“Equal treatment under the law” is a fundamental feature of our political culture. But on the subject of educational opportunity, some children have more equality than others-and unfair laws bear much of the responsibility. That fact is being played out in our nation’s capital in a story that provides a good lesson for Kansas.
In 2004, Congress enacted the DC Scholarship Opportunity Program, which gives families in the District of Columbia $7,500 to use for tuition and fees at participating private schools. That’s a boon for poor families seeking a better life for their children. DC Public Schools are abysmal, with fewer than 15 percent of students testing at grade level and only 58 percent graduating from high school. (more…)
They don’t have a fieldhouse that seats 17,000. They don’t have a stadium with halftime shows and hot dog vendors. All the HorrorZontals need is an open field and a frisbee, and they’ll show you what they’ve got.
The HorrorZontals, KU’s ultimate frisbee team, were established in 1979 by, as you may have expected, a bunch of fun-loving hippies. But don’t get today’s team confused with the Zontals of the past.
“We don’t follow that stereotype,” Axl Brammer, Overland Park sophomore, said. “We spend a lot of time in the gym.”
Today, the team is all business as they prepare for the 2009 Ultimate Players Association College Championships in Columbus, Ohio. From May 22 to 25, the tournament will host a field of 20 teams, including Tufts, Georgia and arch-rival Texas.
Missouri Republicans on Friday continued their full-court press for an investigation into allegations that an aide to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon tried to “buy” votes for a Medicaid bill.
In addition to seeking an investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City, the party asked the Cole County prosecutor’s office and the Missouri Ethics Commission to launch inquiries. The party also asked the state attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the matter.
“An investigation must be undertaken to determine if Jay Nixon broke the law by attempting to bribe public officials with offers of jobs in return for their support on specific legislation,” said Lloyd Smith, executive director of the Missouri GOP.
According to data released today from the Federal Highway Administration, travel on all roads and streets in the United States fell by -0.9% in February 2009 compared to February 2008. This marks the 16th consecutive month of traffic volume decline (starting in Nov. 2007) compared to the same month in the previous year. The moving 12-month total for traffic volume has fallen for 15 consecutive months, going back to December 2007 (see chart above).
In a fit of hypocrisy sure to outrage, just as Attorney General Eric Holder makes ready to attend a ceremony to honor fallen police officers, the Obama administration is proposing to cut almost in half a program that provides benefits to the future families left behind.
So much for the more loving, more caring president “we’ve been waiting for.” So, wouldn’t you think the Old Media would be braying at the hypocrisy here? Wouldn’t you rather think that the Old Media would be up in arms about this one? Isn’t this typically the type of story that would get them motivated to get their high dudgeon on? Guess not because it is nearly invisible in the media today.
Of the very few reporting on this, the Associated Press reported on May 7 that the president’s proposed budget calls for cuts in the Public Safety Officer’s Death Benefits Program. Obama wants to cut $50 million from the program, the budget to fall from $110 million to $60 million.
For those of you who have watched the various television and movie versions of Star Trek, and have been wondering when are we going to see a real Star Trek Captain, finally we have one.
James Tiberius Kirk is back.
For those who like to give the middle finger to the world of the politically correct, buy two tickets, and settle in for a great show.
Parents who want to teach their children examples of leadership and courage - and sacrifice, take the whole family.
James Tiberius Kirk has always been a leadership role model, a character of great courage and vision and purpose.
There are far too few examples in today’s world of you-can’t-shake-hands-at-graduation because you might get a mild flu.
To those looking for an antedote to the wimpy, lets live in a risk free world, hang-wringing whiners - this movie is it.
It will be the biggest Star Trek ever, and finally brings some flaws, humor and humanity back to Star Trek, instead of the oh so morally superior, preachy Captain Picard.
RCP: “In this new video House Republicans show footage of the 9/11 attacks and pictures of terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay. The video asks “how does closing Guantanamo Bay make us safer?”"
