" Many suburban legislators representing affluent school districts use terms such as " sinkhole" when opposing funding for Chicago's children. " We can't keep throwing money," said Governor Thompson in 1988, " into a black hole." The Chicago Tribune notes that, when this phrase is used, people hasten to explain that it is not intended as a slur against the race of many of Chicago's children. " But race," says the Tribune, " never is far from the surface... "