Buck Naked Politics

Ill Fares the Land

posted by Bill: In his NY Review of Books piece on Ill Fares the Land , Tony Judt writes:

In the US, the UK, and a handful of other countries, financial transactions have largely displaced the production of goods or services as the source of private fortunes, distorting the value we place upon different kinds of economic activity. The wealthy, like the poor, have always been with us. But relative to everyone else, they are today wealthier and more conspicuous than at any time in living memory. Private privilege is easy to understand and describe. It is rather harder to convey the depths of public squalor into which we have fallen.

Citizens Groups Sue Florida Legislature over Education System

by Deb Cupples |   My home state of Florida is the fourth largest state in the U.S. -- and it's a fairly wealthy state.  Yet, our K-12 school system is among the worst in the nation in some pretty important respects.  

According to the Miami Herald, Florida is 39th (or 47th) in the nation in terms of school funding, and Florida schools got an "F" from Education Week Magazine in terms of our students' college readiness.  In 2008, Florida ranked 29th in teacher pay. 

A Johns Hopkins think tank found that Florida was among a few states whose low high-school graduation rates render Florida in a "crisis category."  According to one report, Florida has among the highest high-school-drop-out rates in the nation (1 in 4).  It gets worse: less than 44% of our state's tenth graders are reading at grade level.

None of this is very good, considering that Florida is (again) one of the largest and wealthiest states in the U.S.

All that said, non-partisan citizens' groups have united to sue Florida's legislature over the poor quality of our education system -- an understandable move, given that our state constitution includes mandates regarding a high-quality, public-education system.  The Gainesville Sun's Ron Cunningham reports:

House Passes Student Financial Aid Bill to Cut Taxpayer Subsidies to Private Lenders

by Deb Cupples |  Thursday, the U.S. House passed the "Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009" by 253-171 votes (see roll call).   The bill ends taxpayer subsidies to private lenders in the student-loan business -- which would save us taxpayers an estimated $80+ billion.

Given that our financially shaky nation could use every $80+ billion it can get its hands on, you'd think that ALL Washington politicians would favor ending wasteful subsidies (i.e., welfare) to private lenders -- especially Republican politicians who call themselves fiscal "conservatives."

But noooo: the vote nearly split along party lines, with most House Republicans opposing it. According to the Independent Mail --

"Republicans warned that instead of saving the government money, as Democrats promise, the bill could wind up costing the government more money."

The Ohio 15th District  blog commented:

"The Republicans just can't understand why young people are turning and running away from the Republican Party."

It's downright bizarre that so many Republican politicians claim to be business oriented while failing to grasp a simple, business principle: cutting out a middleman saves money.  Put another way,

Laura Bush Defends Obama's Speech to Schoolkids

by teh nutroots|  I agree with Laura Bush.  People can keep their kids at home if they don't want to have the President of the United States suggest that they take advantage of the 100% free, taxpayer-funded education being provided to them by the government.  From CNN, via HuffPost:

Walter Cronkite

by Bill Kavanagh: The death of Walter Cronkite at 92 leaves Americans contemplating the changes in our media since his heyday as the preeminent television news anchor.  It is hard to imagine that we once looked to a network news broadcast as a digest of the nation’s daily experience, that one voice was ever regarded as, “the way it is.”  We have so many ways to get our news now, but none are so central to the American experience as the CBS Evening News was in Cronkite’s day.

Supremes Don't Care if School Officials Strip Search Your Daughter To Look for Advil

"Nymph Surprised" (detail) by Edouard Manet, via Olga's Gallery

by Damozel | Chief Justice Roberts said it is probably reasonable for a school official to demand that your kid shake out her bra, which is what happened to 13 year old Savanna Redding, strip-searched by [female] school officials in Arizona on suspicion of packing prescription ibuprofen ("a prescription pill with the mind-altering force of a pair of Advil").  But CJ Roberts did suggest that a line might have been crossed.  According to The New York Times,  "Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suggested that the law might treat different undergarments differently. “The issue here covers the brassiere as well,” he said, “which doesn’t seem as outlandish as the underpants.”  (NYT)

None of the lawyers had a particularly easy time of it. Matthew W. Wright, representing the school district, said that intimate searches should be allowed even for the most common over-the-counter drugs.

“At some point it gets silly,” Justice David H. Souter said. “Having an aspirin tablet does not present a health and safety risk.” (NYT)

Scalia said, with his usual logic (resembling, as ever, the peace of God) --:

Maddow on the Conservative Movement to "Teabag Obama"; Meanwhile, Sullivan Accuses the "Tea Tantrum Movement" of Petulance; & Organizers Get Free T-Shirts

by Damozel | How many times can Maddow say "teabagging" in a single sentence?  Teabagging, teabagging!  Maddow can barely control her tendency to grin, then gives up trying.  Meanwhile, guest Ana Marie Cox thinks David Vitter is totally the right spokesman for the movement.

Jason Linkins:

There is only one thing in all the world worth noting about the people behind these things, and it is this: everyone involved is apparently unaware of what the term "teabagging" means. As you will see, this is not the case with Maddow and [Ana Marie] Cox.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Reactions to the Obama Administration's Proposal to Overhaul the Student Loan Industry

by Damozel | This is via RDan of Angry Bear, who observes:  "This particular program is lucrative for Congressional local districts, state based government, and guarantors alike."  In other words, the fight is going to be uphill every step of the way, even on Obama's own team (and especially among the Blue Dogs).

