Volume 2 Issue 65
May 2, 2003
Cashing out the schools
The Dems get ready for a showdown, can Republicans handle money, and something else that stinks in Detroit
So the big news in DC today is that Mayor Anthony Williams has come out in support of the Bush Administration's plan for a school voucher experiment in DC (Article). Now, of course some of the people here have taken this as normal people would. They don't want much for the mayor, except to kill him and drag his body through the streets. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said that the mayor "sold out" home rule in the District, and in general the discussion is what the mayor got for his change in opinion. Most likely, he got some additional money for special education from the feds, so the city could move it off its books. Personally, I think he should have held out for reopening E Street and cutting back on some of the dumb security measures around here.
The school voucher debate is interesting, because if there is any place in the US where it should be tried, it's DC. The public school system spends more money per student than any state does on average, last time I checked it was well over $10,000 a student (PPE for the professionals out there). And of course, the public schools still stink. Actually, some of the ones in nice parts of the city do well (Layette and Mann Elementary, Deal JHS, Wilson HS), and there has been some success with magnet schools (Banneker HS, School Without Walls). But for the most part, public school students are left in horrendous schools while many of the city's elite (including some city council and school board members) send their kids to many of the excellent private or Catholic schools in the area.
In fact, one could make the argument that this is a reason for school choice, since most of the good public schools I just described are in areas that are wealthy, and have a good percentage of students going to private school. Is competition making the public schools in the area better? I don't buy that argument, I rather think it's mostly the parents getting involved in those schools that helps. Wealth has something to do with it, since wealthy parents have more time to get involved since they're not working 2 or 3 jobs to pay the rent.
The newcomer on the DC school scene in recent years has been "charter" schools, which are run with public money, but independent of the system. This is also what voucher critics call "choice without vouchers." The problem is that it's not working. I know there are some big backers of charter schools out there, but the fact is DC has had some bad experiences with charter schools, where anyone really can set one up. They have also not had the effect of improving neighborhood schools, because the schools have limited capacity (so parents can't shift their kids from regular schools), or in some cases they end up performing worse than the standard public schools. The problem in DC is that the bloatedness and bureaucracy has held back the public schools for so long. Reformer after reformer has come to the system, and left because they couldn't stand it. The Washington Teachers Union, which should have spent its time putting pressure on the administration to improve schools, was instead lining union executive's pockets with millions in dues, bankrupting the union, and making it totally ineffective.
If the Bush Administration and Tony Williams truly wanted to attract new families to DC and make real progress towards fixing the schools, they would spend enough money to upgrade the physical plants of the schools, then fire everyone who works for the system, from janitors to administrators, and start over again in a competitive hiring process. This would clean the house of all the bad employees, give the city a chance to stop paying dead people (yes, it still does this) and others who don't work for it anymore, and give the kids a new invigorated system to return to, one that would have the expectation of success instead of the quiet acceptance of failure. Yes, it would be complicated, and probably expensive too. But if we are going to spend billions reconstructing a school system in Iraq, we can't spend the same on the school's of our nation's capitol at home?
Oh, don't forget another major Democratic debate this weekend in South Carolina...this is a make or break appearance for Howard Dean who needs to show he belongs at the big kids' table. Also, Bob Graham better get moving on something or he'll fade quickly too. And perhaps Carol Mosley Braun will explain to us why she is still in the race.
Oh, and today, the President is schedule to visit a United Defense Industries plant in Mountain View, Calif. So yet another day with a military appearance by the President...I'll have to start monitoring to see if a day goes by where the president makes a public appearance that is not related to the military-industrial complex...
Finally, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing today announced they will introduce the new money (yes, again) on May 13. So...any guesses on the color (for those of you not following, the money will no longer be only green)? Onto the insanity...
