The Chicago Public Schools are facing a major truancy problem…among teachers.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) was up in arms over suggestions that classes should be held on May 1 when teachers wanted to be out protesting. Called International Workers’ Day, May Day is a global day of protest for socialist, communist, and unionist groups.
The CTU was upset when parents objected that canceling a day of class for teachers to join a political protest was a burden for working parents. These teachers believe that they are teaching something far more important through their activism. In defending the demand for publicly subsidized protests, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter explained that “teaching our students what civic action looks like requires more than textbooks.”
While that does not help with the dismal proficiency scores of actual students, it is vital to training students as political foot soldiers.
The CTU and the National Education Association recently collaborated on a “curriculum build” to bring “social justice into the classroom” ahead of May Day. Dave Stieber, a history teacher in Chicago Public Schools is shown declaring that “May Day is a dress rehearsal for maybe there’s a random day in, you know, June that we all are, like, no work, no school, no shopping…So this is a continuation and a buildup of that.”
In the meantime, with only 2 of 5 students reading at grade level, the Chicago teachers chose to lower proficiency levels rather than improve their teaching record.
While failing on actually teaching students, the CTU is proficient at instructing politicians such as Mayor Brandon Johnson through the use of union dues to fund Democratic campaigns. The CTU and other teachers’ unions funneled millions into Johnson’s campaign. By one estimate, 93 percent of Johnson’s campaign budget came from unions.
The CTU has long held the distinction of being the most radical teachers’ union in the country. It was a CTU delegation that went to Venezuela during the Maduro regime to praise conditions under socialism. In a country where dissenters and reporters were being jailed and killed, the Chicago teachers gushed about how “we did not see a single homeless person!”
Chicago area teachers have been charged with violent protests.
Suggesting that teachers should work rather than attend May Day protests set off the Chicago teachers. Now, the union has confirmed that classes will be held without the participating teachers, and Chicago Public Schools will pay for buses for both students and educators to go to the protests.
The city further promised that there would be no repercussions for either students or teachers playing hooky from school.
This is not the first time unions and teachers have allowed students to skip classes to support left-wing protests. In New York, teachers and students were allowed to skip school to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Previously, students were allowed to skip school to protest climate change.
These school districts do not show the same participatory support for protests on the right. There is no accommodation or city-subsidized buses for pro-life protests or demonstrations in favor of Israel.
Nevertheless, the Chicago school system is declaring that this is what schooling is all about in the Windy City. CPS CEO Macquline King stated that “the agreement honors the proud history of civic action in Chicago and beyond.”
Decades ago, my parents helped create an organization to stem the exodus of families from public schools and to reinforce academic standards in the Chicago Public School system. They convinced more families to remain in the system because they believed (as I do) that public schools can play a critical role in shaping citizens through a diverse and shared experience.
I was long skeptical of voucher systems because of that commitment to public education. However, teacher unions and administrators are destroying public education in America. They are treating families as captive audiences while infusing education with social and political agendas. The only way to break this decades-long cycle of failure, in my opinion, is to give families alternatives by allowing them to send their children to schools with core educational (as opposed to advocacy) priorities.
Nevertheless, Mayor Johnson celebrated the funding of the May Day protests:
“We are pleased all parties are working together to ensure school communities can participate in commemorating International Workers Day…Encouraging participating allows Chicagoans to honor our history while advocating for our future. We look forward to a day of meaningful solidarity and community resistance to the forces trying to tear us apart.
Schools have long been a target for indoctrination by radical elements. The Cultural Revolution in China was the most extreme example where children were forced into protests and taught that political activism came before scholastics under the slogan “to rebel is justified.”
Mao declared that “our educational policy must enable everyone who receives an education to develop morally, intellectually and physically and become a worker with both socialist consciousness and culture.”
In the CTU/NEA seminar, Kirstin Roberts, a pre-school teacher in Chicago Public Schools, is shown explaining that the purpose is to “encourage teachers of young children not to feel like this is stuff that’s way beyond their students, not to be afraid of raising up social justice issues, including workers’ rights, anti-racism, pro LGBT, LGBTQIA plus issues, immigration and immigrants rights.”
The erosion of the line between education and advocacy is now occurring on every level of our educational system. Some universities now have “resident activist” programs or offer degrees in advocacy.
In my book Rage and the Republic, I discuss the rise of the “new Jacobins” in the United States, including a cadre of radical educators who use our schools to pursue fundamental changes in our constitutional system. Law professors and deans are now calling for trashing our Constitution as a threat to the nation while teachers are using classes to radicalize students.
Chicago’s subsidy of May Day protests uses public funds in the struggling school system to foster radical political agendas. It removes any doubt for parents about the priority of Johnson, the CTU, and many of these teachers.
Some of the sentiments expressed in Chicago could have been ripped from Mao’s Little Red Book and speeches. He insisted “education must serve proletarian politics” and demanded “the period of schooling should be shortened, education should be revolutionized.”
