NOW, that's an outrage

A press release from The New York Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) has attacked Senator Ted Kennedy for endorsing Barack Obama. 

The chapter has called the Senator's action, the "ultimate betrayal" since apparently, a vote for anyone but Hillary is beyond their sensibilities.

National Organization For Women, public logo

In fairness, the NOW national organization has officially disavowed this insipid press release, but even that might not blunt the near-term  damage to its reputation-- compliments of the New York chapter.

Choosing mud to sling

Why does Senator Obama highlight relatively innocuous aspects of Hillary Clinton's history like service on Walmart's board (is that a crime?) when there is so much else to choose from. Examples...

In 1992 Ms. Clinton insulted many American women who choose to stay home and raise their children (remember the "bake cookies" comment?).  Then we learned about her involvement in FileGate and TravelGate. Later Ms. Clinton made preposterous statements to the press about a "vast right wing conspiracy" when asked about her husband's peccadilloes which were already well chronicled.  One could go on and on.

Now, she criticizes Senator Obama for the quality of clients he represented while in private practice.  I bet Ms. Clinton would prefer to discuss her board memberships as opposed to other issues that stained her political dossier.  

Behaving un-presidential

There's much disapproval of former President Bill Clinton's recent speech-making. When Senator Ted Kennedy is unhappy with the Clintons, it's an unusual time. 

Some criticized Mr. Clinton's bare-knuckled comments to promote his wife's candidacy as "un-presidential". There was an ex-Presidents tradition of leading a muted retirement.

I'm enamored with Mr. Clinton's intelligence, his command of complex issues and I believe he cares about the average citizen.  He's also a fine speaker, gifted politician and a Democrat with some fiscal moorings.  After all, we haven't seen a budget surplus since Bill Clinton left the White House. His peccadilloes aside, one must give him some credit for those balanced budgets. 

On the other hand, he used the Oval Office like a sex parlor, deceived the American people about it, lied under oath, rented the Lincoln bedroom, pardoned billionaire tax cheat Mark Rich and one could go on.  How consistently did he behave in a "presidential" manner while in office?

A toast to South Carolina

The Palmetto state makes me proud tonight.  I love its motto: Dum Spiro Spero (while I breathe, I hope).

South Carolina state flag

Consider the beginning to tonight's Republican debate in Myrtle Beach -- a chorus of men in suits and women in lovely white dresses all singing the Star Spangled Banner.  It was a perfect start to the debate.

State of Wisconsin flubs identity handling (redux)

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that a state mailing may have compromised the identities of thousands of Wisconsinites because of Social Security numbers that were inadvertently printed on mailing labels.

I published a column last year in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after approximately 171,000 taxpayer social security numbers adorned the front of tax booklets. I also mentioned in that column, another breach (not cited in today's Journal Sentinel story) by a human resources aide who mishandled social security numbers of state assembly members.

In the midst of this carelessness, the State Department of Health and Family Services and Governor Doyle's spokesman, Matt Canter, are placing the blame squarely on the vendor, EDS. I remember the Mea Culpa letter last year from the printer that accompanied a similar letter from the Department of Revenue to explain and take responsibility for that debacle. At least, there was a semblance of accountability.

In today's JS story, the Governor's spokesman Matt Canter, suggests that there is a big difference between last year's data goof and this new one because last year the printer had no use for the compromised data, but EDS needed the data to do it's processing this year.  OK, but in both cases, state government provided the data files containing our social security numbers to a vendor. That's not where its responsibility ends. 

The state can acknowledge the problem without placing 100% of the blame on the vendor. An independent examination of its processes and controls to determine what went wrong, is warranted.  

Public education and "choice"

Some public education voices extol a right to choice that includes free-from-faith learning environments.  Public teachers unions have also historically chosen to fight performance standards intended to hold their members accountable.  

Office.com clip art

Yesterday’s blog post from Patrick McIlheran is spot on.  Mr. McIlheran makes the point that when parents choose alternatives to public education for their children, the principle of free choice often vanishes from teacher unions' consciousness and they behave as though they are the victims.  

I'll always support a strong public education system, but I also reject the views of those who are antagonistic, if not hostile toward alternative private education.