WEDDING BELLS

No issue next week - Your editor's daughter is getting married! 

DUBIE PARLE FRANCAIS

Our Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie led a high level delegation to Quebec City including Secretaries of Transportation and Commerce to discuss common environmental concerns about Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog, trade, energy, and tourism. Participants praised Mr. Dubie. "They love him up there. He gave a three-minute toast at the banquet in French. Was that ever appreciated! He is so genuine and straightforward. He told them ‘we want to be friends.’ They were flattered and responded." 

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

Or not. Clearly Governor Jim Douglas is uncomfortable with the choices presented to him by the Judicial Review Board. He is also uncomfortable with the process.

"All qualified candidates should be forwarded to me. All thirty. The choice is not meant to be made by the Judicial Review Committee," said Douglas at his weekly press conference.

He has had the names for months, interviewed them all. Part of the problem may be ideology. Clearly some are liberals; one, Richard Cassidy, is a founding partner in the Democrat law firm in Burlington. Three nominees were born in New York City, one in Oregon, another in Massachusetts. Only Cassidy was born in Vermont.

In the current court only Chief Justice Amestoy was born in Vermont. Nativity is slipping in Vermont. In 1990, 59 percent of Vermonters were natives. By 2000 that number had slipped to 54.3 percent. For the indigenous folks, he/she who judges thee did not walk in thy shoes, was not brought up with your values and character, and did not go to Vermont’s schools. Hardly are thee judged by thy "peers". 

MR. SMITH GOES TO MONTPELIER

Dan Smith, son of former Lieutenant Governor Peter Smith, and nephew of Secretary Charlie Smith, is now working in the governor’s office as clerk of Suzanne Young, the Governor’s counsel. Schooled at the University of Virginia and its law school, Dan was sworn in to the bar this Monday as his parents looked on. Previously he clerked for Justice James Morse. This fall Smith will join Downs, Rachlin and Martin in Burlington. 

TIMBER

When a tree falls in the forest it is said, no one can hear it. In the Vermont forest industry in recent years, many have fallen. Hard not to hear. Hard not to understand the devastation on small towns of Vermont which for years have lived on logging, saw mills, and wood manufacturing. The jobs are not sexy or high tech for the most part. Many are dangerous. Wages have not been high but people get by. It is work, productive work, outdoor work, and skilled work. They made things: scrabble parts, snow shoes, salad bowls, knife handles, ice cream buckets, etc.

Adams Mill in Moscow announced that it will close by the end of summer after 89 years of operation. At one point Stowe had twenty-six sawmills. The Adams Mill is the last. At one time they employed fifty, today fifteen. The land and buildings were purchased by neighbors, the machinery is headed to Maine according to the Stowe Reporter. 

THINNING THE FOREST

In the last few years, the forest products industries have taken a hit. WTD Industries in East Burke with over 100 employees, Buffalo Mountain Lumber in Hardwick with 40 employees, Ethan Allen in Island Pond, Orleans and Randolph with over 300 employees, Bell-Gates Lumber of Cambridge with 40 employees, Chesapeake Hardwood of Hancock with 90 employees, Milton Pallet of Milton with 25 employees, Smith Lumber of Londonderry with 50 employees, Kimberley Clark in Ryegate with 100 employees, Davidson Industries of Woodsville and 75 employees, and the on again off again Gilman Paper of Concord. There is also the closing of part of the Champion Lands and the National Forest to logging.

Jeffrey Carr suggested in a 2001 study for the Commerce Department that the forest products industry employed 18,463 folks and contributed $24,900,000 in revenues to the State of Vermont. Both numbers are smaller today. 

ACT 25O ENVY

Folks in New London, New Hampshire feel left out of the discussion about Mount Sunapee’s expansion. The folks from Okemo who know a thing or two about public input are managing Sunapee.

"It is like trying to stop a steamroller," said Sara Smith, a New London resident opposed to further expansion. "They come into meetings and say what they are going to do. We are not allowed to make any input at all," according to a report in the Valley News.

