Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has little patience for those opposed to the controversial practice of paying inner city children for good grades in school.
“There are a lot of poor kids. Some of them have nothing. Some don’t even have parents.They’re lucky to get Christmas gifts. They’re lucky they get a hug once in a while. They get it at school. They’re lucky they have ever a dollar or any coins in their pocket,” he said.
“You live in a different world. You don’t see children like this. That reward is really exciting for them. They’ve never ever had anyone. They’ve never seen a $10 or $20 bill. What they’re really trying to express to them is, `You’re doing well and, the better off you do commensurate with your education, your salary goes up. If you drop out of school, your salary will never [go up]. It’s just an idea of celebrating their academic performance and hard work.”
Over a quarter million privately raised dollars were distributed to 1,650 Chicago kids last week in the City’s ”Green for Grades” program, prompting Daley’s comments.
Doesn’t Oprah live in Chicago? I’m sure her talk show, that promotes the American consumer attitude is taped in Chicago.
“I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools [in the US] that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there,” Oprah said. “If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.”
If Oprah condemns the inner-city kids in her backyard for wanting nice things they see on her show, why should others want to provide? They could take their cash and build a $40 million school like Oprah in South Africa, and handpick the students too.