Local Politics
A Pay Idea for Teachers
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- Charles J's diary
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One of Reason TV's Best
Excellent video about what happened on the local level in an LA High School. Well done, Drew Carey.
10 minutes well spent.
Obama is a Muslim Fundamentalist and Terrorist meme alive and well in North Central Ohio?
In a letter to a local paper, the Mansfield News Journal, Bud Chamberlain opines on why if one "really wants a good President" one should vote for McCain.
In his monument of ignorance and xenophobia, Mr. Chamerlain feels that "Obama has agenda to rule the world [with his Arab friends]."
Medicaid Battle in Rhode Island
An article in the WaPo looks at a debate going on at the state level in RI over Medicaid spending. Its state budget bursting at the seams, the state legislature is embattled over what to do with Medicaid, which comprises about a quarter of state expenditures.
- John's diary
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Gustav, FEMA, the Lessons from Katrina and Recovery
Some writing on Gustav that inserts another perspective on the ordeal.
A few days ago, Paul Krugman, in typically rabid partisan form had another NYT Op-Ed on Gustav and FEMA.
The standard fare: the wonders of government bureaucracy cannot work without proper leadership (Dems who care) and the GOP simply produced a self-fulfilled prophecy with the Katrina debacle....nothing more. IOW, good and effective government needs people who believe in it and it will work great.
Chicago says "NO!" to Second Wal-Mart.
Actually, I should correct that:
Chicago's GOVERNMENT and its special interests say "NO" to Second Wal-Mart .
Hat Tip to Russ Roberts who facetiously titles his post Always looking out for the little guy.....indeed.
An Argument for the Value and Greater Valuation of Private Institutions
Private protection has a strong and under appreciated place in our society says Sheldon Richman
This is Richman reflecting on a speech by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel:
In making the case for private nonstate protection, he pointed that we already are protected to some extent from government invasion by private organizations. How so?
Health Care News on Clinics and Competition
Hat tip to Kling at EconLog :
Mayor Thomas M. Menino embarked on a highly public campaign yesterday to block CVS Corp. and other retailers from opening medical clinics inside their stores, an effort that exposed a rift between Menino and the state's public health commissioner, a longtime ally.
Sunday Extra EXTRA: A Secession in Bolivia?
From CNN (and little elsewhere in the MSM):
4 of Bolivia's states are attempting to secede from the national government:
Council representatives vowed to legitimize the so-called autonomy statutes through a referendum that would legally separate the natural-gas rich districts from President Evo Morales' government.
A gay gene
The research into causes of homosexuality strongly suggests there is a genetic component involved in orientation. Given that it means that we can and will be able to exert a measure of control on incidence of homosexuality in what is most likely the very near future.
But what does that mean on a human level? What does it mean to determine a set of alleles that contribute to homosexuality and then be able to detect their presence within a zygote?
Take a second to really think about what you would do in each situation:
On the Anniversary of Katrina, Three Myths Continue says Reason and GMU's Mercatus Center.
Reason Magazine has been putting out a series of articles on Kartrina and the media-driven myths that surround the tragedy. The articles are Daniel Rothschild who is working with George Mason Univeristy's Mercatus Center . The Mercatus Center does a variety of a scholarly research and writing including ongoing special research about Katrina.
Myth #1 :
Lack of Federal Money.
Rothschild pulls no punches. He assesses blame on all levels of government for confusion, "inadvertent sabotage" thru clumsy micro-management, waste and grandstanding and the media as well for trying to apply clumsy and "trite narratives" to explain what went wrong. Lack of federal funds is a the biggest myth of all he says. The inclination for the media to measure help with sheer dollars is the primary reason for this.
Conversation with my conservative father
I'm following Ender's lead here, because this isn't really front page material. Still, some of you might find this interesting:
No, this isn't going to be one of those diaries about how my Republican father has suddenly seen the light, nor will it be about how he repeats crazy FOX news talking points while my brother and I laugh and tear them to shreds. Instead, this is just a portrait of one guy who still considers himself a strongly conservative voter, faced with what he knows is a declining Republican party.
We talked for about a half hour, covering the Presidential campaigns and the situation in New Orleans. Here are a few of the more interesting points:
On Mandantory School Busing Here in Boston:
It's a known fact that, for many years prior to busing, the all-white Boston school Committee had violated the racial imbalance laws in the most mean-spirited fashion and deliberately kept de facto segregation in the Boston schools intact.
As a result of many years of deliberately intransigence on the part of the School Committee, the federal courts had to intervene and implement a much tougher measure than would've been implemented ordinarily, which led to increased racial/ethnic polarization, as well as flight from the city and its public schools. Initially, the NAACP in Boston had not wanted a federal courtsuit due to costs and expenses. However, because of the Boston School committee's constant intransigence, they felt that there was no other recourse to be taken.