An advisory committee was created when the state gave up management of Sunapee. Committee member Dan Wolf said, "This is an advisory body, not a legislative body. It is not a body that has any power. Public input does not mean a public forum."

General Manger Jay Gamble said, "We do not operate our business based on a straw poll of what the public thinks." 

ACT 250 REALITY

The water business is a green business. Tap the spring, bottle it, call it Vermont Pure, and everyone loves you. Well not on Rogers Road in Randolph Center. They are not even at the Act 250 stage. They received a permit from the Development Review Board last year. But neighbors were unhappy. Vermont Pure walked Rogers Road and listened. Based on their findings they agreed to collect the water in smaller trucks at times when fewer folks were at home in an attempt to make folks happy.

This failed. Jonathan and Dawn Walters of Rogers Road hired Stephanie Kaplan to represent them. She hired sound expert James Cowan of Massachusetts and four other "experts" who did not have the chance to speak

No one is talking about building a refinery, a power plant, or an airport in this neighborhood. Just collecting a bit of water. No matter. Vermont Progressive Party Chair Martha Abbott wrote an op-ed in the Free Press "Those who go around proclaiming that Vermont is ‘anti-business’ do us all a disservice."

Vermont Pure says that time is short, competition is intense. The large multinationals are fighting for market share in a very price-competitive business. "If we cannot compete on price, we will not be in the game," they said. 

Who cares? 

ROXBURY REDUX

For the third time this year Roxbury voters have voted on their school budget. Last week we reported that the school board had so generously reduced its budget after the last defeat, from $1,049,434 to $1,049,000. What do you think happened? Of course, defeated again with a 50% turnout 53 to 47.

One of the ideas in the legislature this year was to allow voters to approve teacher contracts. Douglas said that he supports the idea for discussion. "It is the collision between education and taxpayers' ability to pay. This is the biggest part of the budget. Voters are frustrated when they go to budget meeting and are told that 85 percent of the budget is untouchable."

Asked if this practice might discourage teachers or deny teachers their worth, Douglas said, "This is one way for a greater connection to the voters. They are the people who are footing the bill." 

AND ON THE OTHER HAND

The last two issues advocated issues, tactics and strategies to advance the cause of the Grand Old Party. What about the Democrats, the party of the ages, currently seeking its path?

In the last election we urged the Democrat standard bearer to be himself, to run on his liberal record. He and other liberals had managed the state for most of the previous eighteen years. Much of their agenda did not have majority support and yet a majority would return them office year after year. As the rubber began to meet the road, businesses closing, jobs disappearing, tax base eroding and thereby taxes increasing to support their liberal efforts, Racine ran from his record. Instead of voting for Douglas-lite, Vermonters chose Douglas. 

SAVE OUR CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

How might they characterize their promise, their agenda, and their commitment to Vermonters? Here’s a suggestion:

"Because globalization is creating a single marketplace, it can homogenize consumption simultaneously all over the world. Because globalization is a culturally homogenizing, an environment-devouring force, and is coming on so fast, there is a real danger that in just a few decades it could wipe out the ecological and cultural diversity that took millions of years of human and biological evolution to produce.

"There is only one hope for stopping it or at least slowing it down. Countries (states) need to develop the right surge protectors. Countries (states) need to develop sufficiently strong cultural and environmental filters so that they can interact without being overwhelmed so that their culture is not turned into a global mush and their environment into a global mash.

"If countries (states) cannot do that, we will all be poorer. Everywhere will start to look like everywhere else, with the same restaurants, the same hotels, the same malls, the same MTV, the same movies, the same Muzak, the same naked forests and concrete valleys.

"Touring the world will become like going to the zoo and seeing the same animal in every cage, a stuffed animal." 

THE LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE

Thomas Friedman in his book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" makes the case for Vermont’s Democrats, certainly more articulately than they have. The Lexus is the economic engine; the Olive Tree is the local culture.