Let’s hope that this amounts to a great deal of misdirection, as the party does not need a vicious primary battle between Crist and Rubio (the MSM will feast on the “infighting in the Republican Party”, and we can’t afford to squander Crist’s success in expanding the FL GOP’s reach). With arguably the strongest potential candidate for the Dems, Alex Sink, opting to seek the governor’s office instead of the Senate, the party’s best interests lie in Good Time Charlie running for another term and Rubio having a clear path to the nomination for the Senate seat.
Congressman Alan Grayson has some explaining to do. He is a Democrat Congressman in a district Charlie Cook lists as leaning slightly Republican. The district went strongly for Bush twice and barely for Obama in 2008.
Stoller is a crazy blogger - he sees racism and conspiracies in every shadow. Grayson had to have known about Stoller and we can truly suspect that the man Grayson chose to be his Senior Policy Advisor is out of touch with Grayson’s congressional district. That must make us wonder if Grayson too is out of touch with his district.
In fact, some enterprising reporter might want to ask a few questions of Congressman Alan Grayson such as:
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is on the verge of announcing his bid for the U.S. Senate, which would provide a significant boost to Republican recruiting efforts for the 2010 elections if he decides to take the leap.
Several sources tell CNN that Crist is seriously leaning towards a run, and could declare his candidacy as early as next week - perhaps Monday. The timing would provide Crist with enough distance between the close of Florida’s legislative session and staking out his own day to declare his future political plans.
Crist has been talking up a Senate run with friends, a source close to the governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, tells CNN. Another source, close to the Crist family, said that the governor’s wife has been telling friends her husband is going to run for the Senate. And a third Crist source tells CNN all indications are that he is in, but cautioned it was not 100 percent and noted there was still a chance for the governor to pull the plug on a Senate bid.
(CNN) - Missouri Sen. Kit Bond said President Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a “dangerous case of putting symbolism over security.”
“Guantanamo Bay - known as GITMO - doesn’t house middle-of-the-road, white-collar criminals. Instead, this detainee facility houses deadly terrorists, including 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” said Bond, a senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Republicans have been pounding Obama and the Democrats over the proposed closure, saying that closing the facility could push detainees into facilities in the United States, making the country less safe.
Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters the Justice Department was reviewing each of the detainees at Guantanamo to determine what to do with them.
In the weekly Republican radio address, Bond charged that Obama is implementing “a classic example of a ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ strategy.”
President Obama meets with Capt. Richard Phillips in the Oval Office on Saturday. Phillips is the cargo-ship captain whose capture by pirates triggered a dramatic U.S. Navy rescue off the coast of Africa last month.
Parkinson’s compromise “has moved us ahead,” said Rep. Forrest Knox, an Altoona Republican. “He’s moved us beyond politics. The roadblock is out of the way.”
Lawmakers approved final changes needed to balance the budget.
They already had passed cuts to shrink the deficit from $328 million to $70 million. To close the final gap, they ended some state tax credits and endorsed a plan to give some tax delinquents amnesty if they pay up.
The measure passed over the objections of House leaders, who said lawmakers had failed to rein in spending. They note that the budget, which takes effect July 1, has a cushion of only $17,000.
“That will last us about a day and then we’ll be underwater,” said Speaker Mike O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican.
The House rejected a final push to pass a tougher seat belt law. The bill would have let police stop and ticket drivers and front-seat passengers for not buckling up.
State law requires seat belt use, but motorists 18 and older can’t be pulled over unless they’ve committed another violation, such as speeding.
Opponents argued that the state can’t legislate common sense and that a tougher law would give police an excuse to engage in racial profiling.
The number of swine flu deaths in Mexico rose by three to 48, while 300 more people were infected by the virus, raising the number of confirmed cases to 1,626, a health ministry official said Saturday.
Since the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) outbreak in Mexico, “there have been 5,580 tests, of which 1,626 had a positive result, including 1,578 live patients and 48 people who unfortunately have died,” ministry spokesman Carlos Olmos said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has 2,254 confirmed cases of the new H1N1 swine influenza, with 104 people in the hospital, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.
