Violence against kids

The Mayor yesterday on violence against kids and lengthening the school day,

"Between 2, 2:30 and 5 [p.m.], more children are injured or killed in America than any other time. Do we have to have another child killed, another child injured and another headline? Getting out of school at 2:00 or 2:30 is ridiculous. [It makes you] think whether or not the system is working for children or whether the system is working for employees."

As the movers and shakers in the audience gasped, Daley noted that students in Chicago Public Schools spend 40 fewer days in the classroom than kids in New York City and only 30 hours a week in school.

Arne Duncan choked up last week saying if 20 school kids had been murdered during the school year in Hinsdale, reactions would be different. There would be outrage.

He was right and the difference starts with elected leaders. So give the mayor some credit for making the movers and shakers gasp over what's the only issue worth talking about at the moment. Jobs, health care, education all secondary if we can't protect our kids.

Nothing else can be fixed if we can't fix that. I just wish the Mayor would talk about this a lot more.