Laura Bush and TDMN; ASNE convention

The Nightly Build...

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Where's My Newspaper?

Wayne Slater, in The Dallas Morning News Trailblazers blog, reports that George and Laura Bush have settled into their new Preston Hollow home, but so far haven't been able to get a daily newspaper delivered. Maybe the paper is being delivered, but the Bushes just can't see it for all the shoes cluttering up their lawn.

Publisher Jim Moroney provided an update to Slater's blog, saying that the DMN has been delivering the newspaper to the Bushes but can't get past the police road block. A reader helpfully suggests that if you stuff the newspaper in an old shoe, you can toss it farther. Or maybe the Bushes ought to do what everyone else is fast doing -- read the paper online.

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Newspapers May Be Dead, But Not Irony

James Ragland, in The Dallas Morning News Metro blog, reports that the American Society of Newspaper Editors has cancelled its annual convention, in part due to the sorry state of the newspaper business. At the convention, the group had planned to change its name, dropping the word "paper" in acknowledgement of the growth of online news. Fittingly, the vote for that name change will now take place ... electronically.

Hutchison vs Perry

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Kay, Rick, Butch and Sundance

Michael Landauer, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, compares the assessments by Mark Davis (in the DMN) and Glen Hunter (on Frontburner) of the race between Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry for the GOP nomination for governor of Texas in 2010.

One says Perry is vulnerable because of cronyism, incompetence, and high insurance and electricity rates. The other says Perry is vulnerable because of the business activity tax, the Guardisil episode, and the Trans-Texas Corridor.

I'm reminded of the movie scene with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid arguing about jumping from a cliff into a river to escape an oncoming posse. Butch says jump. Sundance says he can't swim. Butch laughs, "The fall alone is enough to kill you."

It sounds like Davis and Hunter might not agree on what's going to be Perry's undoing, but the lists on either side are long enough that the smart money has to be on Hutchison.

Obama's address to Congress; Gun buy-back

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Hubris? Or Calm Determination?

William McKenzie, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, finds President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress to be full of hubris. I found Obama's intention to address our country's problems in energy, health care and education to be ambitious. It's the kind of ambition a great country deserves and a welcome change from the abdication of government responsibility we have been burdened with for too long.

McKenzie is technically correct when he criticizes Obama for insufficiently addressing the national debt. McKenzie says Obama "skipped over Medicare" and I counted only one sentence dealing with Social Security. But come on, if Obama had promised to end the war in Iraq, win the war on terror, solve our energy, health care and education problems, *and* rescue Medicare and Social Security, now that would be the hubris McKenzie imagines.

McKenzie criticizes Obama for tackling too many problems at once, then criticizes him for not tackling even more. He reminds me of the the elderly women in a restaurant. One complains about her food tasting terrible, overcooked and served cold. The other adds, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions."

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Unload Those Old Guns This Saturday

Thanks to Mike Hashimoto, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, for alerting the public to Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway's plan "to give $50 Kroger gift certificates to anyone who turns in an unloaded, functioning firearm." It's a way to get money for your guns with assurance that the guns will be put out of circulation for good, not just sold to who-knows-who at a pawn shop.

Thanks, too, to Trey Garrison, who plans to be available to appraise your firearm in advance. Don't let your lack of knowledge of the street value of firearms keep you away from taking advantage of this opportunity to get that gun out of your house. Oh, if you don't know Trey Garrison, just look for a man wearing a tin-foil hat.

The buy-back starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Reunion Arena. Be there.

Obama's address to Congress

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Good Timing

President Obama chose Fat Tuesday to address a joint session of Congress. I doubt there will be much revelry in the Capitol tonight. As Jim Mitchell says in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, he's expected to give a speech that's likely to be large doses of harsh reality seasoned with some hope and optimism." How appropriate that tomorrow is the beginning of Lent.

Pete Sessions; Tom Leppert and DISD

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Look Who's Making Fun of Pete Sessions

Wick Allison, in Frontburner, really lays into Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), starting from the opening sentence, "Perhaps making fun of Pete Sessions is just too easy [...]". He cites recent Sessions' problems with his mouth (comparing the GOP to the Taliban), with his connections to the gambling world (fundraiser at a Las Vegas trip club), with his penchant for earmarks, and now with his connection to alleged swindler Allen Stanford. Wick Allison, owner of D Magazine and one-time publisher of William F. Buckley's National Review is asking, "Is this who Republicans want to uphold conservative principles?" Sessions represents a Tom Delay-gerrymandered safe Republican district in north Dallas. He is the poster child for why even Republicans ought to consider pulling the lever for a Democrat once in a while, if only to keep their GOP Congressmen honest.

