Another One Bites the Dust

This time, it's the house that just signed DZ to a two-book contract.

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Too Little, Too Lame

And now Krugman says the Obama strategy backfired and the stimulus plan won't work.

Mr. Obama’s postpartisan yearnings may also explain why he didn’t do something crucially important: speak forcefully about how government spending can help support the economy. Instead, he let conservatives define the debate, waiting until late last week before finally saying what needed to be said — that increasing spending is the whole point of the plan.

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Keeping Score

CNN has a nice list of what got cut from the Senate version of the stimulus plan. C believes it's a philosophical thing--the GOP won't fund programs they don't support ideologically, no matter what the consequences might be. Thus the cuts to Head Start and the National Science Foundation, not to mention hybrid vehicles for the feds. My favorite: the cut of $100 million for "science."

School boards who are counting on federal dollars to get us over this hump should note the cuts to Title I, school nutrition, and school construction. Perhaps more important is the $40 billion reduction to states and localities. Ouch.

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To Caucus or Not to Caucus

Marty Luster and Barbara Mink signed today's letter to the editor regarding the usefulness of caucusing.

As someone who serves on a deliberative body for which caucusing is forbidden, I have to say, I don't get it. We air our ignorance in public biweekly. If people don't want to listen to us, they don't. Often, through these lengthy and heated discussions, we change each other's minds. In public!

The only difference I can see is that we're not partisan. Each of us is elected to serve the entire district. That certainly doesn't mean we don't represent particular points of view, but we don't feel compelled (and legally are not allowed) to present a united front prior to the public discussion that leads to a vote. Despite this, by the end of our discussion, we fairly often are unanimous.

Maybe for a very large body, this doesn't make sense. Nevertheless, it is the only way I can see to be truly representative of the people. I am very careful to alert our troops when I fear we're veering out of executive session topics during executive session, because I'm passionate about the public's right to know. I don't think explaining a vote after the fact (and how often does that really happen?) can ever take the place of making one's very thought process transparent through public airing of differences.

In this I disagree with many of my friends in the Party. Too bad.

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Gigapan Inauguration

This is making the rounds, and it's worth a view. You can zoom in to see the smallest details. Give it a few seconds to resolve each time. Truly amazing technology.

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For Sale: One Lincoln Victory Speech

And in this lot, we have the 1864 Lincoln Victory Speech, being sold by our own Southworth Library, which received it from a Congressman's widow by way of Lincoln's son. No suggested opening bid, but it's expected to draw between $3 and $4 million. Why not make your own offer today!? On sale 2/12.

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Postgame Nausea

As if my stomach weren't already roiling after the Super Bowl feast we ingested last night, now comes this news from Boston via Simon, announcing the imminent demise of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt due to crushing debt.

DZ started her publishing career with a division of HM, and I finished my in-house career with five years at Harcourt before they moved to FL. Both of us have worked from time to time since on projects for one or the other. Their departure will leave a gaping hole in school publishing. I'd heard things were bad, but I didn't know how bad, or why.

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