Mayor Rahm Emanuel already has a list of educational accomplishments that I can refer to as noteworthy, including a teachers’ strike and a book ban. But I have to admit that he’s breaking new ground with his latest plan to finance public education: he’s turning our teachers into loan sharks.
If you recall, during the mayoral campaign, challenger Jesus Garcia was royally ripped for not having a plan to deal with our pressing financial obligations. Now it’s clear that Mayor Emanuel’s plan is to borrow money, get aid from Springfield, build a casino, and wait for the economy to improve. As most of these things don’t seem to be happening anytime soon, he’s left with the borrowing part.
It’s not as though Mayor Emanuel didn’t know he had to pay the teachers’ pension fund. That obligation has been steadily growing since before he took office.
My guess is the teachers’ pension fund will take up the mayor on his offer and lend CPS the $500 million. Why not? In the age of Rahm, it seems the only people who get paid around here are the bankers.
Look, I realize these choices aren’t easy. Mayor Emanuel can either drastically cut spending or raise taxes. Neither option will win him many friends.
It was practically a repeat of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