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City Takeover of DISD? Not So Much

Wick Allison is on a roll, reviewing a front page story in The Dallas Morning News speculating on Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert's interest in taking over dysfunctional Dallas Independent School District.

The evidence is thin, at best. Leppert talked to one state senator and one business leader and that was months ago. No one on the school board or city council is identified as knowing anything about it. If anything ever comes of this, the News deserves credit for being first. But if nothing comes of it, the News deserves blame for implying much, much more than the story delivers. As it is, I'm just as inclined to believe the conspiracy theorists who see this as a massive distraction from the city's plan to build a convention center hotel. There's no evidence of a plot to distract, but it would be useful to the mayor, now, wouldn't it? And useful to the News, too, right?

Flag desecration; Boss' back story

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Who's Desecrating the Flag Now?

Jenny Hoff, on the Austin KXAN Web site, points out a Rick Perry campaign Web site that uses a US flag dripping blood to rally his base against "bailouts". This is hypocritical on two levels. First, Perry pretends to be patriotic but here he desecrates the flag to make a partisan political point. Second, Perry has condemned the federal government's actions to counter the economic crisis in one breath and says he'll take government money in the next. Perry: "The stimulus is bad. How soon can Texas get its money?" Talk about two-faced. 2010 and Kay Baily Hutchison can't get here soon enough.

P.S. Where is Karen Brooks?

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I Got Mine. Screw You.

Rod Dreher, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, passes on a letter making the rounds on the Internet, titled "Letter from the Boss." The letter purports to tell the "back story" of how the boss got where he is by long years of slaving over his business and denying himself any rewards. The money quote:

"If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I'll fire you and your coworkers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship."

Shorter boss: I got mine. Screw you.

With people skills as poor as this, I'm surprised the business this boss runs has survived as long as it has. Nevertheless, as much as tries to pit employers against employees, we shouldn't take his bait. We're all in this together.

Reader "Brandon" objects that we are not all in this together. To him, only those who "squandered or destroyed what they had" are in trouble. It's probably useless arguing with "Brandon" and it's certainly counterproductive. Whether he understands it or not, we truly are all in this together. Arguing with him would only widen the divisions that we need to narrow. So, let's focus on repairing our economy, whether everyone wants to join the effort or not.

P.S. I find it telling that Rod Dreher spreads anonymous, inflammatory emails that land in his inbox. Maybe this is what journalism is devolving into.

Foreclosure relief

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We're All In This Together

Betsy Simnacher, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, asks readers' opinion about President Obama's proposed $75 billion plan to shore up the housing industry.

When a neighbor's house is on fire, I grab a hose and a bucket, even if the fire was started by the owner doing something stupid, like smoking in bed. I do it to save my own house and the whole neighborhood. I favor President Obama's program for the same reason.

Another reader objects to my analogy, accusing me of forcing others to help put out their neighbor's fire. I plead guilty. One, the private sector does not have the means to simultaneously preserve our housing industry, stimulate the overall economy, and restore a functioning credit system. Two, I'm not willing to the let the whole economy grind to a halt. There may be a valid question about the proper role of government. In my opinion, keeping the country out of another Great Depression constitutes "promoting the general welfare" and is very much a proper role for government.

School funding; Irving council

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Property Rich; Cash Poor

William McKenzie, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, characterizes Texas' school finance laws as "crazy."

"It is ludicrous for the state to have a system where students in three of Texas' largest cities come from 'wealthy' districts that are eligible for the state to take some of their money and give it to poor districts -- when, get this, the majority of the students in those big cities come from poor families themselves."

Texas' school finance laws may, indeed, be "crazy," but McKenzie's example doesn't show why. The wealth of a school district is determined by its property values, not the income of families of students. Those glittering skyscrapers in downtown Dallas are sitting on very valuable property, even though the kids in DISD schools may live in deteriorating neighborhoods. Replace the property tax with an income tax and those flows of tax money from the cities outward would reverse to ensure equitable funding for all.

The DISD may be inadequately funded. If the DISD is near to be considered "property wealthy," it's a sign that rural districts are even less adequately funded. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not the solution. The state is going to have to come up with a way to provide more funding for all.

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Tyranny of the Plurality

Tod Robberson, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, recommends the obvious. Irving needs to change its council system.

"In 2007, Irving had a 35.6 percent white population, whereas Hispanics made up 40.6 percent of the population. But if you look at the racial makeup of the city council, it's 100 percent white."

Clearly, there's something going on here beyond the suggestion that all the talented, civic-minded residents willing to serve just happen to be white. Robberson suggests Irving adopt the council-district system that Dallas uses. What are the objections?

Some argue that if Hispanics aren't being represented now, more of them ought to vote. But if that happened and Hispanic voting were as race-conscious as white voting appears to be, the basic problem would not be solved. Replacing a 100% white council with a 100% Hispanic council doesn't address the lack of representation for *all* Irving residents.