In Chicago, the “period for schooling” is now being shortened in favor of “solidarity and community resistance.” While the students may not be able to actually read, they will learn the three R’s of modern education: resisting, raging, and rebelling.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution
OT: There is a Tweet (X?) out there with someone reporting that some Iranian gunboats got past the UNITED STATES NAVY and UNITED STATES SENATOR Chris Murphy said Good!!!
A US senator says it is a good thing that a nation that supports terror, kills thousands of their own people, has killed thousands of Americans, has maimed thousands of Americans, that supported the attack on October 7th, that supports the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas, got past our own navy.
It also means Trump still does not have control of the strait. Trump’s war is not going well. It’s costing us billions, and what are we getting in return? What do we get out of this? Israel sure wants to keep the war going and I’m sure they will happily sabotage any ceasefire or peace deal to keep us fighting on their behalf.
Turns out the Tweet about 26 Iranian shadow fleet boats eluding the US Navy was just Iranian propaganda and it never happened. Of course Chris Murphy’s reply still stands as treasonous as if the original tweet was right.
So Anonymous, your point is moot…again.
HullBobby,
Amazing how the annonys, and Senator Murphy, are always getting duped by Iranian propaganda and fake news. It is almost as if they were products of the Chicago public education system.
Upstate it is tough when we have so many young people, like the parasitic Anonymous, that will root against our own nation. Add most Dems to the young people as well.
HullBobby,
There is something called the fog of war where information can be false, misleading or propaganda. In cases such as this, best to sit back and wait and see if it is in fact, a fact.
Unfortunately the Gen Z annonys are so indoctrinated, they cannot get past a thirty second tictock video or get duped by propaganda. I guess Sen Murphy got duped.
It means Iran is winning the propaganda war. They have been very effective with their propaganda.
Treasonous? It’s free speech.
We naively expect the justices on our highest court to be apolitical, analytical decision makers for some of the most important legal paths that define our country’s future. Obviously they are not uniformly capable or dedicated.
We desperately need our teachers to be apolitical, knowledgable educators during their time with our children. Our children need to learn and develop the ability to observe, analyse, understand, and make their own decisions.
If SCOTUS judges, theoretically our best and brightest, fall short why would we expect teachers to be special.
Protect your children.
Only a “stable genius” could come up with such a great plan to get more “republicans” elected.
“Virginians head to the polls on Tuesday to cast a vote on whether the state wants to redraw congressional lines to ensure more Democrats are elected in the 2026 midterms.
The idea came from President Donald Trump he thought he could maintain control of Congress if he had Texas redraw the congressional lines and get Democrats out of office. It has backfired spectacularly after Democrats decided to follow suit. Unlike in Texas, however, Democrats have had ballot initiatives that let voters decide what they want to do. Republicans attempted to do it unilaterally.”
“The Republican position is, [that] they were worried because the American people have turned against this administration,” he said. “They knew that the Democrats, fair and square, were going to win the midterms and take back the majority in Congress, [and] bring back checks and balances. They were so scared that they started this gerrymandering war.”
“And you know what?” Stanton continued. “They’re going to rue the day that they did that. One of the greatest self-owns in American history — political history, is going to be the decision of the Republicans to start these gerrymandering wars around the country. They are going to gerrymander their way into the minority. They are losing these gerrymandering wars. They started it. What a ridiculous thing for them to complain about it now.”
If you keep kids stupid, they’ll remain more obedient and dependent throughout their lives.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks; you just put him down and buy a new dog. Old Marxist/progressive ideologues are the same, time to get a new education ideology and lay the current crop down.
Amid allegations of heavy drinking, FBI Director Kash Patel is hoping to seem sober by scheduling a joint appearance with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sources close to Patel revealed on Tuesday.
“I need to hold a press conference with Pete after he’s been on an epic bender,” Patel reportedly told his staff. “If you can’t find him, get Jeanine “Boxwine” Pirro.”
Appearing with Hegseth carries with it certain risks, however, as Pentagon staffers have reported that merely standing next to him has made them drunk.
But Patel told sources he is desperate to “do anything” to save his job, sobbing, “I can’t go back to flying coach.”
Trump’s crew should be called The Liquor Cabinet.
Not to worry, Pelosi says he can use her old plane if the need arises. It still has a Fully stocked, with the finest wine tax payer money can buy, right out of Ilhan Omar’s vineyard. Pelosi her hubby use to get quite hammered!
Those staffers the same anonymous ones reported in the Atlantic? The same ones who no one will go on record? The same ones the Atlantic cannot verify their existence or the validity of their reporting?
Something much more interesting, US intel secretly flagged major 2020 election vulnerabilities, including voter data, memo shows
“Memo newly declassified by DNI Gabbard shows concerns about integrity of American voting were far greater than the public was told by previous administrations. Evidence emerged that China had gained access to voter registration data in multiple states and had even sent fake driver’s licenses to the United States in a bid to help Joe Biden win the election, officials said.”
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/us-intel-flagged-major-2020-election-vulnerabilities-including-voter
Chicago, literally, has some the worst schools in the nation. Not Baltimore bad, but they’re in the bottom-quartile of large cities in reading and math.
