No well-connected child left behind

The Chicago Tribune has a sad story about the way political influence reaches into the smallest corners of our lives:

"While many Chicago parents took formal routes to land their children in the best schools, the well-connected also sought help through a shadowy appeals system created in recent years under former schools chief Arne Duncan.

"Whispers have long swirled that some children get spots in the city's premier schools based on whom their parents know. But a list maintained over several years in Duncan's office and obtained by the Tribune lends further evidence to those charges. Duncan is now secretary of education under President Barack Obama."

In the not very distant future, we can expect similar stories about the political mafia and their privileged access to the best doctors and hospitals. Blue skies! -- Dan Ford