Some argue that a district system leads to council members championing their districts instead of the city as a whole. There's probably some truth to this. But the premise is that the current system, where one ethnic groups controls all power, leads to what's best for the city as a whole. See if the ethnic groups shut out of city hall feel that's true.

Some claim that district representation leads to inept and ineffective government. There's probably some truth to that, too. Truly representative government in a body politic that is diverse will have bickering, dickering, and occasional gridlock. Giving a monopoly of power to the faction that manages to secure a plurality in an election does make it easier to get things done -- the things that the winning plurality wants. Apply this principle to Congress, and instead of all those safe Republican districts, you'd have a Congress made up almost all Democrats, because nationally, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the 2008 elections. If that happened, I suspect Congress would be a lot more efficient. I also suspect that there would be a lot of Republicans in Texas for whom efficient government would suddenly be a lesser careabout than ensuring representation of their interests.

Come on, Irving. Do the right thing. Quit wasting taxpayer money defending lawsuits against your obviously unrepresentative system of government.

NY beheading; Texas legislature; Smoking ban

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Muslim Killing in New York

Bruce Tomaso, in The Dallas Morning News Religion blog, passes on, without comment, a CNN report that "Muzzammil Hassan, who founded Bridges TV in upstate New York with the aim of countering negative stereotypes about Muslims, has confessed to beheading his wife."

1. Tragic.
2. Ironic.
3. See. Muslims are fanatic killers.
4. See. Religious fundamentalism is dangerous.

That this is tragic is simply true. My condolences to the woman's family.

The irony, of course, lies in the parenthetical comment that the man who sought to counter negative stereotypes about Muslims is now accused of beheading his wife.

Whether or not this says something about Muslims in general or religious fundamentalists in general is a point of contention that will probably keep bloggers busy for days. Bruce Tomaso offers no editorial comment, but don't expect readers to show such restraint.

Reader "JohnFranc" says, "if any Christians wish to claim this is a typical example of Islam, fairness requires you to accept Jim Jones, David Koresch, Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph as typical examples of Christianity."

Reader "Claire" objects, "I'd have to say this is indeed typical and socially acceptable in many Islamic countries" and the Christian killers, on the other hand, are "hardly typical."

Surprisingly, no one took the fourth attitude, that religious fundamentalism, not Islam or Christianity per se, is what's dangerous. It probably comes closest to my reaction. I think that it overstates the danger, in general, but obviously not for this one victim in New York, in particular.

I think the best reply was a single word by an unknown blogger, whose comment was deleted for some unknown reason. He said, simply, "Facepalm".

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The Flip Side of Partisanship

Jim Mitchell, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, asks if new Speaker of the Texas House Joe Strauss' honeymoon is over. Democrat Matt Angle is criticizing Republican Strauss for making committee assignments that are "unquestionably partisan and ideological."

Let's see. Republicans have a majority in the House. Strauss is Republican. What did the Democrats expect him to do other than appoint Republicans to run the House? Angle notes that Strauss owes his election to Democrats. Not really. Democrats didn't have enough votes to elect a Speaker, so they played spoiler. That's all the power they had. They voted against Tom Craddick. Strauss owes them nothing.

All this sounds depressingly similar to the whining going on in Washington by Republicans. Republicans complained that Democrats weren't voting for their amendments to the stimulus package. President Obama told them, "I won."

It looks to me like the losers in Washington and Austin both have a naive understanding of what bipartisanship is and is not.

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Statewide Ban on Smoking?

Jim Mitchell, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, notes that there are 24 states and 28 Texas cities that have public smoking ordinances in place. Mitchell lobbies for the Texas legislature to follow suit, leaving no exceptions for types of businesses or service areas, leveling the playing field, making sure no business anywhere in the state is at a competitive disadvantage.

Needless to say, readers quickly took sides. Most took the position of "Trey Garrison" who said, "Smoking is smelly and stupid and unhealthy -- but no one makes me go to a place where people smoke."

Smoking is a health hazard not only for customers, but for workers. We have workplace safety rules for many things. This is just one more. There's a legitimate debate whether the health hazard is serious enough to regulate. There's a legitimate debate whether the ban's effect would drive businesses to close. This is a question of where to draw the line, not a matter of fundamental rights, in my opinion. Let the people decide this one.

Trey Garrison

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Obligatory Wack Stories

It's Monday and you know what that means. Trey Garrison has had the whole weekend to dig up wingnut, conspiratorial, paranoid, wack stories to share with us.

He starts with his obligatory, "More Guns are Good" story, using a belated local television story about how gun sales are up since Barack Obama's victory in November to praise higher gun sales.