Maybe they should look to Mississippi. The former educational laughingstock of America is now Top-10 in 4th grade reading & math and the state is above average in everything since they stopped using Department of Education ‘best practices’ (which sucked).
Or they could continue their slide as they’ve gotten worse, per the NEAP, in both 2022 and 2024.
@moseszd
Au contraire: Chicago, the worst on nearly every available metric. Not the absolute worst, but getting close.
“…CTU delegation that went to Venezuela during the Maduro regime to praise conditions under socialism. In a country where dissenters and reporters were being jailed and killed, the Chicago teachers gushed about how ‘we did not see a single homeless person!'”
You see, that’s the Cliff’s Notes to our problem: people being put in authoritative education positions based on political ideology and not merit or smarts. And this is what they spread to our kids.
The reality:
“The naked truth: Cuba’s collapsing safety net and the rise of homelessness.” https://dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2025/07/23/the-naked-truth-cubas-collapsing-safety-net-and-the-rise-of-homelessness/
“Marrero Cruz speaks about the homeless in Cuba: ‘It’s a real problem we have.'” https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-08-30-u1-e43231-s27061-nid309972-marrero-cruz-habla-mendigos-cuba-problema-real
Lin,
Sorry, but have to disagree with you there, re: Cliff’s notes. Now it is TicTock. And along with leftists indoctrination, they do not teach history except if it is related to the leftist indoctrination. And then it is as if socialism, communism is nothing but warm and fuzzy good times!
No, No, goofball! I sarcastically said, Cliff’s Notes* summarizes our problem: “people being put in authoritative education positions based on political ideology and not merit or smarts. And this is what they spread to our kids.”
(in other words, the indoctrinated teachers are precisely teaching all the things you mentioned to our kids!)
* (Cliff’s Notes: I dated myself; I give you that! We used to trade our lunch money for someone’s copy. We got caught. I think it was about “Great Expectations.” Charles DIckens said in 2,000 words what others could say in 200. Did you have to read that? After we got caught, I ended up reading the whole thing and loved it.)
Lin,
HAHAHAAHAHA!
Good one!
We read it, but I do not recall it.
I should add it, and 1984 to my book list. I prefer to have physical copies in my library.
Thank you UpstateFarmer.
The United States Perhaps remember the rise of the American Oligarchy over the last 18 years disguised as “progressive idealism” facilitated by the censorship and prosecution on created charges of anyone who doesn’t participate in the hatred of designated “THEM” – and “THEY” deserve the train to Dachau to decrease the cost of labor (work camps) and remove opposition (death camps).
The emerging ruling autocracy demonstrated in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois (and after today, Virginia) has dictated that YOUR only road to success is the support, marching to Kristall nights, indoctrination of the rising “Hitler Youth” as “progressive ideologues”, and the imprisonment and execution of the law enforcement officials and anyone else whom the star is pinned upon.
All based on the critical and intrinsic human addiction concept of self-aggrandizement and its use for self-empowerment.
Stated simply, create a category that popularizes hatred of that category with the carrot of “you will be one of the the popular crowd” and stick of “we will demean, denigrate, humiliate, and attack you if you don’t”.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2023/10/06/hillary-clinton-suggests-formal-deprogramming-for-maga-extremists-who-still-support-trump/
Lin, are you really that naive? Come on.
The CTU delegation ‘saw’ what the Venezuelan government wanted them to see, and this was back in 2019. Do you really think a curated tour of their schools by the government was a good metric to use? And what does Cuba have to do with this? You do know Cuba has a higher literacy rate than we do, right? Because they emphasize education, especially free education and the do focus a LOT on the basics which most is what most conservatives on this blog keep saying is most important.
They have a homeless problem, so? We don’t?
georgie, show us where you mentioned Schengen? We’re waiting.
naw, X, after I referred to you as “naive” on several occasions, it doesn’t quite work in reverse; I’ve noticed your new tactic of using the word “naive” in your comments lately.
My comment was about the teacher’s union–and how they are indoctrinated (did you see that word in my comment? I’m sure you did….and did you understand the exchange between Upstate and me?)
Indoctrination occurs among NAIVE persons, like you I guess. That’s why I mentioned Cuba, how Chicago teachers’ union sees the world vs. others. I regret that you did not try to use your self-touted “comprehension skills.” I’ll make it easier for you. try this.
“Chicago Teachers Union VP Joins Pro-Cuba Webinar Ahead of May Day
Jackson Potter links teacher-led school disruptions to global “resistance” movement alongside Cuban regime representatives
NAVI K-12 Extremism Tracker”
Apr 16, 2026
“Quick Take-Away:
“Potter framed May Day 2026 as an initial test of political power against the Trump administration.
“The Chicago Teachers Union is actively organizing school-based participation, including encouraging educators to take personal days and bring students to protests under the guise of ‘field trips.’” https://navik12tracker.substack.com/p/chicago-teachers-union-vp-joins-pro
Get it now? thanks anyway, George. If not, here’s a chart showing the decline of Venezuelan poverty since Maduro got in office (@ 2012).
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235189/household-poverty-rate-venezuela/
sarcasm: “decline” ^^^^
X/George:
p.s. You said to me, “You do know Cuba has a higher literacy rate than we do, right?”
