redemption song

Hi guys. I know it's been a while. I'm going to make an effort to start writing in here more often. For those of you not aware, I got hired at the school where I was doing my student teaching, and am now teaching English full-time.
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sometimes i am so, so glad that i work at an alternative school that was created upon foundations of social justice.
today during large group, a group of kids got up to do a presentation about a trip they are taking next week to go to springfield and lobby state senators to decrease frivolous spending, and increase monies going into schools. i don't know if you non-illinois people have been paying attention, but illinois is pretty much fucked in terms of budgetary concerns. we're broke. it makes no sense to me, because we have the highest sales tax in the nation here in chicago, but we're broke. this means that transit sucks, programs are getting cut, and teachers are getting fired. schools are closing, and kids are being crowded into already overcrowded classrooms. (i'm talking 40 kids in a class. 40 kids, 1 teacher. do you really think any learning is going on there?)
anyway, i read this article in the paper this morning. and it just pisses me off so much. like, #1: we're broke, and we can't afford to keep our schools open, so let's close the schools and put on them out on the streets, and THEN, let's sic military forces on them?
#2: we, as a nation, have money to spend on putting our citizens on military lockdown, but we don't have enough money to educate our children?
#3: is ANYBODY in springfield aware that next tuesday, may 4, marks the 40th anniversary of the kent state massacre?
from the news today:
Lawmakers seek National Guard to help with Chicago ViolenceApril 26th, 2010
Digital News Report – Illinois State Representatives, John Fritchy (D-Chicago) and LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) are asking Governor Pat Quinn to implement with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and the Chicago Police, the Illinois National Guard troops to patrol the streets of Chicago.
They are asking that the National Guard be sent is ASAP to get guns and criminals off of the streets. The National Guard troops haven’t been used, to their knowledge, for general times of violence. Previously, other states have used the National Guard during riots or specific protests or events.
Fritchey explained in a press release, that 113 people have been killed in Chicago so far this year. This is the same number of US troops killed in Iraq and Afganistan wars combined, over the same time period.
They point to the problem related to gang activity and that 80 percent of the homicide victims are black.