He moves on to a "Watch Out For Bad Cops" story about an off duty cop who installed emergency lights in his private vehicle for "off duty jobs." Use you imagination about what happened next.

He closes with his "Monday Roundup", in which he tells us he hasn't been following the Trinity River Parkway debate, but he does know that it's now established fact that the Earth, instead of warming up, is actually cooling instead. Just be thankful Garrison can't cover everything.

Garrison used to be a writer for Dallas Blog. I don't know why he left. It couldn't have been because of his penchant for self-parody. The steady stream of Dallas Blog stories with themes like "Muslims Are Taking Over Europe" defined self-parody in Dallas media long ago. Trey Garrison has that part down pat. Maybe Garrison left Dallas Blog because he's not all that into saving Christendom ... unless it involves guns.

Iran and Alabama; Stimulus

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Rule of Analogies

Bruce Tomaso, on The Dallas Morning News Religion blog, passed along a survey by Gallup that indicates that Iran and Alabama rank about equally high in the percentage of their populations that regard religion as important. Gallup headlined their story, "What Alabamians and Iranians Have in Common." Tomaso included photos of the Ayatollah Khomeini and Governor George Wallace. That's when the sh*i hit the fan. Who didn't see that coming?

Reader "corinne" commented, "shi'ite bap'ists." Reader "Mike Bratton asked if the juxtaposition of photos was Tomaso's "tacit equivocation of the totalitarian political system/religion of Islam with Christianity?" Even NewsBusters.org chastised Tomaso , making him feel like he was called a "a condescending, secular, elitist lefty putz."

This thread illustrates a corollary to Ed Cognoski's Rule of Analogies: "Don't use 'em." The corollary is: "Two incendiary topics will spontaneously combust if brought anywhere near each other."

P.S. I learned the Rule of Analogies ("Don't use 'em") from long experience. Your debate opponent will inevitably latch onto any differences between the subjects and ignore the similarities. And there are always differences. Otherwise it would be an equivalence, not an analogy. Before you know it, you're arguing the analogy, not the original subject, and the point is lost. Hence the Rule of Analogies: "Don't use 'em."

P.P.S. Segregation still sucks.

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Dealing with Electoral Grief

Now that that the $800 billion stimulus bill stands on the verge of passage, the GOP rearguard is fighting delaying actions. Mike Hashimoto, on The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, wants more time to read the bill, as if he just might support it if only he can study it a little longer.

I'd say we're clearly at stage two of the Kübler-Ross model of grief:

1. Denial: "Voters rejected Bush, not true conservatism."
2. Anger: "It's not fair. They didn't vote for my amendment."
3. Bargaining: TBD
4. Depression: TBD
5. Acceptance: TBD

John Cornyn; Stimulus for roads; Judd Gregg; Lincoln

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Hanging Out With Arsonists

Lots of eyebrows were raised by the news that Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn was the only senator to miss the vote on the $800 billion stimulus bill. Cornyn was at a Republican Party fundraiser in New York City, prompting MoveOn.org communications director to comment, "He's not just fiddling while Rome burns -- he's hanging out with the arsonists."

"Hanging out with the arsonists" is exactly what Cornyn is doing. Intentionally. He's playing to the base, stoking their, dare I say, bitterness. Reader response to the The Dallas Morning News Trailblazers blog post about this indicates Cornyn's efforts are working. "God Fearing Conservative" writes, "MoveOn continues to show how incompetent and out of touch they are." "Antonio" says, "This is TeTexas, not San Francisco. Here, we've got better things to do than listen to a bunch of maniacal leftists."

On the other hand, MoveOn is doing the same thing as Cornyn, but from the other end of the spectrum. Cornyn may be lighting the fire, but MoveOn is all too happy to fan the flames.

Both Cornyn and MoveOn represent old-style politics of division. Most Americans have moved on (pun intended ;-), but these events demonstrate that we haven't put out the fires yet.

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See Me. Feel Me. Touch Me.

Rodger Jones, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, complains that too much stimulus money is going to education and not enough to roads. He asks, "Do you prefer more money going into things you can see with your own eyes and drive on with your own car? I do."

Rule #1 for Congressmen: when you direct money to your district, make sure it's in the form of something the voters can see and touch. That rule is a snide putdown of voters, who are assumed to be too dumb to recognize that expenditures that you can't see can sometimes be better investments. I am disappointed that the The Dallas Morning News editorial board members reinforce the validity of that old rule.

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May I Have a Word? Screwed Up

Rod Dreher, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, reports that Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) has withdrawn his nomination to be Commerce Secretary, citing ideological differences on the stimulus and the census. Dreher asks, "Has any new president had so many early cabinet misfires? What's his problem, anyway?"

