Charlie Rose

tomfskeele  04/26/2012 10:47 PM Report

WHY CAN'T THEY BE LIKE THEM? Why can't the boys (and girls, although it's mostly boys who are behaving as such) running the show in DC be as creative and on the same page as the four U.S. city mayors in this interview with Charlie Rose.

Even if you write off half of what they say as self-promotion, these mayors are still light years ahead of the feds in terms of being honest and real, being concerned about the people, and being creative like America claims we can be when the going gets tough.

Listening in, you can almost envision us pulling ourselves out of this mess.

AQQ  04/18/2012 08:25 AM Report

Charlie asks ZERO tough questions. What about corruption in local politics? What about their mayoral failures? This is little more than a group of politicians sitting around taking turns at self-promotion.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/18/2012 03:02 AM Report

Yes Charlie, I accept the mission of the table:

Be a life long learner.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/18/2012 02:58 AM Report

The family vacation in August was in Chicago and it is a wonderful city. Great place you have there Mayor. Loved the City Pass. Hated all the money spent on parking. Second City is a treasure.

Seemed like you have received a lot of money for Public Works from our Federal Government. At least I saw the signs while walking around town. I wonder how Chicago stacks up per capita in federal public works money received compared to our other mega cities?

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/18/2012 02:52 AM Report

The Mayor of Louisville says, 'Structure, expectation, discipline and love are needed for education.'

Yes Mayor and money. You might remember in the 70's when the city schools went bankrupt and had to merge with the county schools? The reason--most likely the loss of the tax base from white flight.

I spent my Junior and Senior high school years at the same school Muhammad Ali attended. Being bused downtown to the scary crime ridden projects made me see reality and lose my fears. The unknown became known and with it a better understanding of race.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/18/2012 02:44 AM Report

GREAT QUESTION CHARLIE: Why are 25% of urban African-American men are in the judicial process?

Yes Charlie, CITIES are failing here especially when you add in the dropout rate.

This has been a problem for decades and decades.

Perhaps Rahm Emanuel's three high school charters--that are 100% all black male with 100% acceptance to college—will be scaled up.

Perhaps every urban black family will become strong and send good citizens/students to all the other schools.

Perhaps every urban black mother can stay home and raise her children like Ann Romney?

Perhaps not.

finalfantasytown  04/18/2012 12:45 AM Report

If God can turn human into stone, why was only skeleton left, no organs, for study?

finalfantasytown  04/18/2012 12:36 AM Report

Excited! I am always curious on how Medusa turns human into stone. This way is highly possible. First, turn normal cells into cancer cell. When cancer cells spread everywhere in the body inside out. Turn cancer cells into bone cells. How to call this master piece? God-made art? No. Medusa uses her eyes. But it is beautiful!

finalfantasytown  04/17/2012 11:21 PM Report

I like the pearls. Thanks!

winter  04/17/2012 10:27 PM Report

One thing I agree with Rahm about is that parents should not get a pass, that should be obvious. It shouldn't be thought of as an imposition, but the standard set at home is

even more crucial than the one set by teachers. What I find hard to agree with Rahm about is ...canoeing? I'd like to hear figures on some pensions. Even I'd suggest that there is a limit as to how fat a pension can get regardless. Each individual pension should be evaluated based on reasonable criteria, have you ever heard anyone admit that "they" earn too much?

topazgirl  04/17/2012 06:44 PM Report

This conversation, and these mayors, took my breath away! I wanted to stand up and cheer while watching... The public school system is an ABSOLUTE necessity in ensuring a thriving and relevant community, economy, and society. And instilling strong expectations of parents, students, and the school system is key. Growing up in a California public school that was comprised of kids from rural farms, kids whose parents worked at the local Air Force Base, and kids of the local businesses and stores, we were a diverse group. But one thing we had in common was the importance that our families placed on education, and the accountability of parents, teachers, the community, and our local government in attaining that. It never occurred to me, or my friends, that we would not graduate high school... it was an expected given!