Not sure where you got that information,/statistics? AI? Google? Wiki?
This is what I see for 2026:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/literacy-rate-by-country
thanks anyway.
hey “lin” did you see how George/Svelaz/X always disappears for awhile after you take him down? He needs a few hours on Google AI to load up before he comes back.
Just another “snowday” for the Kids, that adds one more day of school at the end of the school year. BFD
The mayor’s comment about all working together is telling. He does not count the people that disagree with him and the unions. As a result, he does not consider them worth spending taxpayer money on schools or services that would help them as well.
This seems to be the kind of non-citizens Democrats want: Those who cannot read, write, do math or think for themselves. The perfect uneducated socialist. They are grooming these children to be completely and totally dependent on the government as they would not be employable outside of fast food.
The parallels to Orwell’s 1984 are uncanny.
Additional thought, this highlights the importance of school choice and parents rights.
In the above, I mention 1984. One has to wonder what kind of future these students will be. Aside from ignorance, the only thing they will know is resisting, raging, and rebelling against . . . something.
@Upstate
Very much agreed. Many of us saw the signs when the original trophy generation were still kids, no one cared to listen then; in fact, during the ‘unicorn’ era, the naive entitlement and hubris was greatly celebrated. I at times wondered if formerly intelligent people had had their brains removed or started smoking a metric ton of wacky tobaccy everyday.
It isn’t just indoctrination – it’s that combined with generations raised in a manner that makes them perfectly susceptible to it. 🤷🏽♂️
James,
I have a good friend who is in public education. I thought Gen Z was bad, still living at home, still financially dependent on their parents, taking mom and dad to job interviews, this generation is even worse. They have issues with face to face communication even with friends, attention spans that are only as long as a Tictock video, and emotional maturity of 6 year olds. And my friend is teaching high schoolers!
Again, what kind of future are these kids going to have if the teachers are not teaching core education but indoctrination?
@Upstate
As you may or may not recall, my wife is an educator, and she is certified to teach everything from middle through high school, and has (she is also a former lawyer). We have been watching this in real time for years.
And for me the question is: what sort of future are ANY of us going to have given the future we are creating, through future generations? We are all going to have to live in that world. This has seemed to be utterly lost on parents over the past couple of decades who seem to think upon turning 21, their kids will be touched by a magic wand from the Maturity Fairy that will make them cognizant and responsible adults overnight.
@Upstate
Oh, and PS: this traverses not just years, but states, as well. We have been in many different districts across the country. The end result is all too common, no matter how good the instruction. Throw in the sh***y instruction, and it’s pretty much a recipe for disaster. I actually do give a lot of Gen Z-ers credit for at least *wanting* to do better, and many do; but they simply don’t have the skills, even as younger adults.
James,
Well, the way I see it, just my perspective, is the Democrat party is designing a very much Orwellian like society where they have dumbed down the average American to the point they are incapable of not only reading, writing, math but independent thought. A small, elite group of Democrats will use AI, social media, tictock like videos to control those they can. They will use obscure laws to force everyone into their indoctrination camps, aka public schools. Thing is, Democrats need a boogyman to keep the camps going, to keep the population enslaved to their narrative. Instead of Emmanuel Goldstein, they have already latched on to Trump and MAGA as the bad guy and everything that goes along with it. In short, anti-America. With their legions of uneducated dupes who will blindly vote for Democrats they can then pack the courts, add a few states and carry out their long held dreams of a totalitarian dystopia where Republicans will never win an election again.
What is going for us, is we see through it. We see the need for school choice and parental rights to counter their indoctrination of our children. Students who are not only educated but free thinking are a anathema to them. Students like that will go on to become educated, responsible, critical thinking adults who would challenge the indoctrination and the narrative.
The ironic part is our educated adults will be the productive ones of society and the Democrats and their uneducated adult children will be dependent on the productive ones to provide a tax base for their little social programs.
As for the parents of the past decades, it seems they are enabling their children to failure to launch. Children still living at home, or financially dependent on their parents. Taking their parents to job interviews.
Unfortunately I think it will take a real crisis, one in which the likes they have never seen or experienced before, to realize how good they actually had it.
Upstate,
The irony here is pretty wild. You’re complaining about “poor education” while showing exactly why people need a better understanding of history.
Professor Turley isn’t uncovering a conspiracy; he’s taking advantage of the fact that you don’t know the background of your own holidays. Teaching kids about May Day isn’t “leftist brainwashing”—it’s just teaching facts.
Here is the history you’re missing: Labor Day only exists in September because of a political move by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. At the time, there had been a violent strike (the Pullman Strike) where the government killed several workers. To try and make peace with voters, Cleveland rushed to create a national holiday for workers.
He specifically chose September to avoid May 1st. Why? Because May 1st was linked to “radical” groups and the Haymarket Riot in Chicago. He wanted a holiday that felt like a parade and a day off, not a day for protests and socialist speeches.
It’s a massive contradiction to celebrate Labor Day every September while attacking schools for teaching the history of how it started. Your outrage just proves that the education system actually needs to do a better job teaching these facts.