Perhaps in this case, Obama's problem is his desire to have a cabinet of highly qualified experts and not ideological soulmates. Judd Gregg would have been the third Republican in Obama's cabinet. Given the hyper-partisan nature of Washington politics, the surprise here isn't that it didn't work out, but that it almost did.

As for the Bill Richardson, Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer withdrawals, perhaps Obama's problem is the high standard he set for his administration. Intense public scrutiny is turning up issues in the nominees' pasts that either wouldn't have been discovered in the past or wouldn't have been showstoppers for confirmation.

In short, President Obama does seem to have more problems than usual getting his nominees confirmed, but so far, it seems like the problems are for all the right reasons -- attempts at achieving bipartisanship and avoidance of the appearance of scandal. On the other hand, it would be less embarrassing for him and the nominees if the vetting identified such issues and/or recognized their seriousness before the nominations were made in the first place. For failing that, Obama ... what's the word? Screwed up.

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Greatest. President. Ever

On this, Michael Landauer, on The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, asks "Was Lincoln the best president ever?"

The answer, without a doubt, is yes. Lincoln saved the Union. Lincoln ensured out our nation would have a new birth of freedom. The only President who comes to close to Lincoln in stature is George Washington. The reason he stands a step below Lincoln is because of the great supporting cast Washington had. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin. Did Washington stand out from them? Undoubtedly. But could Washington have brought about the founding of a new nation all by himself? Certainly not.

Contrast the Founding Fathers with the politicians of Lincoln's day. James Buchanan earns the title of worst President ever for a reason. His incompetence while the nation slid inexorably into civil war is unmatched. (For economic disaster, Herbert Hoover and George W Bush earn honorable mention, but the disaster of the Civil War exceeds any mere economic depression.) Lincoln had to rescue the Union single-handedly, or seemingly so. For that, he earns the title of best President ever. Happy Birthday, Mr. President.

Local television; Stimulus

The Nightly Build...

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Down the Tubes

If the outlook for newspapers isn't dire enough, Wick Allison, in Frontburner, tells us that the future of local TV is pretty dismal, too. A Wall Street Journal story speculates on the possibility of television networks like CBS and NBC moving to cable only, abandoning the network of local affiliates that has been the backbone of television since its inception. Because so much of their content is sourced from the network or syndicates, local television stations don't have the same option of moving to cable (or the Internet) that the networks (and newspapers) do.

As for newspapers, The Dallas Morning News published an op/ed column by Walter Isaacson championing the implementation of a micro-payment system for Internet news. He says that the free access that consumers have grown accustomed to is unsustainable. A simple, easy, anonymous micro-payment system would make all the difference in sustaining online news. But it doesn't exist yet.

By the way, a micro-payment system would also offer a way to kill spam, too. Every consumer could charge for dropping email into his inbox. If you want to reach me, it'll cost you, say, a tenth of a cent. This wouldn't be a barrier for my family and friends and legitimate businesses wanting to reach me personally, but it would become cost-prohibitive to the spammers who scattershoot millions of "v|*gra" emails in hopes of getting a 0.001% response rate.

What might be needed to get any sort of payment system for the news media in place is an antitrust exemption for news media, as suggested by the L.A. Times' Tim Rutten. That would allow them to collaborate on instituting a pay system. As it is, the company that goes first loses all its readers to the companies that still offer news for free. Necessary as it might be to save the newspapers, getting voter support for an antitrust exemption is a hundred times more difficult than the technical challenges of a micro-payment system. Ironically, the antitrust laws that were designed to promote healthy competition could end up killing the local newspaper.

If all this isn't enough, Sirius XM Radio is rumored to be close to filing for bankruptcy. Add satellite radio to the list of media going down the tubes.

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Smackdown in the Editorial Boardroom

Mike Hashimoto, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, asserts that President Obama "had constructed a false choice over his stimulus bill: if you oppose our bill, you favor doing nothing."

Hashimoto tells us that when he made this point in an editorial board meeting, an unidentified colleague objected, "contending that Obama had not said it quite so bluntly." Hashimoto takes the debate to the blog, posting this quote from Obama's news conference: "There seems to be a set of folks who -- I don't doubt their sincerity -- who just believe that we should do nothing."

Point for Hashimoto, right? Not so fast. Sharon Grigsby joined the public fray with this comment to Hashimoto's blog post:

"Obama said during his news conference Monday night that 'there are others who recognize that we've got to do a significant recovery package, but they're concerned about the mix of what's in there. And if they're sincere about it, then I'm happy to have conversations.'"

Takedown by Grigsby. Hashimoto was caught taking one Obama comment out of context and presenting it as the whole of Obama's opinion. Kudos to Grigsby for not letting him get away with it.

Oh, and by the say, Hashimoto should at least acknowledge that there are people who do believe we should just do nothing. For example, Robert Higgs, senior fellow in political economy for The Independent Institute, wrote an op/ed column for The Christian Science Monitor titled "Instead of stimulus, do nothing -- seriously."

