UPDATE: Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: On the ground in Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: On the ground in Chicago:

On the ground in Chicago

by Mike Klonsky

This post was written by guest blogger Bob George. Bob is a member of the National Steering Committee of Save Our Schools (SOS).

A day in the life

Over the past several days I had the privilege of being involved in several Chicago education events with Parents, Students, Teachers, CTU and Core members. On Thursday evening, the Black Caucus of CTU sponsored a discussion with CTU President Karen Lewis, on the recent teachers strike, the implications for the community, and what’s next.

Several Black community leaders were on hand as Karen laid out the strike story.  Carl West the owner of Truth Be Told news service asked Karen to describe the process of how CTU came to Strike.
Karen said:

“The strike bubbled up from the Rank and File!” As the membership’s voice was heard they expressed their anger at the injustice of a system that treated children as numbers, regularly underfunded minority schools, had no books on hand to start the school year…  a system that is three times more likely to provides less than half a day of nursing services and social work services to poor and minority schools, a system that tests and tests and tests. The rank and file 

I hope I lose the election pool

by Mike Klonsky

Nearly all (except for one nabob of negativity) in the family election pool have Obama winning the electoral college vote handily. I'm the most conservative prognosticator at 290. I think the highest is 332. Chief concern is over the counts in Ohio and Florida where T-Party apparatchiks run the ballot counting and Rove's funny business circa '04 could tie things up for days or weeks. But early voting turnout is amazing and my favorite pollsters are saying it won't even be close enough to matter.

Here in Chicago, my vote in the presidential race is of little value to anyone but myself. But there are other important ballot measures. PLEASE VOTE NO on the Pension Amendment and VOTE YES on the Elected School Board referendum.

While I have been among the most critical of Obama/Duncan ed policies, I am more concerned with the threat of a right-wing electoral coup d'etat that the Romney campaign represents and especially the threat it poses for women, people of color, and to the rights of working people.

Side notes to the election:

Chicago already has registered more homicides than it did during all of last year. But the Sun-Times reports that cops are leaving the force and retiring at a record pace. Could it be that there worried about pension