I’ll bet you few people here even knew that Labor Day and May Day (workers day) are related.
@X
For Pete’s sake, just start posting as ‘George’ again. we know who you are, and you are as pedantic and annoying as ever. That you now let ChatGPT write a lot of your posts does not help. You are the one troll here (perhaps along with Natasha, who is also very obvious; it makes me think you have both been banned in the past, and that takes a LOT here) I am convinced is not paid, just has nothing better to do.
I am actually glad people refute you with facts, because that is important, particularly in the age of advanced algorithms, but you are an exhausting just as a human.
“I’ll bet [X] here even knew that Labor Day and May Day (workers day) are related, [before he discovered it on AI today.”
double-bet.
I wonder if the teachers union is being paid to push this?
No, in fact they sponsor it. As well as being paid for the day. Who says unions are useless?
But who is sponsoring them?
Kristin Oren,
Who benefits from the dumbing down of American children? The CCP, CCP linked far leftists, and it appears some teachers unions.
If you have them, get your kids out of public education.
No. Let us call it what it really is, public indoctrination.
“But who is sponsoring them?”
Who sponsors a tick, a tapeworm, or any other vicious parasite? The organism unfortunate enough to put itself (or be put) in a vulnerable position. That would be us, the taxpayers.
It does prove they’re useless. Not for the teachers who get to continue to churn out semi-educated students who perform worse than MISSISSIPPI, the butt of education jokes for decades, but for the taxpayers.
Hey X, George, would you be so sanguine if teachers in GA took the students marching for gun rights? Teachers in Mississippi going on marches against abortion? Teachers in FL taking the day off to support ICE?
Of course none of the above is happening because these states care about education. This is why Mississippi has better scores than Chicago even though Chicago spends much more money per student.
What does that irrelevant and stupid statement have to do with the article?
It shows how Chicago harms students. They’re doing worse than Mississippi which was an educational joke for the past 100 years. Yet Mississippi, instead of wasting their time on pointless crap the students don’t need at this point in their lives, has passed Chicago, which, technically, is still one of the most important cities in America.
So, what they need to be leaning fundamentals as less than 30% of their students are grade-level proficient in Math!!! But they’re not. They’re doing stupid political things and falling further behind.
Ultimately, the educational failures one of many liberal policies that will create yet another failed Blue city. It’s going to be Detroit all-over-again. Big companies are moving out because instead of focusing on what’s actually important, they focus on this crap So major companies like Boeing, Citadel, Caterpillar, Thoughtful AI, PEAK6, Tyson Foods, Stellantis, Tenneco, United Airlines and Citibank have either left, are leaving or massively reducing their footprint.
Some of the problem is the outrageous taxes, some is the soft-on-crime policies, and some of it is the lack of an educated populace as they’re too busy doing this crap instead of teaching the kids.
Boeing moved their headquarters to Chicago from Seattle. Because it’s cheaper? Less educated?
Then they moved again.
New Location: Arlington, Virginia, specifically to be closer to government customers, the FAA, and the Pentagon.
“What does that irrelevant and stupid statement have to do with the article?” Your statement sure says plenty about you. 1) You can’t analyze, 2) you have a sick need to be a nasty juvenile, 3) you sit here all day parasitically replying to anyone making sense and 4) you have no job, no house, no girlfriend and no education.
Hullbobby, I would have no problem with teachers going on pro-gun rights marches, or anti-abortion marches or FL teachers taking the day off in support of ICE. They can do that on their own free time. Because May Day and Labor Day ARE essentially the same thing celebrated on different dates and one date is recognized as a federal holiday teachers do get paid for them.
Now for your Mississippi comparison, there’s no denying the “Mississippi miracle”. It’s impressive to say the least. However, there’s several important distinctions on why costs are so different. Mississippi relies heavily on federal tax dollars to support all their schools and they include rural districts. Chicago is ONE massive urban district with higher costs associated with infrastructure, state mandated pension costs, maintaining poorly kept school buildings, and higher costs of living in a city. So of course per student costs will be higher in Chicago and student performance is not always a reflection of Teachers, it’s a reflection on the complexity of the societal environment in Chicago. It’s easy to lay blame on Chicago when there’s more to it than just pointing out poor student performance.
Why should the FL, GA and other red state teachers do it “on their own time” when the Chicago teachers are doing it on the taxpayers time (dime)? Wow, that was pretty cute trying to slip that in there.
You list all the reasons why Chicago spends more per student with such circular logic as “they have state mandated pension plans”…as if these pension plans are an act of God and not just another sign of corruption in their system. Also, they “have to maintain poorly kept school buildings”???? As if these buildings are poorly maintained due to something other than the billions of tax dollars going into union pockets rather than maintenance. Another beauty is you claim that costs are high due to the “complexity of the societal environment in Chicago”. A laughable kamala Harris word salad signifying nothing other than “hey, we took billions from the tax payers and blew it on insider scams, payoffs and corrupt grifts instead of locking up criminals, actually policing tough areas and keeping the streets clean and safe.