Bipartisanship

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GOP Makes Bipartisan a Dirty Word

Mike Hashimoto, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, argues that bipartisanship isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Elections have consequences. Democrats have enough votes in both houses and the White House. Pass your bill. Take all the credit -- or the consequences. Same for the GOP: This works, you become the Whig Party; it doesn't, voters will listen next time."

There are two problems with this analysis. First, neither side can pass legislation alone. Second, the best solution rarely comes out of either party alone.

In our system of government, Democrats don't have enough votes to pass legislation. It takes a supermajority in the Senate. Some Republican support is essential for Democrats to move any bill. And lots of Democratic support would be needed for the minority Republicans to get their preferences passed. In the debate over spending versus tax cuts, only a tiny minority seem to be arguing in favor of doing nothing. But that's just what we'll get without some bipartisanship.

Hashimoto quotes Jonah Goldberg: "Yes, yes, sometimes the middle position is the correct one. But there is no rule that says it must be." True enough, but there's also no rule that says either of the extremes is the correct position, either. History shows the extreme positions often turn out to be disasters, for one very important reason. In a democracy, the position most likely to succeed is the one that the largest number of people will actively support and work to accomplish, not sit on the sidelines or work to sabotage. The tyranny of the majority can get legislation passed, but compromise between the extremes garners the support needed for successful implementation of the legislation.

Wick Allison; Gambling

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"Is that Clown from Dallas?"

Opinion makers and commenters need to take extra care not to make the same mistake they criticize in others. The classic example is the blog commenter who criticizes another's "spelling and grammer." Today's lesson comes from D Magazine owner Wick Allison, who took aim at The New York Times' Maureen Dowd. Allison says "her Pulitzer Prize was not awarded for her fact-checking." What factual error did Wick Allison catch? Dowd said that Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) is from Waco. Because Session's Congressional district is in Dallas, not Waco, Allison pounced.

In fact, Dowd was factually correct. Pete Sessions *is* from Waco. He was born there. When his own fact-checking failings were pointed out, Wick Allison weakly responded, "The convention is to identify elected officials by their constituency."

Wick Allison headlined his blog post, "Is That Clown From Dallas?" "Nah, He's From Waco." Wick Allison forgot a basic rule of blogging: don't call someone else a clown until you're sure who is the one wearing the big red nose.

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Give Voters The Choice

Sharon Grigsby, commenting in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog about the newspaper's editorial in favor of giving Texas voters the choice of whether to allow gambling in Texas or not, was convinced by what I think is the weakest argument. She came around to the idea of letting voters decide as she learned, as Mike Hashimoto put it, how many "tax dollars leave Texas and are donated to state and local budgets elsewhere."

I remember, when I was growing up, when I wanted to do something stupid and used the old "Everyone else is doing it" argument on my parents, they would ask, "If everyone else is jumping off a cliff, does that mean you should do it, too?" No. The reason to allow gambling is not because everyone else is doing it, not because there's money to be made out of it, but because there's no public interest served in banning it. Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states license gambling today. Are life and morals there just as strong as in Texas? You betcha.

Michael Phelps; Stimulus bill

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Offending Puritans Hurts Marketability

Rodger Jones, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, just can't let go of the 'Michael Phelps uses marijuana' story. Jones couldn't win the argument that the private, occasional use of recreational drugs is a moral failing of the first magnitude meriting demonization. So, today he tries the business angle, telling readers that Kelloggs won't renew its sponsorship deal with Phelps because of the controversy. If enough puritans kick up a big enough stink, sponsors will drop Michael Phelps. That proves ... what? That puritans can influence marketers? Fair enough. Michael Phelps was foolish for not knowing that if you want to market yourself to puritans, you can't offend them, no matter how unreasonable their opinions about recreational drug use might be. Lesson reinforced, Rodger Jones.

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What Spending is Good for the Economy?

Sharon Grigsby, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, asks a very good question: What type of stimulus plan spending will create jobs? We already know the Republican Party answer: tax cuts. The GOP is criticizing the plan now before Congress for not being a stimulus bill but a spending bill. President Obama gave them a primer in economics by answering, "What do you think a stimulus is? That's the whole point."

The GOP may not have the answer, but the Democratic bill is not necessarily perfect. Again, President Obama cuts to the chase: "The bill that's emerged from Congress is not perfect, but a bill is absolutely necessary."

So, what is the answer to Sharon Grigsby's question? All spending is not created equal. If Congress is going to shape and work this bill and then tweak it some more before it finally makes it to a vote, it might as well improve the bill in the process. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides our final lesson for the day. According to the CBO,

"The negative effect of [increased debt] crowding out [private investment] could be offset somewhat by a positive long-term effect on the economy of some provisions - such as funding for infrastructure spending, education programs, and investment incentives, which might increase economic output in the long run."

