Well, Whittle's Channel One was kind of a debacle.

If the advertisers were local businesses that the kids were likely to have social contact with --Mom & Pop hardware stores, or whatever-- it would be easier to swallow.

But it's likely to be huge conglomera-toid enterprises (McDonald's!) which, even if they'll be hiring those school kids in ten years, aren't really known for their community involvement.

And it's community involvement that's falling apart, anyway. Brentwood families don't care about public funding for education in Watts, right? But then again, why should they?

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PS - As I loaded this webpage, there happened to be an ad for Gaza coverage from Joe the Plumber through the Pajamas TV on Amy's website.

This is not meant to be critical of Amy at all. I know she doesn't pick the ads, and etc etc etc, I just don't care. But earlier this evening I was going through a friend's old Facebook notes and found this item:

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"Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who's Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating's son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.

"Does any of this make Joe the Plumber a bad guy? Of course not. In fact, after that ill-fated night at the Watergate, he may finally be giving plumbers a good name. But at a debate where John goes full bore on Obama for guilt-by-association with William Ayers (and dodges a bullet by Obama not mentioning Keating Five), the press is going to bring it back front and center by midday tomorrow once they delve deeper into the most popular plumber in America."

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Turns out, as I remember it, the press never did that.

What the fuck?

How did we get from school budgets to "Six Degrees of Sam Wurzelbacher"?

Every school I've known of does something like this for extra curricular activities. It's an interesting and innovative idea from the teacher, but something that shows off systemic failings to provide funding, so I'll be surprised if he gets away with it in the long run. Administrators are bound to think that either it's wrong or that it's something that can't be left in the hands of a mere teacher. I mean what if the teacher made a bad decision? Better have a committee write a policy and create an approval process and of course allocate an appropriate amount of funding for the committee and the administrators of the process.

Regarding Joe the Plumber, I was out of the country and missed all of the TV leading up to the election. I know: sad for me. What's his shtick? Providing information that other sources don't? Insightful analysis?

His schtick?

His mere existence frosts the left because he made The One tell the truth about his worldview on camera.

Or at least what was thought at the time to be the truth. Turns out that everything he's ever believed for the last thirty years was a lie. At least if his cabinet selections are anything to go by, that is.

Ok, I'll bite - what was this "truth" that Joe extracted from Obama? And why was he able to get Obama to say something different (if he did say something different)?

From a distance Obama looked to me like a gloss of charisma, youth, being black, good looks and catchy but meaningless slogans on top of the standard issue, quasi-socialist politician. I haven't been significantly surprised by anything Obama has done or said and I don't expect to be surprised over the course of his administration.

Why would I watch Joe? What would he tell me that would help me, but that I don't already know?

~~~ yawwwwwnnn ~~~~

I actually think it's pretty disgusting that teachers have to finance their classrooms. And I'm somebody who thinks school should be paid directly by people who have kids, except for the very poor. People should have the number of kids they can afford to school. And while I've paid big into social security (and guess that I am unlikely to see the benefits) and I've been taxed disproportionately as an independent worker, I don't believe in this sort of forced government "savings" plan.

Point taken, but it's weird how there's absolutely no realm where you can expect to be sheltered from advertising. (Presumably you'd agree that the church is selling itself.)

What's more disgusting, Amy, is that the budget for the school system is enormous, yet they can't find the money for basic supplies?

We have a failed school system in our capital city here in CT, and they have 4x4s for the janitorial staff, but there's very little education going on.

Government will always fail because it cannot be held accountable.