Sorry X, George, you gave it your best…but your best just isn’t good enough. But hey, at least you have the parasitic juvenile “Anonymous” supporting you.
PS. At least you are polite when you make a fool of yourself arguing against 2 + 2 being 4.
HullBobby,
We need to call it what it is: Democrat/teacher union grift. The teacher’s union takes their dues, and funnel it to Democrats. Democrats in turn keep giving/voting for teacher pensions, pay raises while not holding the teachers responsible for actually teaching. As we can see, the Democrats endorse teachers to take time off from teaching children to engage in a grotesque glorification of failed socialism, communism and deaths of millions by said failed economic policies and try to dress it up as a “holiday.”
Should teachers teach children what May Day is?
Yes.
And then it should also be pointed out the historical failures of socialism and communism that of Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and even modern examples like Maduro in Venezuela and the on going train wreck that is Cuba. Let us not forget North Korea.
Hullbobby,
“ Why should the FL, GA and other red state teachers do it “on their own time” when the Chicago teachers are doing it on the taxpayers time (dime)? Wow, that was pretty cute trying to slip that in there.”
This explains why you don’t seem to understand. Neither of those issues are historical events of significant importance. May Day. (May1st) is the original Labor Day. We celebrate it in September instead of May. It’s literally the same thing, the only difference is we celebrate it on a different date thanks to Grove Cleveland. He essentially ‘sanitized’ it from its radical roots which includes Chicago where an event associated with worker unions and police clashed and produced our 8hr workday.
It’s a pretty significant event, and it’s’ a paid holiday when we observe it in September. The CTU is allowing teachers to observe the same holiday on its original date where the entire world observes it. May 1 st.
In addition, I don’t think you know what ‘circular logic’ is because you’re not using it correctly.
“ they have state mandated pension plans”…as if these pension plans are an act of God and not just another sign of corruption in their system. Also, they “have to maintain poorly kept school buildings”???? As if these buildings are poorly maintained due to something other than the billions of tax dollars going into union pockets rather than maintenance. Another beauty is you claim that costs are high due to the “complexity of the societal environment in Chicago”. A laughable kamala Harris word salad signifying nothing…”
You didn’t show how it’s circular at all. You think it is, but it’s not. There is literally a state constitutional requirement to keep pensions for teachers and other public service employees. Mississippi doesn’t have that.
Those poorly kept buildings are the result of constant deferred maintenance due to funding shortfalls and the constitutionally mandated pensions. I’m not going too pretend it is not a problem, but it explains clearly why they have it. They often choose to defer maintenance to meet the minimum pension obligations their constitution requires and that constant deferments lead to deteriorating school buildings that cost more to maintain. That’s an added cost per student in Chicago that Mississippi as an entire state does not have.
You’re the one making a fool of yourself, and it shows.
X, so Labor Day is a paid holiday therefore May 1st should be one too?
Circular logic on your part is when you blame state mandated pensions for high costs without stipulating that the pensions are just another union grift/ripoff.
You now cite “funding shortfalls” while defending Chicago spending more more student while maintenance is “deferred”? Please expound.
Give it up chump, you are defending the CTA, the most corrupt teacher’s union in the nation, as they cheat little black kids of their right to a proper education. Racist!
Hullbobby, LOL, that’s not circular logic.
The whole point of this is only Chicago teachers where one of the major events that happened on the original ‘Labor Day’ *(May 1st) are requesting a day off. It’s not mandatory to take the day off.
You are not keeping track of your own argument either.
Labor Day IS the same thing most of the world celebrates as May Day on May 1st. We just changed the date and name because some conservatives got squeamish about the fact that it’s what produced our 8hr work days and weekends and it came from a socialist idea.
“ You now cite “funding shortfalls” while defending Chicago spending more more student while maintenance is “deferred”? Please expound.“
If you cannot understand or do your own research there is little hope that you will fully understand.
Teacher pensions which are a required to be funded by a minimum amount according to the state constitution is a law. They can’t really ignore it unless they amend their constitution.
I told you why Chicago spends more and you completely ignored it or dismissed it out of ignorance.
I’m defending their position on the May Day issue because it is IN Chicago where a major historical event occurred that led to what we now enjoy as our 8 hr work day why we have weekends. You’re badmouthing something that you’re obliviously benefiting from every day. You’re completely missing the point and you’re latching on to Turley’s deliberate mischaracterization of the issue because you’re don’t exercise a bit of common sense or skepticism about Turley’s claims. I just showed you why his claims are disingenuous at best.
“. . . you’re latching on to Turley’s deliberate mischaracterization of the issue . . .”
Sure.
And the gas chambers really were just “bathhouses.”
X- looks like you don’t understand circular logic. Hullbobby’s sentence makes perfect sense to me.
Didn’t someone else correctly accuse you of circular argument recently? So original you are. LOL! “ROLF!”
Where are Senator McCarthy and the HUAC when we need them?
One must admire the belligerent stupidity of Chicago slack-jawed teachers and the Union that funnels their moronic group think out for all to see! Public Schools are merely Juvenile Delinquent Holding Pens with guaranteed release as a likely Adult Offender after a 12 year sentence served under over paid Wardens/Administrators.
