Given the circumstances, I’d expect [tag]private schools[/tag] to produce higher test scores than [tag]public schools[/tag]. I’m an ardent advocate of public education, but private schools have built-in advantages: they can accept and exclude students for any reason at all; use entrance exams; expel students on a whim; cap class sizes, and even mandate parental involvement. […]
First up from the God machine relates a bit to an item from yesterday about the right’s sudden obsession with “In God We Trust,” this time, in Ohio public schools. Despite constitutional concerns, Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill [this week] requiring all public and community schools to display any donated copies of the national […]
Guest Post by Morbo I shudder to think of the number of Americans sitting in prisons because of low-level drug offenses. Kids are locked up next to armed robbers, murderers and rapists because they bought and sold some dope. Mandatory sentences are draconian, and our prisons swell thanks to the right-wing obsession of fighting an […]
Guest Post by Morbo Have you ever wondered why Dr. [tag]James Dobson[/tag] of [tag]Focus on the Family[/tag] is such a nutcase? Why is he so obsessed with the sex lives of people he doesn’t even know? Why does he hate gay people so much? Why does he claim to love Jesus so much, and then […]
One of the more routine [tag]Republican[/tag] talking points argues that Bush deserves more credit for the “growing” economy. It’s not fair, they say, that [tag]GDP[/tag] is up and the [tag]unemployment[/tag] is relatively low, but Americans continue to say they strongly disapprove of the president’s handling of the [tag]economy[/tag]. As a public service to Bush sycophants […]
This is a fascinating story, not only because of the resignations, but also because the resignations tell us a great deal about how the [tag]Bush[/tag] gang operates. Nearly all the religious leaders serving on a committee created by the Bush-Clinton [tag]Katrina Fund[/tag] to disburse money to [tag]churches[/tag] destroyed by [tag]Hurricane Katrina[/tag] have [tag]quit[/tag] their posts, […]
I’ve heard a lot of odd stories about Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) and her misguided Senate campaign, but this is a new one. Katherine Harris’ floundering U.S. Senate campaign lost its high-level staff again this week and is groping for a message — which doesn’t surprise Republican insiders who trace the seeds of her trouble […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * It probably won’t matter too much, but [tag]Jonathan Tasini[/tag], the former president of the National Writers Union, filed the necessary petition signatures yesterday to challenge Sen. [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] in a Dem primary. […]
The Hill had a front-page item this week reporting that House Republicans are growing “more optimistic” about 2006. The GOP is willing to concede that the party had a tough time a few months ago, but their “newfound optimism is grounded in what Republicans say is a shift in the political winds.” As far as […]
Yesterday, the announcement that Valerie and Joseph Wilson are filing a civil suit against top White House officials involved in the Plame scandal sparked speculation about the interesting insights to be gained through the [tag]discovery[/tag] process. But as long as we’re talking about deposing [tag]Republicans[/tag] in a civil suit, let’s not forget the [tag]New Hampshire[/tag] […]