So, there you have it. Beef up spending on infrastructure, education, and investment incentives and you get the best of both worlds: short-term stimulus and increased economic output in the long run.

Illegal immigration

The Nightly Build...

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Richardson On The Road To Farmers Branch

I don't know what's gotten into the Richardson Residents for Responsive Government, a PAC better known as the Richardson Coalition. They used to content themselves with promoting business development and neighborhood revitalization, but today they published an editorial that reads way too much like something out of Farmers Branch. Scary thought that.

They divisively call for English as "the language of Richardson." Apparently, Spanish-speaking residents of Richardson, even those who are US citizens or legal residents, are considered second class.

They applaud local police reporting illegal immigrants to federal immigration authorities. So much for Hispanic cooperation with police. Victims and witnesses will have an incentive to hide from police. Even US citizens and legal immigrants will think twice about enduring the hassle of citizenship checks.

They "encourage the Mayor and Council to stay on top of this important subject, and make sure all new tools available to the city are used to identify immigration law offenders." No word on whether that includes proof-of-citizenship requirements for renting, working, shopping or even driving through our fair city (sarcasm intended). In an attempt to sound reasonable, I suppose, they say they do not support "door-to-door" searches.

This is the second editorial in the row in which this PAC has promoted policies that threaten to divide Richardson. First, it was attacking union contributions to City Council election races. Now, it's attacking illegal immigrants, or more broadly, anyone who speaks Spanish. The Richardson Coalition proudly claims a membership that includes "five former City Council persons, four Citizens of the Year, and many individuals who serve and have served our City on Commissions and Boards." And that's what's scary. These aren't just some bigoted kooks. These are people of influence and power in Richardson. If they have a mind to divide Richardson on this issue, they can do it. Let's hope they think better of it before this editorial becomes the campaign platform for a Richardson Coalition backed slate of candidates for city council.

CEO pay; Excommunication

The Nightly Build...

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Obama Caps Executive Pay

President Obama capped executive pay at $500,000 as a condition of firms accepting significant government bailout money. Most opinion makers seem to be OK with this. On The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, Rod Dreher describes it as Obama saving capitalism from capitalists. He compares today's out-of-touch executives to the Russian tsar and tsaress who felt in their bones that autocracy was just and right and normal. The arrogance of today's executives might not cost them their lives as it did the tsar and his family, but Dreher predict it's going to cause them a lot of trouble. It already is.

But some readers have a soft spot for those executives. They argue that capping pay as a condition of bailout money will prevent companies from retaining top talent. Reader "Phillip Hubbell" says "I don't really want to do business with companies with third tier leadership." Obviously, the existing leadership can't really be top tier now, given the financial mess these companies have made. "Phillip Hubbell" has that figured out. "I agree they should fire their current CEO's but who are they going to hire? Some community activist?"

Ignoring the implicit swipe at Barack Obama (who, come to think of it, would make an excellent CEO), "Phillip Hubbell" overlooks the fact that the new federal rules allow for deferred compensation. Companies can issue lavish stock options exercisable only after the companies are turned around, return to profitability, and repay the taxpayers. Talent that can do this is the kind of talent we want to attract. Talent that can't do that need not apply. The practice of CEOs taking home billions regardless of the performance of their companies ought to be stopped. Now, with the bailout, maybe it will, at least for the companies helping themselves to taxpayer money.

Sadly, this brouhaha is a distraction from the real problem. Wall Street bonuses of $18 billion in 2008 is a lot, but it's only a drop in the bucket compared to the trillion dollar mess the banks are in. The public needs to keep its eye on the ball. So does President Obama.

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The Pope Strikes Out

The soap opera of the former Hitler Youth graduate and the Holocaust denying bishops is reaching a climax. So far, I've relied on The Dallas Morning News Religion blog, reader "Bill Marvel" and his expertise in all things Vatican to keep me informed about the the plot twists of this saga. The latest events leave me scratching my head. Bill Marvel:

"But the Pope wants a public recanting as a condition of their acceptance back into the Church. He can do that; that's why he's the Pope. No recanting, no lifting of the excommunication."

Recap: The bishops were excommunicated 20 years ago. Last week, the excommunication was revoked. Now I'm told that the excommunication isn't revoked yet. Or maybe it's back on. What is it? Are these guys excommunicated or not? And if so, for what? Is there any paperwork on this?

And what's this about the Pope having absolute, arbitrary power about this? A few days ago, "Bill Marvel" assured us that Holocaust denial was not grounds for excommunication. Now he says it is, if the Pope says it is. Does the Church have any rules or not? Is the Pope even claiming to follow them?