One must admire the belligerent stupidity of anon’s comment.
As a Chicago native and a history buff Turley should have been able to ‘remember’ why May Day is important in Chicago. The 1886 Haymarket affair an event that helped create the 8hr workday everyone enjoys now. It was a violent confrontation between labor protesters and police in Chicago.
In early May 1886, thousands of workers across the U.S. went on strike to demand a standard eight-hour workday. On May 3, Chicago police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, killing at least two people.
Radical labor leaders organized a peaceful protest the following night at Haymarket Square to speak out against police brutality.
As police arrived to disperse the dwindling crowd, an unidentified person threw a dynamite bomb into the police ranks. The blast and subsequent gunfire from police resulted in the deaths of seven officers and at least four civilians.
What happened next is typical and not at all surprising.
Eight anarchists were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, even though most were not present at the time and no evidence linked them to the bomb thrower.
Seven men were sentenced to death. Four were hanged in 1887, and one committed suicide in jail. They are widely remembered in labor history as the Haymarket Martyrs.
Then in 1893, Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned the three remaining defendants, declaring that the original trial had been a “miscarriage of justice” fueled by hysteria and a biased jury.
Obviously it was a significant moment in history and Turley completely neglected this because he thought it was more important to gripe about poor student performance over one day’s participation by teachers, because they too are workers, in commemorating this important historical event that is certainly a teachable moment for students. Showing them that the Haymarket Affair is directly linked to the origin of International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day. In 1889, labor and socialist groups chose May 1st to honor the Chicago strikers and continue the fight for the eight-hour day.
What is crazy is lots of schools outside Chicago take the day off to celebrate May Day. Some towns have parades on May Day.
X, George, thinks it is fine for teachers to take another day off to inculcate young kids into radicalism as they can’t read, write or add proficiently.
Hey X, this is what I am talking about when I say it would help your little credibility to once in every thousand columns to say the following, “Turley is right, the teacher’s union is wrong, radical and harmful”. Try it, you may like it.
PS. This is the union that had the genius teacher filming herself on vacation whining about the dangers of being forced to go to work.
As for redoing, writing proficiently,of which you are not, you are the proper example of an uneducated troll.
redoing? LOL
Hullbobby, the problem is Turley is not right. He’s using what is the true Labor Day holiday date as an excuse to label the teacher’s union as a bad organization and gripe about poor student performance.
That “radicalism” is what led to today’s 8hr workday we enjoy.
Until Turley writes a column that I end up agreeing to I will state “Turley is right”. But that is rare.
In this column Turley is being disingenuous with the narrative and the facts by omitting important distinctions as I have pointed out.
“International Workers Day”
AKA: International Communist Day — long a national holiday in dictatorships like China and Cuba.
But, by all means, continue with the fiction that educators in major cities are not pushing Marxist propaganda on their students.
Nothing like a narrow perception of world history eh Sam? Must be your public education.
IWD is recognized and celebrated in the USA as well as some 160 worldwide as a public holiday.
Sam,
It is a holiday only for socialists and communists. The rest of us sane and normal people look at it for what it is, the glorification of abject failure and the deaths of millions, re: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.
Upstate, we celebrate it too. In September, also known as Labor Day. It’s a paid holiday by many employers too. Those communists and maoists gave you a federal holiday. Crazy eh?
Fiction? How so?
You benefitted from that ‘Marxist/communist’ holiday. We have 8 hr work days because of it. We have weekends because of it. Everyone around the world celebrates this despite its communist and Marxist origins. It means it was one of the successful ideas they had.
It’s more likely your own ignorance is a bigger problem than what is being taught at schools today.
If you are opposed to May Day the by all means insist on working on Labor Day or demand the federal holiday be repealed. Because it’s definitely got Marxist/communist origins.
“We have 8 hr work days because of it.”
Speaking of Marxist (and labor union) fictions . . .
That 8-hour work day was made possible by the productive talents of American industrialists such as Henry Ford.
Demand your day off in a Marxist slave country. Let me know how that works out for you.
Turley really loves to peddle narratives that omit important facts.
His criticism presents a false dilemma by suggesting that schools must choose between academic proficiency and civic participation, an argument that ignores both the local historical context of May Day and the legal rights of students. Specifically, characterizing May Day as purely radical overlooks its deep roots in Chicago’s own history—marking the 1886 Haymarket Affair that birthed the global labor movement—while labeling participation as “playing hooky” fails to acknowledge that Illinois law explicitly recognizes civic excused absences as a legitimate part of a student’s education. Ultimately, a single day of civic engagement does not cause systemic academic challenges, and framing it as such omits the fact that public schools are intended to develop active, informed citizens through both textbooks and real-world democratic experiences.
CPS and the CTU reached a Memorandum of Understanding to declare May 1 a “Day of Civic Action.” Under this deal, schools remain in session, but participation in off-campus rallies is considered voluntary and protected from retaliation for both staff and students who follow proper procedures.