“Today there are almost 3,000 probable and confirmed cases here in the United States,” the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat told a news briefing. “The good news is we are not seeing a rise above the epidemic threshold in that system.”
“We are sure that any aggression against our citizens will be given a worthy reply,” President Dmitry Medvedev said in a speech in Red Square side-by-side with powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“The victory over fascism is a great example and a great lesson for all peoples and is still current today when people are again starting military adventures,” he added.
Russia’s war with Georgia in August over Georgian breakaway regions sent Moscow-NATO ties to their worst level since the Cold War and tensions have flared again over the alliance’s decision to go ahead with the exercises.
Moscow, which remains at loggerheads with Georgia’s pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili, angrily condemned the war games that started this week as a provocation that risk stoking instability in the region.
Democrats lead Republicans among every age group of the American electorate, according to the polling firm Gallup.
A Gallup analysis of its polls between Jan. 2 and May 5 shows younger voters, between the ages of 18 and 29, tend to identify with the Democrats or to be independent. As the age increases, voters gravitate toward one political party or the other.
Also, Republicans show gains among voters approaching middle age in their 30s and 40s, and again as they reach retirement age. Even among those age groups, though, Democrats still hold the advantage.
But there’s a different story being told by the likely Republican lineup of Senate candidates in 2010. It’s a story of our best pickup opportunities coming in blue states from more moderate Republicans, not from easy layups in red states represented by Democrats (of which there are many). And by and large, these candidacies are being embraced by conservatives, chief among them Mike Castle (DE), Mark Kirk (IL), and Rob Simmons (CT) (disclosure, I work on the last race).
Arlen Specter’s erratic behavior in the last week is proof he needed to go. But this doesn’t change the fact that there needs to be a functional relationship between the conservative and moderate wings of the party, and that any situation where a blue state Republican is ipso facto disparaged as a RINO is a dysfunctional one not conducive to building a majority led by the right.
I wasn’t happy with Collins and Snowe’s votes on the stimulus, but it is useful to make this distinction between the Maine Senators and Specter. For them, one gets the sense that it’s not about ego or entitlement. They are genuinely moderate-to-liberal Republicans (moreso Snowe) representing a deep blue state that just legalized gay marriage through the legislative process.
If it’s a choice between Lindsey Graham, a headline-grabbing conservative-hating conservative, or an honest, workmanlike moderate like Collins who will not go out of their way to rip the party to pieces in the press, sign me up for the moderate.
Businessman Norman Hsu, a major fund-raiser for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign …
… and other Democratic causes, pleaded guilty on Thursday to ten federal fraud charges.
At a hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Hsu admitted that he conducted an investment business which amounted to a ponzi scheme, taking money from new investors to pay earlier ones. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Hsu took in at least $60 million and “swindled” at least $20 million of that. Today’s plea did not resolve four still-pending counts charging that Hsu violated federal campaign finance laws by making “straw-man” political contributions through others.
President Barack Obama gets hailed by supporters as a transformational, visionary leader. But can he boldly go where no man has gone before?
Possibly: POLITICO hears from several sources that the President has asked Paramount Pictures for his own screening of the new “Star Trek” film in the White House.
The White House request could just be an attempt by the president to stay on top of pop culture by watching this box office bonanza - but could there be more to it?
Consider: Comparisons between the enigmatic president and “Star Trek’s” Mr. Spock have become a media meme of late.
One of the nation’s largest liberal advocacy organizations, MoveOn.org , is resisting efforts to clear the Democratic primary field for Republican-turned-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter.
The political arm of MoveOn flexed its muscle Friday by releasing the results of an online poll that showed the vast majority of the group’s roughly 170,000 members in Pennsylvania - 85 percent - would consider supporting a Democratic challenger against Specter.
The group expressed concern over Specter’s vote against President Obama’s $3.4 billion budget just one day after defecting to the Democratic Party. MoveOn also cited comments Specter made in an appearance on “Meet the Press” last weekend suggesting he would oppose a public health insurance option that some Democrats would like to see included in any health care reform proposal.
