Yellow Journalism Rewrite - Simpler Words:
CHICAGO IN TROUBLE: A Close Look at the City's Downward Spiral!
CHICAGO — Get ready, everyone! The Democrats are coming to a city that has fallen into DARKNESS, much worse than the famous Great Fire of 1871! While that fire only caused some flickering flames that couldn't stop Chicago's growth, the problems in the city today are filled with corruption and control from unions! Pay attention—Chicago is a warning sign, shouting out about disaster!
Brandon Johnson, the mayor who gained power with help from the 28,000-member Chicago Teachers Union, has come into office with a lot of questionable politics! Just like the strongman Richard J. Daley ruled from 1955 to 1976, the CTU is showing its power in a shocking and VERY concerning way! Their leaders—who openly admire Venezuela and support Hamas—seem to fit right in with a world full of chaos and confusion! And here's the kicker: the main leader, Stacy Davis Gates, hypocritically sends her son to a private school while almost a third of Chicago's public school teachers have done the same—what a double standard!
Even with an eye-popping $24,000 spent on each student for education—without counting a huge amount of debt—students are failing! Since 2012, math skills have plummeted by an unbelievable 78%, and those poor 11th graders are barely passing—this disaster in reading and math is simply UNFORGIVABLE! For Black students? Only 8% are doing math at grade level! Is anyone paying attention?
Here’s more! A high school meant for 900 students has shrunk down to just 35, while eight new union staff members have been hired! During the school closures of the pandemic, the union BLOCKED the closure of over 160 almost-empty schools! At the same time, they are getting rid of selective enrollment high schools for ridiculous reasons of so-called “equity.” It's outrageous since half of those schools help disadvantaged families.
Absenteeism adds to this sad picture—the rate is a shocking 40%, jumping to 46% among Black students, while an astonishing 43% of CTU teachers are also skipping school! Meanwhile, the union’s crazy demands for a new contract have leaked, suggesting odd perks like police-free schools and funding for a “gender-support coordinator” in every classroom! Gates stood proudly at one failing school while students there couldn’t even read or do math!
Chicago's population is shrinking faster than anyone can imagine—over a quarter of residents have left since 1950, and 2023 is the year the city has the lowest population since 1920! While Cook County lost a shocking 58,000 people in just one year—it’s a NIGHTMARE, plain and simple!
The city's poverty rate is a scary 36.5% higher than the national average! Black unemployment is the highest among big U.S. cities, and taxes are pressuring families, with property taxes doubling in the last decade. Downtown is DARK and EMPTY, with nearly 26% of offices vacant, leading to a coming disaster—crime is rising as restaurants and shops close for good!
And crime? Get ready—Chicago is the true crime capital of America! Violent crimes are increasing, with school violence up a shocking 26%! The murder rate here is FIVE TIMES higher than in New York City, yet arrests are at a 24-year low! There’s chaos on the streets, with just the Fourth of July weekend alone showing 109 gunshot victims and a heart-stopping 19 deaths!
As the terrible facts come to light, Chicago’s once-bright future is now darkened by a series of terrible choices leading to disappointment, deterioration, and outright hopelessness! Elected officials who are supposed to help the people are only making things worse for those they claim to protect, creating a perfect STORM of despair that keeps Chicago trapped in a heavy grip!