Even the US President, who has plenary power to pardon, usually claims to be following established Justice department guidelines for who is and isn't eligible for pardons. When he strays from those guidelines, all hell breaks loose. (See Bill Clinton / Marc Rich)

Maybe the Pope is more like the commissioner of major league baseball, who theoretically can do anything, anything, if he judges it to be in the best interest of the game. Of course, when Commissioner Bart Giamatti did just that, the owners fired his sorry *ss right quick. Is anyone in the Vatican listening?

Michael Phelps

The Nightly Build...

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Accused Of Murdering Mexican Children

An editorial in The Dallas Morning News mentions a "decline in stigma attached to marijuana use." But you'd never know it from an outburst by Rodger Jones on The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, in which he lambastes Michael Phelps for smoking marijuana.

"My view is this: Michael Phelps validates the world opinion of Americans as self-indulgent, self-interested consumerists engaging in a perpetual national frat party. Thanks, Michael. You have a level of responsibility you failed to recognize. I'd not shed a tear if your sponsors all cancelled your contracts before you could sprint the length of the pool. As a society we should send you a potent message about consequences -- youthful indescretions or not."

Rodger Jones questions why few other newspaper editorial boards commented on Michael Phelps' choice of recreational drug. The most likely answer? Perhaps because few other editorial boards lay the blame for the deaths of drug dealers in Detroit and innocent Mexicans killed by drug cartels on a single American young man who happens to be an occasional recreational marijuana user. As reader "jackie smith" puts it:

"When you consume the drug you have blood in your hands! Stop fooling yourself claiming that your act is a private, one that only involves you!! It is not TRUE. You are contributing to the murder of policemen, judges, journalists and their innocent family members."

The logic is as flawed as saying that Rodger Jones and "jackie smith" personally have blood on their own hands for supporting laws against innocuous recreational drug use. Unlike the legal production, distribution, and consumption of beer and wine, it's the illegal status of recreational drugs that gives power to the outlaw drug cartels. Rodger Jones and "jackie smith" will not reduce drug violence by making outlaws of athletes like Michael Phelps. Rodger Jones' rant against Michael Phelps emphasizes the absurdity of our drug laws and reinforces the need for reform.

Refinery strike; Belo layoffs

The Nightly Build...

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May I Have a Word? Scab

Tod Robberson, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, reports the threat of a strike by unions at Houston oil refineries. Robberson is no fan of ExxonMobil, especially after what he calls its just posted "obscene" record profits, but he warns that refineries are in a good position to break any strike with "scabs" and the public is not going to be sympathetic with workers who still have a job in this bad economic environment, no matter what their complaint.

So far, no quibble from me. Striking when the economy is flat on its back is folly. I think Robberson has analyzed the situation well. It's the reader response that I find noteworthy. "Trey Garrison" asks, "isn't 'scab' derogatory?" Indeed it is. Many ExxonMobil fans would probably take offense to calling strikebreakers "scabs." To be politically correct, writers probably ought to use the neutral term "strikebreaker." I just find it deliciously ironic that the person who raised this issue of political correctness is Trey Garrison.

Trey Garrison also asked Robberson why he defines ExxonMobil's profits as "obscene." I think dictionary.com's definition number 4 is applicable: "So large in amount as to be objectionable or outrageous." This is a subjective definition and I expect Tod Robberson and Trey Garrison to disagree on how "large in amount" ExxonMobil's profits need to be to be judged "objectionable." For Robberson and many Americans, ExxonMobil's $45.22 billion annual profit, the largest yearly profit in American history, is objectionable. Alternatively, for Trey Garrison, it isn't. It would be interesting if Trey Garrison could name any profit level that he would consider objectionable. My guess is no. After all, Trey Garrison isn't easily offended. Unless it's by calling a strikebreaker a scab.

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What's a Newspaperman To Do?

Rod Dreher, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, bemoans another round of layoffs at A.H.Belo. Everyone's an armchair business genius, and I'm no exception, so here are my thoughts...

• Newspapers are doomed. The cost of paper, ink and delivery is what is going to kill the business, given the cheaper production costs of online.
• There are efforts to preserve online content. The first notable effort was archive.org (originally known as the WaybackMachine). But funding for this effort is unlikely to match the funding for public libraries in decades past for their newspaper archival efforts.
• Concentrating on local news is probably only a delaying tactic. Economic survival depends on growing economies of scale, and covering suburban city council meetings and school board meetings is moving in the wrong direction. Besides, people may live in, say, Richardson, but work in Dallas and send their kid to UT-Arlington. There's no way a printed product can be produced that will cover that person's interests. Going local sounds good, but is devilishly difficult to implement in a way that makes money.
• The way forward? I'm out of time and space. That is left as an exercise for the reader.