Quote:
Originally Posted by Via Chicago
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I have a hard time listening to a single word out of the mouth of someone who implies Rahm is somehow motivated by defunding education and laying off teachers. Seriously, what an imbecile, no wonder no one is actually jumping on the anti-rahm bandwagon when his most prominent critics are so inarticulate in their case against him.
Does this author seriously believe that not spending money in a South Loop TIF will somehow be the savior of the CPS? Does he really believe that hiring more overpaid, surplus, CPS teachers will save the CPS? The most absurd comments in the article is where he says if CPS teachers "stick around long enough they can make close to $100k" (which by the way is inaccurate, many CPS teachers can make in excess of six figures especially when you take into account their obscene benefit package and the fact they get 25% of the year off) and then goes on to claim teachers are the "backbone of the middle class". I think the true members of the middle class might dispute the notion that a group of people who make $70k+ on average with massive benefits packages and 25% of the year off are in any way comparable when the median household income in the United States is a hair less than $50,000 and most of those households are now dual income homes. I don't see how one person making $70k a year can be described as "middle class".
But I digress as this discussion isn't about teachers and shouldn't be about teachers (which is the biggest mistake our author makes since people are simply sick of hearing the union boosters whine that they haven't been able to cockblock Rahms reforms), the debate should be about the economic impacts that this project will have on the city. The fact is 2,000 additional hotel rooms and a new multi-purpose arena are, unquestionably, going to have a positive economic impact on the neighborhood and, most likely, the entire region. How he can take himself seriously after claiming that a drive thru bank and a bunch of derelict, low intensity, storefronts are going to generate more economic activity and taxes than the proposed use is completely beyond me.
Finally, the vast majority of Chicagoans don't see this as a scandal so his inaccurate words fall on deaf ears. Why don't they see this as a scandal? Because it isn't. The City really has a minor role to play in these projects as it is primarily being driven and funded by McPier which is an entity created and empowered on the state level meaning it functions mainly independently from the city of Chicago. McPier has been pushing plans for additional hotels here for years and they have always been looking for ways to expand their conferencing amenities. The fact is this is not some conspiracy led by Rahm to take away poor teachers jobs so he can funnel the money to DePaul (sounds absurd when it is summarized doesn't it?). This is a logical expansion of McCormick Place driven at least 50% by an independent entity and, to a degree, by Rahm who wants to see the convention center and South Loop prosper. Any questions about the teachers and CPS are out of the picture. The CPS closings and reforms are just that, CPS closings and reforms that are badly needed and in no way linked to some kind of larger scheme to "get the unions" or something absurd like that.
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