that never ends and the more and more people coming to understand that the better. The more we teach people not what to learn but how to learn or better yet, how to be self taught, is the way forward.

I always thought that global education & creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson has a lot to think about when it comes to education. His many TED and RSA talks are worth the listen and consideration.

 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
So we should turn schools into the equivalent of 1930's coal-mines?

IDK...teachers Unions have their problems, and we can agree to a certain extent that nationalized control of anything is inherently problematic, but can we agree that a certain base-level of standardization amongst basic education is a good thing?

Send them all to Wharton. Pass/fail....Smartest people EVER!!! Not.
 
P

pickup

Guest
According to the newspaper I read today Chicago is even ahead of last years murder rate. That don't sound like a "great city" to me.

Lack of snow and warmer weather this year might be contributing factors .
 

542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
Guys come on. This is a easy problem to fix. We only need to do one thing. That's make sure the Cubs win another world series! Peace and prosperity are a sure thing after that!

Go Cubs! :baseballplayer:
 
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