Cliches like Hillary Clinton's "it takes a village", or Nike's "Just do it!" seem appropriate here... If we neglect public education, and these kids, we do so at our own peril as a Nation...

SharkswithfrikingLazers  04/17/2012 04:49 PM Report

Charlie, NPR did a great show on Colorado Springs and their economic problems due to lower sales tax revenues. The question--what kind of payroll cost do you want for government--or the flip-side--what kind of profit margin do you want if you take it private?

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/459/what-kind-of-country

Grover Norquist--famous for the pledge of no new taxes ever--has an entire act.

Act Three (27 Minutes) is about Colorado Springs and privatization versus government services. Trust the local government? Increase taxes when sales tax revenues are down or write a check yourself for that street light in your yard you want to work again?

After the recession hit, Colorado Springs was in rough shape. City services were being cut left and right--no street lights, no water in the parks. Then one man (Steve Bartolin CEO of the Broadmore Hotel) wrote a manifesto—a blueprint for how the city could solve its problems.

The City and the Broadmore have about the same number of employees. The City of Colorado Springs spent 70% of their budget on labor cost and the Broadmore hotel spent about 35% of their budget on labor. However, the Broadmore makes a profit and the city does not--so profit or high employee pay?

Colorado Springs' experiment in not trusting government is still full steam ahead. So do the employees get the money in their lofty paychecks or do you cut their pay after privatization and give the profit to the company that has taken over the service?

On November 16, 2009, an email by Stephen Bartolin (President and CEO of the Broadmoor Hotel) was sent to Mayor Lionel Rivera and City Council, complaining about budget cuts and water rate increases impacting his particular business. He felt these were unfair and unnecessary, and that Council should make cuts in what he called the “Ferrari” package of City employee pay and benefits. He suggested that City employees should receive pay and benefits more in line with those of his hotel’s employees.

In his letter, Mr. Bartolin provided the following “constructive comments” or suggestions about City budget problems:

1. Reduce all City staffing from 1805 to 1550 employees

2. Reduce payroll cost from 70% to 30%

3. Reduce the average per employee cost from $89,196 to $24,460 (including benefits)

4. Reduce the number of salaried employees making more than $100,000 from 67 to the neighborhood of 13

5. Drive City vehicles at least 200,000 miles and then look at buying used vehicles

6. Move (minimum) retirement age to 60 – no matter how many years of service – both for collection of pension benefits and for medical insurance

7. Restructure the health insurance program to one comparable to what is being offered in the private sector and examine the costs shared by the employee

8. Move any retirees reaching age 65 to Medicare and off the City plan

Richard_DeBiase  04/17/2012 12:07 PM Report

Dear Mayors,

Nearly half of all teenagers have used marijuana by the time they graduate high school. If you want teenagers to take you seriously, then you need to stop lying about marijuana.

Your incessant blaming "drugs" for every problem, only results in teenagers believing that the cops and the teachers and the preachers are liars. If you ever try marijuana yourself, you will be shocked that it is illegal.

The Mayor of Baltimore said the status quo is not an option. So try teaching the truth, that marijuana does not prevent people from being successful.

Sincerely,

REMant  04/17/2012 12:00 PM Report

Gimme a break. City government tasks are the same as for rural ones, or national ones, mainly the provision of public services not generally provided by private enterprise, such as police and fire, roads and transport, etc. But all government flirts with mercantilism, if no other reason than it has vested interests in maintaining its economic position, and that goes a long ways back in time. Cities have an historical claim to sovereignty equal to any state sovereign, and perhaps a greater one considering that they are closer to the ppl. Hence, govt at all levels has to negotiate federative issues. But I think city govt's increasing direct involvement in schooling is an unfortunate consequence of urban disintegration and the flight to the suburbs, a step backwards to the teeming slums of a century ago. And I would like to point out that selective schools can always do better than school systems as a whole. I also think that diversity isn't a desideratum when it comes to education, and that it clearly conflicts with its mission.