Chicago Mayor Says 'Common Opposition' In US Is Ultra-Wealthy 'Dictating How Working People Live'

Forbes Breaking News

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D-IL) spoke about the 'common opposition' in the United States.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon Mayor. Good afternoon. Back on Springfield, will that ask for CPS be enough

00:05to address the district's financial issues for next year without needing to go back to maybe

00:11previous borrowing plans or that budget amendment? Well look if you're asking me if there is ever

00:17going to be enough funding for our public education system, my hope and aspiration is built around

00:23the evidence-based funding model that I know the state of Illinois is committed to increasing that

00:28funding year over year. How we get to full funding over time is something that is the responsibility

00:35of all of us. As I said, our budget director and our chief financial officer meet with the

00:42governor's staff on a regular basis to address a whole host of issues. Look in order for us

00:47to be fully realized it's going to take some time to get there and no one is disputing that.

00:52So whatever we ask for, you know, I think there's no secret that whether it's the school

00:58district 299 or other school districts are going to be perpetual ass over time. Look,

01:05here's the most important thing though. There's not a mayor that's fighting hard to ensure that

01:10our public schools are fully funded and supported. You know, I was, here we go, I do this once. I'm

01:17sorry, Aaron. All right, so I'm going to upset my, somehow Alice, you just managed to bring out the

01:23best in me. I was watching an interview between Rahm Emanuel and someone else and I was incredibly

01:35bothered by his temerity. You know, look, there's a long sustained movement in this city that has pushed

01:43back against neoliberalism and the neoliberal agenda that worked to set up austere budgets to ultimately

01:54undermine public accommodations. Like the playbook that Donald Trump is running is a playbook that

01:59Rahm Emanuel executed in this city. And, you know, we didn't get here because we just happened to have

02:07a tyrant in the White House. We got here because someone gave him the script. And the shutting of

02:18schools, the firing of black women, privatizing our public education system is why the system is as

02:23jacked up as it is today. And yes, we have to ask more, but we have to also be clear about how we got

02:30here. The Emanuel administration had immense disdain for public education and particularly black, brown,

02:40and poor children. And he was vocal about it. He told one of my heroes, sheroes, that 25% of children

02:48won't become anything. Those are his words directly to Karen Lewis. And now he is prancing around this

02:55country asking people to reconsider him. It is not just frustrating. It is beyond offensive. Now, again,

03:05to your question, it won't be enough until every single child has everything that they need in this

03:11city. And I'm going to fight with everything in me to ensure that that happens. And then in terms of,

03:16you know, revenue to fund issues like that, I understand what you're saying about it's up to

03:20Springfield to discuss this progressive revenue. But as up to Springfield, I'm just saying they

03:24play a part of it. What is it, 60% of our budgetary options are controlled by Springfield.

03:31So it's incumbent upon all of us to work hand in hand. Look, our enemy is pointing all of their

03:42ammunition directly at progressive leadership like mine. It is. And in Springfield, I'm going to have

03:51conversations with the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, the Governor, all Democrats.

03:57We have one common enemy in this country right now. And maybe enemy is too harsh of a word. We have one

04:04common opposition. And that is the extremism in this country that has demonstrated that public

04:13accommodations and that government in and of itself should only benefit the ultra-rich. The fact that we

04:20have billionaires circling around all that which is meaningful for working people in this country is

04:31problematic. The last thing that this country needs is the ultra-rich controlling and dictating how working

04:41people live and how poor people experience government. That's why we put forth the 1.25 bond investment, the largest

04:51investment in the history of Chicago for housing and economic development. The $830 million to respond to the

04:58infrastructure needs that we have. The green social housing to give us another tool so that we don't have to rely upon the federal

05:04government to build affordable housing. These are all of the efforts that we've put forth. Hiring more young people,

05:10growing our community colleges, investing in our public schools, making sure the behavior and mental health support

05:15services are available, attracting more businesses. A city that is open for business, not for sale for the sake of working

05:23people is what I ran on and is what I'm delivering in this moment. And so, no, it's not incumbent upon just one level of

05:29government. It's requiring all of us to work together. And that is what I'm desperately organizing in this

05:34moment, bringing people together to solve critical issues that working people are counting on us to do.

05:40So, next week when you meet with these state leaders, are there any specific new taxes you might want to

05:44propose, put your weight behind, such as another go at the progressive income tax, the corporate head tax?

05:49You know where I stand on that issue, right? I think we should take on it all. And it's going to require us in this

05:55moment to have a little bit of gall and some political fortitude to show for working people. That's what they

06:00want. That's what they get out of me as mayor. No one in this room questions my values. You all don't

06:05question my values. You certainly don't question my motives. I'm going to repopulate this city with working

06:10people. And whatever it takes to do that, that's what I'm willing, that's what I'm committing myself to.

06:15Alice, we got to keep it going.

06:16Thank you, Alice.

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