January 29, 2010
Go figure!
First the good news--the MPS special legislative session is done, dead, gone. Not missing a chance to inflame passions, Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee, a gubernatorial candidate, had this to say: "It is unfortunate that the School Board raced to hire a Superintendent" before the Legislature was able to act on two proposals. (Memo to the mayor: Hell would have frozen first.) If that doesn't throw kerosene on the fire, try this line from Mayor Barrett: "The School Board decided to embrace the status quo at the expense if Milwaukee's children."
Jim Doyle said about the same thing, but no one I know thought Barrett would march lock-step behind Doyle as the plan went up in flames. But, yes, Tom Barrett said that in a news release. I'm not kidding.
Recall that Doyle threatened MPS and, indeed, all school districts that Wisconsin would lose out on untold millions of dollars from Obama's "Race to the Top" program designed to replace NCLB if we refused to eliminate the elected school board in Milwaukee. (I have to say the ham-handed handling of this threat may have been the strangest move by a Democratic governor in memory.)
To cap it off--it turns out Race to the Top has not been approved, is in trouble, and may itself also be dead. Me thinks Doyle is lucky the Legislature did not act. The New York Times reported, "Experts say it would be a heavy lift to get the job done this year." Sso much discord, so little time, not enough money available, as we fight two unwinable wars. Experts on both sides of the isle doubt that there can be a bill passed this year. If health is difficult, just watch the school funding debate.
All the more reason to ask, What in hell was Doyle thinking? More to the point, What was Barrett doing?
Alito: Was he intentionally insulting the president? He didn't use one of George Carlin's seven words, but his looks conveyed one of them. Pundits say he was insulting the president, but I think it is possible he had not figured out the impact of the awful decision to permit corporations to take over our electoral system until the speech, and he was whispering to himself, "We did that? No, c'mon!" Next words that may have flowed, "Whoa Nelly!"
Yesterday some said Alito lied during confirmation. Really?
Howard Zinn, we already miss you.
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