Hey, media villagers! Context is everything
May 28, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The lazy media villagers and Beltway bloviators are all simply reading from the conservative talking points memo about how Judge Sonia Sotomayor is a "racist".. a "reverse racist," … "a bigot"… all based upon a single line from a speech in 2001 taken entirely out of context. For example, here is an
More people want to teach
May 28, 2009
by David SafierIt makes perfect sense. During an economic downturn, more people will turn to teaching. With fewer private sector jobs out there, people are more willing to consider public sector jobs where there's less money but more job security. Right now, a new teacher probably has a very secure job. Our school funding can't
The BfA Medal for Bravery Under Fire goes to . . .
May 28, 2009
by David SafierI have to express my admiration for Matthew Ladner's tenacity and his willingness to enter this liberal lion's den again and again and again (Though I want to make it clear, Matthew, that the lion's den reference does not turn you into Daniel. Don't press your luck!). I'm sure we can find some
The Bob Stump story
May 28, 2009
by David SafierNow that the Tucson Weekly has expanded the scope of the STO story from Steve Yarbrough to Bob Stump, let's take a look at how Bob Stump figures in. One of the two School Tuition Organizations housed in Yarbrough's business condo, School Choice Arizona (SCA), deals only with corporate tax credit donations. Yarbrough
Tucson Weekly pulls the Yarbrough story together
May 28, 2009
by David SafierMari Herreras of the Tucson Weekly does a terrific job of telling the whole story of Yarbrough, his STO and the various ways he profits from the tuition tax credit legislation. All the pieces of the puzzle are there, laid out in a clear, complete narrative. And there's this extra added bonus at
Why do the media villagers even care what talk radio has to say?
May 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Every field has its own measure of greatness. Take baseball, for example. A career .300 hitter (meaning three hits in every ten at bats – less than one-third of the time) may qualify as one of the greatest players of all time and be enshrined into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown,
“They did it too!”
May 27, 2009
by David SafierIf a Republican politician was caught running out of a bank with a bag of money in one hand and a smoking gun in the other, he'd say, "Yeah, but I saw a Democrat put a Snickers in his pocket without paying at the 7-11. He did it too!" It's a sacred Republican
Irony alert: ELL funding
May 27, 2009
by David SafierThis from Education Week: At least four large urban school districts plan to spend a significant amount of their federal economic-stimulus money to support or improve programs for English-language learners, a fast-growing group in U.S. schools. The districts—Boston, New York City, St. Paul, Minn., and Seattle—have had varying degrees of success serving such




