Mayor Bloomberg has finally let parents know what they can do about his policies regarding the education of their children--they can back off and butt out. There's a big debate over mayoral control going on right now, and Mayor Mike wants parents to shut the hell up, leave him alone, and let him do whatever the hell he wants. That's fairly evident in the current setup, with an educational board in which he controls the majority and fires anyone who doesn't agree with him.
Parents. of course, are free to criticize the schools and teachers. That's fine. But criticizing the mayor's policies, which are perfect in every way, will not be tolerated. Teachers are accountable. Schools are accountable. But Michael Bloomberg, the richest man in New York City, can overturn the twice-affirmed will of city voters, and if they don't like it, they cannot even lump it.
Personally, I've always felt that was more or less Mayor Mike's attitude toward parents. I've long known it was his attitude toward teachers. But as a frequent critic, I have to give the mayor credit for letting parents know where they stand. Their opinions are unwelcome, their advice is unheeded, and the fact that a majority of them are unhappy with the current system is of no consequence whatsoever.
In Mayor Bloomberg's New York, if you have enough money, and enough PR, democracy simply does not apply.
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