Rhonda- I just saw your articles and I am so sorry for the sorrow these two close-to-home acts of violence have placed upon you and your neighbors. When I read the earlier article you wrote when your son was walking down the street and the shots rang out, it left me breathless. I can only imagine your intense fear and dread. As a mother, I cannot fathom what the grief must be like to lose a child - especially to violence. Thank you for writing and informing. These pieces keep the violence real and close to home so that we don't forget or bury our heads in the sand. These violent acts are real and are happening everyday. I didn't see the comment that must have offended you. I can't imagine why someone would give you a thumbs-down or would attack you when you were just keeping it real. Please keep writing. Much love to you....

AYon- absolutely terrific comment. I agree with everything you said. Having spent a lot of time the past few years at a public elementary school, I have seen first-hand how many parents have become comepletely disengaged with the activities of daily living for their children. I see it as a co-dependent type of situation. The legislature has mandated that schools perform certain functions that used to be carried out by parents. This is how the responsibility that was once held by the parents has changed to the schools and now parents completely expect that it's the school's job to ensure their children are taught discipline, fed, receive homework help, etc. It's time for public schools to raise the bar for parents. With the severe cuts to education, many of the roles the school has taken on need to be diminished and the onus needs to be put back on the parents. The problem with this kind of thinking, however, is the "if we don't do it, who will?" question that many in the community ask. Right now, with that attitude, we're basically pulling the rug of responsibility out from under parents and are rescuing them before they need rescuing. I don't think that's the best solution. It's difficult to get some parents to put their children's needs before their own. Some won't do it, but many will. If you expect the parents to give their children breakfast instead of automatically doing it for them, perhaps many will step up to the plate. We've made it too easy for them to not have to worry about it. I believe most parents love their children and will take care of their basic needs if you call on them to do so. I have a sister in law who stays home. Her children go to a title 1 school where everyone at the school gets free and reduced price lunch irregardless if you qualify or not. They have after school homework sessions where the kids do their homework and the school keeps them after school for free. My sister in law, who could easily afford to pay for their meals and could easily prepare them and also could easily help her children do their homework after school - doesn't. Why? Because in her exact words, she says it's "because the school will do it for me and it's free!" I think there are a lot of parents like her out there that think, whew! I don't have to bother with the rigors of having a child in elementary school because that's the school's job to worry about that. Of course there are always the kids whose parents will never step up. I feel those are the students that the schools should focus their limited resources on. The schools can't afford to continue what they're doing. They need to nip this in the bud, because after all, it's the schools that created this whole co-dependency mindset in the first place.

Hi bbbbmer! Yes, I read the article and I couldn't believe what I was reading. I do know that the Post has blindly supported Rhee from the beginning just as the Bee blindly supports Johnson. These papers have an agenda and they're desperately trying to prop these two narcissistic bullys up. Rhee and Johnson are cut from the same cloth. They are both trying to make names for themselves as education reformers at the expense of teachers. Rhee has learned how to game the NCLB system by shifting students, fudging numbers, and flat-out lying and NO ONE has taken her to task on those issues. She has taught KJ how to manipulate the system - it's very evident with how he and his supporters lie about Sac Charter High the same exact way she lies about her 'reforms' in DC. They will lie, steal, and cheat to get ahead and line their own pockets with the 'end justifies the means' attitude. They do all of this bluffing in the name of helping the children when in reality, it's to make themselves look holier than thou on the backs of teachers and students alike.

I agree with you bbbbmer! I love your 'testicular fortitude' line. I have to admit I've used it a couple of times myself :) I do hope that this auditor will be able to be independent from the machine that is made up of the developers and KJ. I truly believe KJ's pals at the firm of Alvarez and Marsal were hand-picked by him to feed him exactly what he and his developer supporters wanted. I am so thankful that they didn't get the no-bid contract to audit select city operations. That would have been a joke if people fell for their "free audit" bs. I think doing what the city is doing now is a better route because the auditor will be accountable to several, not just one, set of eyes.

Ronnie- Thanks for the link, I checked it out. I see a lot of bragging about a lot of nothing. Really. he goes on and on about all of his town hall meetings. Yes, he's had a lot of those, I've been to a few. He jabbers on about his past and the SMI. It was pretty apparent that the town halls were all about him. I've seen him a few times attack people and try to intimidate them when they asked the tough questions (usually women) and then he doesn't answer the question. He says because he's made himself available that he's accountable. VISIBILITY DOES NOT EQUAL ACCOUNTABILITY. I have met with the mayor. He looks at you, doesn't hear what you're saying, and then goes on and on about what HIS vision is. He is not a good listener. That's evident when you meet with him and also if you see him fiddling with his phone while people are addressing him and the council and meetings. Just because he's out in the community doesn't mean he's accountable. He enjoys the attention. I think he feels if he graces us with his presence, we are oh so lucky. He still did the whole SMI in a back room without input from the community. He does a lot of backroom stuff. That's how he works. He PRETENDS to be accountable by being visible. Not the same thing...at all. Education- he's wasted a lot of time on something that has nothing to do with his office. We have a new school board (his cronies are off of it now, that goodness), and a new superintendent who is very proactive and making some serious changes. Kevin is the last person who should be dealing with schools. St. HOPE is all smoke and mirrors and if anyone were to research it (like I have), they would be astounded by the deceit and fraud. Not impressed....not related to the mayor's office. Gang summit, homelessness? He did his usual thing, graced people with his presence and that should make everything better. Both were failures, both were just superficial in the end. What action came from the gang summit? What changed? Homelessness? That was a joke because he went to the media with his solution to have the homeless go to Mather and didn't even bother to check with the mayor of RC or Mather to see if that was feasable. He just wanted to 'appear' he had a solution. That's rather typical. Crime- getting worse. We got federal funds by the skin of our teeth no thanks to him and his debarment from receiving federal funds. I don't think bragging about that is very wise. His ineptidue at running St. HOPE cost the city dearly by causing panic and having to incur the cost of trying to figure out what do do. This mayor has cost the city more money than he's helped get. Mostly by his SMI costs, and his debarment of federal funds costs. Two successes- volunteerism and arts initiative. Great, but these are fluff to me in such difficult times. They are nice, but we have many other pressing issues that he should be spending time on. So these don't impress me much. Have you ever heard of Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Perhaps you should look it up and it will help you know/understand just what type of person your brother is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder So Ronnie, just the usual smoke and mirrors. He's a performer like Arnold. He uses his charisma and his performing skills to fool everyone. Well, almost everyone.