<p>what the ****…</p>
<p>you don’t need vocational training to get a minimum wage job</p>
<p>Chicago Public Schools are some of the worst schools out there. Gage Park could almost build a new school with 70K. I am from Chicago, IL and I can tell you that with a very high level confidence. A lot of people here praise the University of Chicago, and yes, the school and people there are great. I have family members that work there, but the school is in one of the worst locations out there. I went to visit it and I was afraid when we got anywhere near that school. You felt like you could get shot at any minute. Fear of being assaulted around there is certainly valid.</p>
<p>I can tell you that nobody here would even consider going to that high school. Some here just do not understand that the people who come here are indeed a minority of the population. They are mainly competitive people with goals that would make 95% of other quake in their boots from fear and insecurities.</p>
<p>How many people do we get here with an ACT of 20-22 which is the average range? VERY, VERY LITTLE. That should tell you how average this website. Most people at Gage Park High School get an ACT in the 14-20 range. The valedictorian of that school would be bottom 10% at any of the schools most people here attend. The people falsifying their address to attend the elementary and high school there are not common CCers, I can assure you of that.</p>
<p>These are people from the “barrio”, as a friend says. By barrio, we mean the “ghetto” district. If they did not falsify that 61% passing grade in regular English, then do you really believe the students would have a chance of getting into a university? The public high schools that are passable are few. I am sure I have already discussed that in other threads.</p>
<p>I know I did not address the corruption and bad spending, but seriously, do I even need to? The governor is on trial for not what you would call admiring conduct. We have the highest tax rate out there and we are in more debt than I can remember.</p>
<p>It is Chicago, after all…what did you think? I am ashamed for the media that did not delve into all this corruption during the campaign. And I agree that having a Sec. of Ed. from Chicago is just “peachy!”</p>
<p>PEOPLE WON’T LET ME START TRAINING ON BEING A STARBUCKS WORKER :mad: </p>
<p>…yeah, this is a really big waste of money. @_@</p>
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<p>Haha, you remind me of one of those soldiers from Southeast Asia that’s hidden in the jungle for 30 years and still think the war is on. The battle was lost a long time ago.</p>
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<p>Perhaps it might help to actually read the original story before discussing it or offering idle speculation about what might have happened. </p>
<p>Here’s how the article starts:</p>
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<p>Did you happen to have contradicting facts about the coffee machines?</p>
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Yes, indeed I did read the article and if speculation about public programs is not proper on CC, I think the number of posts should drop dramatically, xiggi.</p>
<p>And in fact I will stand by my suggestion that someone purchasing the equipment in question was probably trying to set up and run a line kitchen training (entry level job in the hospitality industry), as this would be considered a legitimate function of of a Vo Tech school. The fact pointed out in your quote from the article said that the machines were going to 21 vocational schools, would lend support to this, as it didn’t mention that the machines were going to any other type of school. </p>
<p>A more hostile speculation (which I am surprised none of the critics of Chicago politics have suggested here) would be that the machines were ordered as a perk for the administrators at the schools, but I think the above mentioned delivery pattern wouldn’t be supportive of that theory.</p>
<p>Now the fact that you highlighted that the schools didn’t even know they were getting the equipment tells me that someone is not communicating very well about the plans to install these machines. It wouldn’t be the first time a central bureaucracy has made decisions about programs administered at field locations that weren’t communicated.</p>
<p>And yes, that is a waste.</p>
<p>And yes, certain people have figured out ways around the controls implemented on purchasing to accomplish something. I’ve seen this in other large institutions and it is usually because the process is designed so poorly that you cannot accomplish a task in a reasonably timely manner. Not that this justifies a wholesale end around on the process, but I am merely pointing out that this is not uncommon in large organizations.</p>
<p>And xiggi, the quote you used is in response to other speculation about the motives for buying the machines (which is fine by me - I was just supplying my thoughts on the other poster’s thoughts). In fact, this whole thread has been a speculation - a common occurrance on CC. No disrespect intended (I do respect most of your opinions and appreciate the stuff you contribute), but perhaps you need to back away from the cappucino yourself. ;)</p>
<p>I saw a more detailed version of this story elsewhere.</p>
<p>Seems this is one of those emotional anti-school, anti-teacher tales that gets bandied about every few months.</p>
<p>Really just a mix-up with CPS bureaucracy, communication, and ordering procedure. The machines were not obtained for staff usage. </p>
<p>They have a Culinary Arts VoTech program there which may prepare many students for high dollar positions as chefs. Any FACS or home ec program needs equipment for food preparation. I just think this story was exaggerated to draw headlines. CPS has a lot of problems, but Duncan has made good progress there over the past few years.</p>
<p>I started out my American education at a south Chicago CPS school. Within a year my family made it out of there and into the suburbs… thank God!</p>
<p>WHAT!?!? i should really stop drinking capp in the morning</p>
<p>i don’t know. My school has a student opperated coffee house NHS runs for fundraising on Fridays and we also have the one the cafeteria runs everyday. I think both make good money.</p>
<p>So while it sucks they didn’t get it cheaper, it can definiately be used to turn a profit.</p>
<p>They “didn’t know how to use the machines” …are we talking about coffee machines here, or nuclear reactors? Reminds me of that scene in Zoolander where Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are puzzled by a computer and just start slapping it and poking at it.</p>
<p>Everywhichway:
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<p>The person who can most effectively fight corruption in Chicago, or anywhere else, is the voter. If individuals would stop getting their political views from Hollywood and the idiot box, and actually start using the gray matter that God gave them, election day would become a very bad one for corrupt and ill-prepared candidates.</p>
<p>toadstool
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<p>Obama’s origins in Chicago are very concerning, especially since he personally has a number of questionable associations. I would feel more comfortable if we picked someone from Chicago who had been effectively fighting corruption there, rather than rising from the core of that infamous political machine.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Obama is a politician. How would he have gained any political power whatsoever if he had not found a way to work with what was around him? If he did nothing but fight corruption in Chicago, or if he even spent some time doing that, would he have been anointed by the Dems there to rise to the top? No way.</p>
<p>I maintain hope that our President-Elect, while still a politician, has done the best he can with the circumstances he had to deal with, and will (moving forward) do even better. Of course, I will be pointing it out if I see otherwise.</p>
<p>As for the statement you made about mentioning his mother, grandmother, whatever - nonsense. I didn’t like that he publicly criticized his grandmother once, in order to effectively maneuver through the Rev. Wright controversy, but other than that I think he has handled the issue of race in a brilliant and appropriate way. Some of his supporters on the other hand…not so much.</p>
<p>His mother and her parents are deceased, not making as much news as they would be if still around to comment, attend inauguration events, etc.</p>
<p>I’m a Chicago native and I’m glad that I received my elementary and high school education at private schools. Thanks mom and dad.</p>