What is Tom Delay smoking? During the mid 1990's, the Republicans in Congress argued for a balanced budget, even proposing a balanced budget amendment. Now they call for higher deficits, clinging to a debunked economic theory, while proposing tax cuts that would be unconstitutional under the amendment they almost passed. What happened?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082388/
W in the Sky: Ok, so the President yesterday flew a Navy Viking, the first plane he's flown since he left the National Guard 30 years ago. Now what's most ludicrous about this story is that he wanted to fly an F-18, which is a 2-seat fighter similar to what he used to fly. But the Secret Service wouldn't let him because they wanted an agent on board. Um...does anyone really think someone is going to kill the president while he's flying a fighter? And if someone was going to...could the Secret Service guy really stop him? Come on... -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030502-68419785.htm
Did we really win the war? More specifically...did we really win the right war?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082419/
Fidel Watch: Castro denounced the US yesterday at May Day rallies, once again proving that it was his intent to drive a wedge between the US and Cuba, not to make peace. I discussed this afew days back -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A667-2003May1.html
Disaster Averted? India says it will try one more time to make nice with Pakistan -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/international/asia/03INDO-CND.html
It's the Economy, Stupid: Unemployment is up...bad news for George? -
http://money.cnn.com/2003/05/02/news/economy/jobs/index.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/business/02CND-ECON.html
Out of sight, out of mind: So they're cutting the airport screeners again. More proof that Americans have absolutely no attention span whatsoever. Perhaps if they stopped bailing out the airlines every six months, they could afford security -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/05/01/airport.security.ap/ind ex.html
Outbreak: SARS is spreading Taiwan now -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/health/02CND-SARS.html
NJ Nepotism Update: Now 19 state lawmakers have admitted employing family members...but no one has really shown yet why it is wrong (although the one guy who only hired family members may cross that line) -
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/03/05/02/news2-Statenepotism.htm
http://www.politicsnj.com/oink.htm
Stupid Republican Senators Update: This is one meeting Rick Santorum wished he hadn't taken -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/national/02GAYS.html
Look Who's Running for President: USA Today previews the Democratic Debate tomorrow, while highlighting Howard Dean's latest crowd pleasing line. If for nothing else, at least he's giving us those -
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030502/5125039s.htm
Look Who's Running for President 2: Does it disturb anyone that Lyndon LaRouche has raised more money than most of the Democratic Candidates?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-larouche-2004,1,4634950.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dpolitics%2Dheadlines
Look Who's Running for President 3: Why is Carol Mosley Braun still in the race?
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-elect/2003/may/02/050204252.html
John Edwards' Staff takes a crack at humor: From ABC's Notepad today...man I hope they continue this after the debate tomorrow -
"Top Ten Comments Overheard on the USS Lincoln
1) "Condi promised there'd be a place to work out."
2) "Star? Port? Why don't they just say 'right' and 'left' like
everyone else?"
3) " Just dump it overboard. Ain't no environmental treaty gonna
interfere with this man's Navy."
4) "This isn't just any blankie; it's the one I got from Mommy."
5) "This would be a great place for a fundraiser."
6) "Hey sailor, want a tax cut . . . uh, sorry you're not in the right bracket."
7) "Whadda ya mean you've never seen a male cheerleader?"
8) "Reservations, please ... I'd like to book the same room for the whole month of October 2004."
9) "When is nap time?
10) "That's the Bush family motto: First in wars, last in jobs, and last in the American League."
--Jennifer Palmieri of the Edwards campaign"
Look Who's Running for the Senate: Jerry! Jerry! And I really don't understand why the people in the Ohio Democratic party are scared about this...I mean, like Ohio has any other viable Democrats? Plus, I met Springer a few years back, and the man is more impressive than you might think -
http://www.adn.com/24hour/politics/story/874515p-6100101c.html
Look Who's Voting for President: The primary schedule is almost set. The website will feature some sort of calendar soon, we're still figuring out the details and hunting down the data -
http://www.adn.com/24hour/politics/story/874817p-6101582c.html
British Mid-Term Elections: In an example of how foreign policy will not always trump domestic concerns (Are you listening Karl Rove?) Tony Blair's Labor Party was dealt significant losses in local and regional elections yesterday. The Conservatives now control most of the local councils, while Labor held on to slim majorities in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2994029.stm
Election Results in Scotland -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/scottish_pa rliament/html/main_scoreboard.stm
Election Results in Wales -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/welsh_assem bly/html/main_scoreboard.stm
Local Election Results -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/locals/html /main_scoreboard.stm
In a disturbing trend, the far-right British National Party made some gains as well, to the point where they ma be able to capture control of one local council if the trend continues -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-666832,00.html
Visit lovely Washington DC: Come see the cherry trees, the monuments, the potholes... -
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030501-52533450.htm
Ouch: A climber in Utah had to amputate his own arm with a pocketknife after being trapped under a boulder -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Central/05/02/climber.amputation. ap/index.html
Worst of the Worst: The Detroit Tigers are on a pace to lose over 140 games this year -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2609-2003May1.html
No Comment: http://www.inflatablechurch.com/
What? I said "no comment!"
Have a great weekend!
