Huppenthal: Hey, I didn’t mean you were supposed to do it to me.

by David Safier

According to the Republic, Ed Supe Huppenthal thinks his Department of Ed should be immune from all those nasty budget cuts. Specifically, he wants money for a new computer system.

It's the classic conservative distinction between pork and necessary expenditures. Pork is what you want. Necessary expenditures are what I want.

I have rarely heard of hard-and-fast conservatives who don't turn into big-spending or bleeding-heart liberals when it comes to their pet projects. In true selfish-conservative fashion, it's always when an issue affects them that they suddenly turn generous or warm hearted. When someone else has a problem, it's always, "Ask me if I care." The altruism gene is nowhere to be found in their DNA.