Higher Education Watch comments:

President Obama sent shockwaves through the student loan industry last week when he called on Congress to dismantle the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program next year and use the savings to turn the Pell Grant program into a true entitlement for low-income students by financing it entirely through mandatory funding. The announcement sent the stock prices of the nation's largest student loan providers into a nosedive.

Don't Back Down on Jobs, President Obama

by Bill Kavanagh:  Paul Krugman expresses my concerns about the size and focus of the stimulus package.  It looks like 40% of the plan that’s going to fund tax cuts will be wasted expenditure, like the Bush stimulus cuts last year. People, justifiably, will pocket any tax cut money that comes their way, rather than stimulating the economy by spending it.  The country is scared.  Direct disbursements, to the extent they are necessary, need to focus on those who are falling through the cracks, not on a wide but economically useless tax cut.

States vs. Feds: Stimulus Meets Local and State Budget Cuts

by Bill Kavanagh:  Paul Krugman writes this morning on a subject I’ve been thinking about for the last month or so; what happens to a stimulus package when the states keep cutting their budgets? 

 …even as Washington tries to rescue the economy, the nation will be reeling from the actions of 50 Herbert Hoovers — state governors who are slashing spending in a time of recession, often at the expense both of their most vulnerable constituents and of the nation’s economic future.

Is Duncan a Bush-Like Choice for Education Secretary?

by Deb Cupples |   A couple days ago, I wrote a post that merely mentioned President-elect Barack Obama's nomination of Chicago Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan as Education Secretary.  Knowing nothing about Mr. Duncan, I couldn't offer commentary. 

Yesterday, the folks at Truthout -- who do seem to understand some details about Mr. Duncan's background and performance -- commented on Obama's nomination of Duncan.  Below are a few key paragraphs:

Jeb Bush Thinking of Senate Run: Hasn't the Bush Family Done Enough to us Taxpayers?

by Deb Cupples |   Marc Ambinder reports that advisers close to ex-Florida Governor Jeb Bush say that Mr. Bush is considering running for Mel Martinez's U.S. Senate seat.

(Big sigh)  Didn't Jeb do enough to Florida during his eight years in Tallahassee?  Hasn't his brother done enough to our nation during his years in the white House?  Why won't the Bush family simply call it a day, retreat into private life, and enjoy the gratitude of the corporate folks that Bush politicians have so heartily enriched?

An adviser of Jeb said that Jeb is interested in pursuing causes like education and health care.

Education?  Really? Give me a second to stop guffawing and catch my breath. I have the flu, so the laughter is also causing painful coughing fits.

Obama Wants to Restore Florida's and Michigan's Votes, NY Times Fails to Grasp the Situation Again

by Deb Cupples |   I don't know whether some journalists lack analytical skills, embrace laziness, or just plain intend to mislead their readers.  At yesterday's New York Times blog (The Caucus), Katherine Q. Seelye wrote the following:

The Flip-Flopping Label Has Jumped the Shark

by Damozel | You know who never changes his position, no matter how wrong the facts prove him to be? George W. Bush. He just keeps throwing out new reasons why he’s right, hoping one will stick.

A Different Angle on Obama's Campaign Finance Numbers

by Deb Cupples |  Campaign-finance junkies tend to believe that dollars from big donors reflect favors that candidates will owe to those donors -- especially money given by corporate employees or bundled by lobbyists. 

Such perceptions might be why Barack Obama's campaign staff has done numerical gymnastics trying to create the impression that Obama's campaign is mostly funded by truly small donors (those who gave a total of $200 or less). You can read about the gymnastics here.

While Obama's staffers have been diligent about comparing percentages, they don't seem too keen on comparing the actual dollar amounts that Obama and McCain have received from "big" donors.

No worries: I have the data and am happy to lay out the comparisons for them.

GOP Candidates for House to Have a Run for Their Money in Florida?

by Damozel | Yesterday I noted hopeful signs that the Dems will really take the Senate so that we will have a de facto rather than a merely de jure 'Democratic Congress.'  Two GOP incumbents in Miami are holding on by a thread, McClatchy reports.  This has been what my British husband calls 'a safe seat' for these two for years.  At TPM Election Central, Eric Kleefeld says:  'Both brothers have had pretty easy rides to re-election during their time in Congress, but this year might just be different.'

The polling from Bendixen and Associates, a Florida-based firm that specializes in surveying areas with large percentages of Spanish-speakers, finds Lincoln ahead of Democratic candidate Raul Martinez by a 41%-37% margin, within the ±5% margin of error. Mario leads Dem candidate Joe Garcia by 44%-39%, also with a ±5% margin of error. (TPM Election Central)

Hillary Nails it on Education after Speech about Dr. King

by D. Cupples |  I was impressed, not only by Sen. Hillary Clinton's demonstrably solid grasp of our nation's education situation (read, "crisis"), but also by CNN's having stuck with substantive issues when interviewing Hillary.  It's refreshing, given how certain other mainstream media are covering the Democratic primaries. 

Good job, CNN!   And thanks to No Quarter for pointing out the video clip below.  The interview took place after Hillary spoke in Memphis about the fortieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.