Chicago Teachers Tell Both Political Parties

where to go, since both parties are waging war against public education:

The Chicago teachers have courageously defied the gang-up of both corporate-controlled parties—the Democrats and Republicans—together with the media and the financial elite. They are fighting not just for their own jobs, living standards and working conditions, important as that is. They are fighting for principles: the defense of public schools and the right of young people to a decent education.

This strike is the first major confrontation between the American working class and the Obama administration, which is directly coordinating its intervention with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former White House chief of staff, through Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former head of the Chicago Public Schools.

According to a Washington Post report Wednesday, “administration officials are following the events closely and pushing hard for a speedy resolution. Duncan, a former chief executive of the Chicago school system, has been in frequent phone contact with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten... And AFT officials reached out to Obama’s reelection campaign Sunday to keep the president’s team abreast as it became clear that the strike would happen, according to people familiar with the call.”

The corporate-controlled America media portrays the teachers as opponents of “reforms” needed to improve the public schools and depicts the multi-millionaire Mayor Emanuel as the advocate of the children and their parents.

The CTU should stay away from Broadie Randi WEingarten as far as possible.

That Bi-Partisanship is Sure a Good Thing, Unless You Are a Teacher,

a parent, a student, or even an administrator.

Both parties are playing a very sick joke on the American people when it comes to their naked assault on education (and not to mention other sectors of public employment).

Greg Palast:

The Obama/Duncan/Emanuel plan is to create Bantustans of un-chartered, cheaply-run dumpster schools within a government system. But Romney and the GOP would give every child a "choice" even outside government schools with "vouchers."

Of course, the "vouchers" don't vouch for much. Romney's old alma mater, Cranbrook Academy, runs at $34,025 a year, not counting the polo sticks and horse. The most generous voucher program is Washington DC's, beloved of the GOP, which pays about $7,500, or if the student's "choice" is Cranbrook, about 2 months of school. Hyde Park Day School Chicago is $35,900. To give each kid a real choice, not just a coupon, means a massive increase in spending per pupil. I didn't see that in the Republican platform, did you?

The experienced teacher in Chicago who took the pay cut was offered one consolation. She was told she could make up some of the pay loss by quitting the union and saving on union dues.

So that's the program. An educational Katrina: squeeze the teachers until they strike, demolish their unions and drown the students.

The CTU Strike Shows Just How Bankrupt Both Political Parties Truly Are

Chris Hedges:

Both Branches of the One-Party System Are Against Teachers

Take a look at this wonderful tidbit courtesy of the WSWS:

The political connections between Obama and the Chicago establishment are innumerable. Obama’s education secretary, Arne Duncan, is the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where he initiated many of the anti-teacher policies now being expanded by Emanuel. Duncan headed the CPS under Mayor Richard Daley, the brother of William Daley, who replaced Emanuel as Obama’s chief of staff in 2001.

Emanuel has plans to shut down dozens of public schools and lay off thousands of teachers. At the same time, the city hopes to open 60 new charter schools in addition to the 100 that are currently operating. Many of the charter schools are owned and operated by Noble Charter Network, which has close ties to billionaire Hyatt Hotel heiress Penny Pritzker, a longtime supporter of Obama.

Shut ALL charter schools down nationwide. If people want to set up a private school, fine, but don't ask taxpayers to foot the bill.

If they were shut down tomorrow, virtually none of them would operate because they wouldn't have the money to operate as regular private schools.

The CTU is Basically Going It Alone

while everybody else outside of Chicago, including other unions, are ignoring them now that they are officially on strike.

I hope they prevail. They know the score and know Mayor Rahm is another Obama flunky hellbent on destroying the public education system in favor of charter schools, those schools that aren't even better and usually a lot worse than traditional public schools.

To hell with whether this hurts Obama; he is as hostile to unions as his hero Ronald Reagan was.