Monday, June 07, 2010
New "Public" Enemy No. 1
POLITICO'S Maggie Haberman (my erstwhile Post colleague) and Ben Smith report on the bipartisan backlash against public employee unions. Two factors are driving this: 1) The fiscal challenges all states are facing -- partly created by overly-generous benefit and pension plans; and 2) The education reform pushed by the administration that is giving states leeway to demand work-rules changes and concessions from teachers unions.
Key point here: Public employees are no longer perceived as overworked and underpaid. Instead, they are seen as having much more privileged existence as their counterparts in the private sector. In New York, the teachers unions ganging up on charter schools -- which have produced better academic results than the traditional public schools -- has caused a revolt among minority parents who see charters as a way up for their children.
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Key point here: Public employees are no longer perceived as overworked and underpaid. Instead, they are seen as having much more privileged existence as their counterparts in the private sector. In New York, the teachers unions ganging up on charter schools -- which have produced better academic results than the traditional public schools -- has caused a revolt among minority parents who see charters as a way up for their children.
Labels: organized labor, public employee unions, teachers unions
Helen Gone
A handy primer on the "Helen Thomas problem" from The Washington Post's Dave Weigel. Yes, she has First Amendment right to say Israel should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Europe. But there is no "right" to a prestigious slot in the White House press room and no "right" to be recognized by presidents or White House press secretaries during press conferences and gaggles.
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Labels: Anti-Semitism, Helen Thomas, Israel
Thursday, June 03, 2010
"Upon Further Review"
In the category of "phrases we'd better get used to in major league baseball," this is the top one. After a blown call for the ages, there's now a -- dare I say it? -- "perfect storm" for instant replay to become a regular part of MLB games. Right now, we're in the second year of instant-replay being used for home-run calls. By next year, it will be used for bang-bang plays at the plate, stolen bases -- and, yeah, tight last-second, end-of-game plays like the one that cost a young pitcher a perfect game.
Purists can whine all they want, but get over it. It's a done deal. No further review necessary.
UPDATE: Great video-in-video comparing Joyce's blown call with umpire Don Denkinger's blown call in the 1985 World Series:
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Purists can whine all they want, but get over it. It's a done deal. No further review necessary.
UPDATE: Great video-in-video comparing Joyce's blown call with umpire Don Denkinger's blown call in the 1985 World Series:
Labels: Armando Gallaraga, instant replay, Jim Joyce, MLB
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Turks & Chaos
New York Post columnist Ralph Peters identifies the real politik playing in the background of the Israeli "humanitarian flotilla" crisis.
It's also interesting to note that Hamas is also blocking flotillas of it's own headed to the people of Gaza.
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It's also interesting to note that Hamas is also blocking flotillas of it's own headed to the people of Gaza.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Turkey
