The problem with for profit education
by David Safier The problem with for profit education is . . . it's for profit. Anyone who's looking to make a buck off of running schools has a constant conflict of interest between the students' best interest and the bottom line. Advertisement Case in point. The University of Phoenix has to pay $48.5 million … Read more
They’ve got a tiger by the tail
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Whatever arrangement Tiger Woods may have with his wife Elin, if any, the tragic victims of this sordid tale are two young children, Sam Alexis Woods and Charlie Axel Woods. This drama will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Perhaps Tiger should have thought of his children first. The self-destruction … Read more
The answer to David’s question about filibusters
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Short answer: it takes a two-thirds vote – 67 votes – to change the archaic rules of the U.S. Senate. Do the math. It ain't gonna happen. Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote this excellent analysis of the U.S. Senate back in March of this year Our … Read more
Keegan’s selective reading
by David Safier It almost looks like Lisa Graham Keegan and I agree. Almost. She has an op ed in the Republic praising the paper for its discussions of the problems with tuition tax credits. I am extremely grateful to editorial writer Doug MacEachern and The Arizona Republic for clearly defining in 2009 the intended … Read more
Let them eat (and eat and eat) filibusters
by David Safier Allow me a naive moment here. A filibuster is a delaying tactic where someone or a group of people talk endlessly on the Senate floor and continue talking until 60 Senators vote to end the incessant chatter. If no one can pull together 60 votes, the talking continues. It's not just saying, … Read more
NY Times, Nate Silver, G.I. and Me
by David Safier Imagine my surprise as I was reading through NY Times' 9th Annual Year in Ideas in its Sunday Magazine, when I came across the item, Forensic Polling Analysis. It's about uber-statistician Nate Silver's analysis of polling data from Strategic Vision LLC, in which he comes to the conclusion that the company makes … Read more
McCain and the Star
by David Safier The NY Times has an article this morning on McCain's current position in the Senate, filling a leadership vacuum by putting himself in the spotlight. It's a fairly nuanced piece, showing McCain's personal and political strengths and weaknesses. And the headline does a pretty good job of expressing the article's tone: McCain, … Read more