It is a mistake to act like schools have to pick between good grades and being active in the community. Things like how much money a school has or a student’s life at home matter a lot more for success than one day of activism. Missing one day of school doesn’t cause low test scores, and it doesn’t stop students from learning the other 179 days of the year.
Turley is throwing a hissy fit over a one day event. Come on.
“Turley really loves to peddle narratives that omit important facts.” As do you George, mostly lies.
It escapes George the fact that the blog is Turley’s , not his , it really irks George that he can’t get the attention Turely gets so he comes here to troll him … all day long and then gets only insults. Good going george, you’re credit to imbeciles worldwide.
Imbeciles of the world unite under George!
You seem more annoyed than I. Your constant whining about my posts and why I can post on Turley’s blog seems to be getting under your skin.
You sure spend a lot of time whining instead of joining in on the discussion and add substance.
And what have I lied about on this topic? Please point it out so I can correct it.
Actually, I think as poor as the schools doing every day is important. Also, if that’s true as you say then, there should be no problem with the kids being let out for pro life demonstrations as well.
Pro-life demonstrations are not about a national or international holiday. Students can’t be let out to protest during school hours. They can have a walk-out, but that doesn’t stop schools from disciplining students for doing so.
X: You give a good account of the history behind the May Day celebration, but it is hard to see why the event requires the schools to close and why it is a “protest.” Sure, things were bad for the labor movement years ago, but no so today. Do teachers really need another day off?
It’s not a protest. That’s Turley’s mischaracterization of what the teachers are requesting.
Since the May Day celebration is the actual Labor Day we celebrate in September why shouldn’t they?
The only reason why we celebrate it in September is because Grover Cleveland wanted to separate the holiday from it’s radical roots and turn it into a more festive and patriotic observance and to do so he changed the date and how we call it. It’s still a holiday borne out of a violent past and a socialist idea that we all celebrate in September. We all benefitted from it. But conservatives would be really upset if we still celebrated it on its correct date, May 1st. Some school around the country do so and there are even parades and county fairs celebrating it. It’s not made obvious that it is literally a socialist/communist/marxist idea that came to be accepted here.
Tryingtoclarify to X: All interesting points, but wouldn’t be better to have Congress change the date from September to May rather than have a teacher walk out in May and essentially celebrate the same historic event twice? Oh, and despite your assertion to the contrary, it sure looks like and smells like a “protest.”
Why? It’s a local decision specific to the city and the fact that major event regarding May Day occurred there.
It can be a local “tradition” if you want to frame it that way. The point is no matter how it is parsed it’s still a holiday based on a socialist/marxist/communist movement that provided what we take for granted as the 8hr workday and the weekend.
Even if it “smells” like a protest, so what? It’s one day. Turley makes it out to be a lot more than it really is. A mountain out of a molehill. Taking one day off is not going to add to the problems he cites. He’s using it as an excuse to gripe about it and inflame the socialist/marxist/communist animosity of his readers.
“Since the May Day celebration is the actual Labor Day . . .”
That’s either ignorance or a lie (by obfuscation).
International Workers’ Day (a name you suspiciously refuse to use) was declared a holiday 130 years ago — by Marxists.
Sam, it seems we are both wrong in some way.
The first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union. This was a homegrown American event that predated any international socialist resolutions on the matter.
International Workers’ Day (May 1): This holiday was established in 1889—seven years after the first American Labor Day—by the Second International in Paris. While the Second International included Marxists, the date was specifically chosen to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, where American workers (including anarchists and socialists) were striking for an eight-hour workday.
May 1 (International Workers’ Day): This date became more closely associated with radical political action and international solidarity. U.S. President Grover Cleveland officially made Labor Day a federal holiday in September in 1894 specifically to avoid the “radical” associations of May 1 and the Haymarket Riot which happened in…Chicago.
While the Second International (which established the May 1 holiday) was a federation of socialist and labor parties that included Marxists, the holiday itself was a response to American events. It is an irony of history that a holiday celebrated worldwide as “May Day” or “International Workers’ Day” was inspired by a struggle for the eight-hour day that took place in the United States, yet the U.S. is one of the few countries that does not officially recognize it as such.
Regardless, it’s apparently a very important event in Chicago’s history and it led to the International Workers Day which. Both ‘holidays’ are still based on the ‘socialist’ idea back then of having an 8hr workday which we enjoy today.
Mmmm….learned something new, hopefully you did too.
aww, pretending to be more conciliatory. doesn’t work.
Nope. Just acknowledging a mistake.
Parents throughout Illinois must also protest and refuse to comply with Pritzker’s mandatory mental health “screening” law, which is intended to transform all public schools into recruitment centers drafting kids in grades 3-12 as lifelong psychiatric patients. This law goes into effect as schools open this coming fall. A well-organized effort advising parents how to “opt out” will be critical.
Democrats require obedient little Fascists to carry on their anti-American traditions. Obedience comes from ignorance, and the best way to ensure continuing ignorance is to keep students dumb with subpar public education. The teachers unions and Democrat politicians march in lockstep on this issue. They want obedient Fascist foot soldiers.
Stalin would be proud.
Fools.