Origins of black patronage at Chicago Public Schools HQ; when new clout replaces old clout; and what causes the electorate to rise up. Length 8.2 minutes.

The first step for true reform of the city's budget process; the bait-and-switch game of raiding TIF reserves; and why TIF works well as a subject for an Occupy Chicago speech. Length 6.5 minutes.

What Mayor Emanuel's decision to send his kids to a private school says; recognizing students' developmental disparities as "making excuses" for public schools; and what makes a great Chicago public school. Length 10.2 minutes.

Why Mayor Emanuel's tax-increment financing reform doesn't constitute reform; Congressman Quigley's disappointing support of Emanuel's reform; and why former Mayor Daley had a more democratic approach to public input. Length 8.9 minutes.

A review of government subsidies to Chicago's major-league sports teams; the contradiction inherent in removing, then replacing, property-tax revenues for public schools; and how the proposed longer school day results in a teacher pay cut. Length 6.3 minutes.

Whether Chicago Public Schools' do-not-hire practices have changed under Supt. Brizard; how to change CPS's illogical policies; and how do-not-hire resembles tax-increment financing. Length 5.1 minutes.

Removing services for the poor as a gentrifying force; why TIF district creators exclude gentrifying areas; and getting beyond the fiction that TIF doesn't divert revenues from Chicagoland's taxing bodies. Length 10 minutes.

Whether teachers' 75 percent minimum membership requirement for a strike vote hobbles their union; holding students accountable for their poor performance; and teacher accountability as a bandage on society's economic disparities. Length 8.5 minutes.

Whether voters want a strong mayor--for other people; summer as a voter aphrodisiac; and the mayor as an expert in spectacle. Length 6.7 minutes.

The double standard that marijuana laws reinforce; making the police superintendent sound smart; and the clever composition ability of police officers. Length 5.5 minutes.