Category — New York

Another fine example of your tax dollars at work.

“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s last name is spelled ‘Osama’ on hundreds of absentee ballots mailed out this week to voters in Rensselaer County. The misspelling, which elections officials on both sides of the aisle insist was simply a typo, is causing embarrassment for the county.”

Good for Cheektowaga Central Middle School for instituting a little discipline.  Schools are educational institutions first and foremost.  Social activities, sports, and clubs are privileges that should be linked to academic performance.

Of course, not everyone is happy: 

Critics of the tough-love approach cite studies showing that students active in extracurricular activities tend to perform better in class, and they worry that without structured activities after school, troubled youngsters will be more apt to find trouble.

So the D and F students get involved in debate and Model UN?  This is like sampling the Harvard Law class and declaring that extra curricular activities increase LSAT performance.  Something tells me the debate team didn’t lose half its members when the GPA requirement got instituted. 

Whiney liberal educators need to straighten out their priorities.  Being told you can’t attend a dance stings for a day; being stupid handicaps you for a lifetime.

NY Governor Elliot Spitzer got snared by the Feds arranging a rendezvous with a prostitute.  His statement implies he’ll do the politician two-step—hold on hoping the storm blows over.  But one particular part of his terse statement is completely wrong:

Today I want to briefly address a private matter.

As attorney general and now governor, New York’s highest positions of public trust, you willingly sacrificed your private life for public service.  It comes with the territory.  Yet you exposed not only yourself but more importantly the people of New York to extortion and blackmail. 

And let’s not forget this isn’t your first “miscue”.  Your statements on Trooper Gate certainly need more scrutiny now too.

Do the right thing, Elliot.  Call it a day and resign.