Chicago Daily Observer

SPRINGFIELD—Not only is it exceedingly rare to fire a tenured teacher in Illinois, but it also is extraordinarily expensive.

In fact, Illinois school districts that have hired outside lawyers in these cases have spent an average of more than $219,000 in legal fees during the last five years.

In a follow-up to its award-winning investigation of teacher tenure in Illinois, Small Newspaper Group took an in-depth look at costs associated with teacher dismissals.

In the original series, which was published in December, the newspapers said school districts reasonably could expect to spend at least $100,000 to try to fire a tenured teacher.

So, say Mayor Daley had made a deal to sell Midway Airport for $3 Billion. Where could you look for more details? Not the Sun Times or the Tribune, who both have decided to skip the story of the 1st major airport privatization in the United State.

Kudos to Crain’s and The Economist for covering the story that Aeroports de Paris may purchase Midway Airpot for $3 Billion, funds which may be used to shore up city pension obligations.

“Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible,” Dennis Kucinich told Steven Colbert the other night.

The quote, from the Spanish philosopher Miguel Unamono, says almost everything you need to know about the ideological purity of the progressive congressman from Ohio and why he’s making this second run for the presidency.

He is a walking litmus test of progressive purity:

He wants us out of Iraq immediately. Moreover, he’s the only Democratic candidate who not only spoke against the war back in 2002—he actually voted against it. Plus, he consistently voted against all subsequent war funding.

He voted against the Patriot Act, too.

He voted against NAFTA and CAFTA.

He cosponsored a bill to create a single-payer national health service.

He favors same-sex marriage.

He is outspoken on all the hot-button issues and fearlessly defends his positions.

On one of those apple-pie, super-patriotic, but ... Read More...

On Oct. 19 and 20, a conference for Catholic college faculty and administrators will be hosted at DePaul University on the topic of ministering to gay and lesbian students in Catholic colleges and universities. Called the “Out There Conference,” this program is coordinated out of Santa Clara University in California and has as its stated purpose to discuss how to be pastorally present to homosexually oriented young people.

That is a good purpose. Young people who identify themselves as gay and lesbian have particular challenges and special needs that call for a pastoral approach that can assure them they are loved by God and give them the means of grace needed to live chastely. There are sometimes psychological problems of self-rejection and social problems of how to find their way as disciples of Jesus Christ and responsible members of society. Sometimes they experience personal prejudice because of their sexual identity, ... Read More...

Sun-Times Stresses Some Mindless
Controversy, Emphasizing “You Did—I Didn’t” Brainless Bickering

First in a series of Monday reviews of news coverage in Chicago.

The “Sun-Times,” desperate to stay alive has not just changed its format to resemble that of the “National Enquirer”—it has done worse. It has notified its Op Ed columnists that if they want to continue writing for the tabloid, they better jolly well (a) skip a lot of the details involving public policy research and (b) concentrate on the “human issues” i. e. the battles between Gov. Blagojevich and House Speaker Madigan. The ultimatum doesn’t just come from the new editorial page editor who in her writing seemingly scrawls with crayon. It is transmitted to by editor Michael Cooke to columnists scattered throughout the paper. Some stand up to the ultimatum; others are cravenly happy to capitulate.

What often comes out is opinions unfortified by facts ... Read More...

This will be a different kind of column. Usually, I write about things that economics can explain. This time I’ll admit that I’m completely befuddled.

I just don’t get the airline industry, at least not the traditional carriers that have been around since before deregulation. The new upstarts like Southwest appear to have a model that works—but that just makes the older carriers look all the more old-fashioned and obtuse.

Fly the Stupid Skies…