Thousands for PR, but cut school budgets

Betsy Russell has a story about the Land Board hiring a PR agent. Of course, the guy is a connected Republican. The key quote to me is

Since it first signed a contract with Tracy in October 2007, the Land Board has paid him $279,009, according to records obtained under the Idaho Public Records Act. That includes the cost of polling and the DVD. Tracy’s contract is set at $85,000 per year, and includes a $4,000 per month contract fee.

Land Board member Tom Luna had this to say about the shape of school budgets.

Luna wants $36 million to replace the temporary funding and another $24 million to cover an estimated 3,500 new students expected to enter the K-12 public school system next year. Altogether, $60 million in new money is needed just to keep per-student spending at current levels, Luna said.

$279,000 won't go far to help schools, but spending it is sure an odd choice in times of austerity.

Resisting and obstructing

Meet Tony. You can tell just by looking at him what he was charged with; resisting and obstructing an officer.



It's not 100%, but lots of folks charged with this will have the facial abrasions from being "subdued." I don't have a huge problem with a knucklehead getting roughed up a bit when scuffling with police, if it's inadvertent. It just seems to happen a lot to folks getting that charge.

Maybe it's because they only charge this when the knucklehead really puts up a fight and they have to get physical with him. I hope that's it. I hope it's not retribution.

Nicholas, Kody, James and Alex below were also charged with resisting and obstructing on the same day. Most of them look okay. Hmmm... They're all male. Testosterone can be such a curse.

I don't understand conservatives

This seems odd. Adam is complaining about the ethics process in the legislature. When I first started to read it, I thought he was going to say that the process is lame and lets legislators get away with way too much. Since that's my view, I should have known that wasn't where Adam was headed.

Adam is sticking up for Phil Hart and complaining that the ethics process is either silly or corrupt. He doesn't like it that the ethics panel is continuing to investigate Hart. Adam writes:

What this abuse of the ethics process is about is a media, leftist, and establishment vendetta against a conservative lawmaker. The left wingers have little power in our state. However, if they can, through a series of continual attacks, bring a conservative down, they can at least feel as if they’re powerful for a few days.

So he's blaming "leftists" and apparently Democrats. Not exactly sure. But what's funny is this.

House Speaker Lawerence Denney said today that Rep. Eric Anderson’s removal as vice-chairman of the House State Affairs Committee - shortly after Anderson had filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Phil Hart - was merely an oversight, but also said he’d warned Anderson of “fallout” if he filed the ethics complaint.

Eric Anderson is a Republican from Priest Lake. So, perhaps Adam views Anderson as a RINO and therefore a leftist. Or, perhaps he just blames we leftys for anything he doesn't like.

A bit of silly spin

It always amuses me to read the little blurbs about local business folks in the Statesman. You know, so and so just joined such and such company. It's just a bit of publicity for the business person.

Lawyers are always getting in there with some accolade about being chosen by their peers as the best lawyer at something, or selected as one of the top 100 in the country, or whatever. Which really isn't true. Most of those accolades are similar to Who's Who. That is, you pay for the honor.

Anyway, today's installment was an announcement of a couple of new hires at a local large law firm. One of them had some experience, but it looks like the other graduated from law school and clerked with a judge for a while, then hired on at the law firm. Here's the amusing part.

Willman’s practice focuses on commercial and business litigation, creditor’s rights, products liability, employment litigation, professional malpractice, insurance defense, and general workers’ compensation defense.

To say she's "focused" on all that is just kind of silly. It's like saying a shotgun blast is focused.

Tax cut deal

Well, if you read this blog, you know all about the deal President Obama cut regarding extending the tax cuts and unemployment benefits.

I'm kind of mixed in my reaction. It doesn't seem like too bad a deal, if you have to cut a deal. Both sides getting something, that's what compromise is all about. Politics is the art of the possible, right?

I'm not smart enough to game out what will happen two years down the road, so I'm not going to worry about it.

What I wish is that Obama would stand up and fight for something. Push back against Republicans, and make them pay a price. Until he does, I'm going to continue to feel very lackluster enthusiam.

Not a very interesting post, I know, but I was tired of looking at that gals black eye.