The mayor of Philadelphia is ranting about “the poor children” on X amid resident backlash against new taxes to fund Philadelphia schools.
Soda tax was for the children, cigarette tax was for the children, city wage tax was for the children, Uber tax IS FOR THE CHILDREN. Common theme here.
40% of Philadelphia Public High School grads are illiterate, up from 26% in 2010 (0.6% of Philadelphia Catholic High School graduates are illiterate).
Since the implementation of the Soda tax and cigarette tax, the revenue—which was explicitly stated to be used for public schools—has coincided with 40% of Philadelphia Public High School grads being illiterate, up from 26% in 2010 (0.6% of Philadelphia Catholic High School graduates are illiterate *2010-2025*).
So ironically, the more funding the school system received, the more illiterate the students got. Total grift.