Consequences of -- Wars, Overspending, and Educational Reforms

on
The Netherlands to vote today
The US ambassador and other staffs were killed in Libya. It may take us as a surprise where no news of unrest has been reported after the US and other nations has toppled its government and thus opened up the pathway to 'democracy'.  Is this yet another Iraq situation where suicide attacks kills tens and hundreds of people by the sectarian violence?

The Obama Administration started selling its assets.  It went as far as to say it made money by selling off its AIG stocks.  The argument goes that the government is not a for-profit organization. 

Meanwhile, the cleanup of the spending binge in Europe has caused massive demonstrations on the street.  In Spain, over a million people took to the streets in Catalonia in protest against the right-wing Rajoy government demanding the aid money and/or independence. 

President Obama refused to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu later this month when the Prime Minister attends the U. N. General Assembly.  The President phoned the Prime Minister last night after the announcement prompted some criticisms. 

The schools in Chicago are still closed due to the teachers' union strikes where talks stalled on conditions of the teachers' benefits.  The union has demanded more pay raise, rehiring of teachers, and more teachers for longer school days.  The city's schools have shown poor performances over reading and math tests and in terms of graduation rates.  The mayor and the former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has implemented reforms to improve the system to reward teachers based upon students' performances. 

Still puzzling is an opinion poll taken in Chicago for the teachers' strikes.  The polls by Sun-Times says around half of the people side with the teachers.  It goes against the people's opinions around me, most of them from the suburbs.  "16% raise?"  Is this what Newmax calls "liberal media bias"?  It is either the louder voices been picked up or there are a lot of them somewhere in the city.  Whatever the people's opinions, they must come to an agreement, that much we all agree.

For fairness, I should add the voice that supports the strike.  "Emanuel is squeezing them out" Pat said.  "I am all for it".  Is 16% pay raise not enough?  "No, and they are extending the school days" she said.  Chicago schools had the shortest school days in the nation.  "And they are expanding the charter schools, which are really private" she said.  The charter school teachers are not unionized.