Vermont has done well preserving some of its local culture. There are lovely layouts in many a 19th century village, with greens and generous setbacks. This weekend there is a celebration our history at the Tunbridge Fair Grounds. We have distinguished ourselves enough so that our vacation home ownership is the highest in the country, 560 percent over the national average. Our natural beauty, our bucolic vistas, the slower pace, the quiet and serenity, and the clean environment have maintained a more than century old tradition of vacation homes and restful hotels and inns.

New investment has restored many old homes, brought new inns and restaurants, shopping opportunities, expanded recreational choices and sites, and cultural centers. 

THE GUND INSTITUTE TO THE RESCUE

Jobs and our falling per capita income relative to other states should not be our constant focus. Explaining away our worries about jobs and folding money is the newly arrived Gund Institute of the University of Vermont. Founded in 1991 at the University of Maryland with grants from the Ford and MacArthur Foundations, they took flight on the wings of a $7,500,000 grant from the Gund Family and arrived in August, 2002.

Their complete staff moved with them. The board includes folks from Earth Voice, the Conservation Foundation, National Capital Institute and the Kellogg Foundation. The mission is "to fill the growing need to integrate the study and management of ‘nature's household’ (ecology) and ‘humankind's household’ (economics). 

KENNEDY SETS THE MESAGE

Bobby Kennedy articulated their mission statement better in 1968 when he said: "The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.

"It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile."

On Gund Institute web site, http://www.uvm.edu/giee/ check out their study, "Estimate of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for Vermont, Chittenden County and Burlington, from 1950-2000." 

WE ARE THE RICHEST

Their GPI measures eight functional groups and 26 elements. The eight groups are: income, households, mobility, social capital, pollution, land loss, natural capital and net investment. Social capital for example would include the cost of crime, the cost of family breakdown and divorce, the loss of leisure time and the cost of underemployment.

The conclusion is that Burlington for example lagged well behind the rest of the United States in GPI until about 1982. Since then, not only is Burlington well ahead of the rest of the country in GPI, but the gap is widening. It was in 1982 that the Socialists, now Progressives, took over Burlington and two years later the Democrat/Progressives took over Montpelier. 

THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT

This past week both Sloan Wilson, author of the novel, and Gregory Peck who brought it to life on the silver screen, died. Its concept was to negate the common held view, "The important thing is to make money...you needed a bigger house, a better car, private schools for your growing children and shop accounts for your wife."

The message is here for the Democrats. It is not from the man in the grey flannel suit. Robert Kennedy defines their challenge. The contrast is clear. There is more to life than jobs and money. There is more to life than opportunity and freedom. There is the "common welfare." There is public debate of Act 250. Articulate the message, persuade voters. Democrat candidates were told last year not to talk about issues, but to run on personality. They do have issues, the choice is clear. Be bold. Put the positions up for a vote. Let the best message win. 

WALDO THE COPYCAT

Speaking of message, first Howard Dean stole the "Democratic wing of the democratic party" line from the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Then he adapted the "Take Back Vermont" slogan coined by his opponents in the 2000 gubernatorial election, making it "Take Back America". Now he's borrowing from Governor Douglas' recent successful campaign: "My message is jobs." --Howard Dean, The Associated Press - June 10, 2003 

TROLLING

It was as if the Burlington Free Press was trolling when they proposed giving voters a chance to vote on teacher contracts. Angelo Dorta, recently reelected president of Vermont NEA, rose to the bait in an op-ed. DPR previously reported his blowup at a Mount Mansfield Union meeting. We also reported when Dorta left an anonymous nasty-gram on an answering machine. Unfortunately for Dorta, the fellow saved the message and had caller ID.

Remember when the Free Press was all the rage within the educational community. Now they all rage at it. On June 8th, the Forum was filled with rebuttal. Dorta hissed, "That the tiresome Free Press claims choice drives higher school performance...without citing authoritative sources exemplifies low journalistic standards...in disturbing McCarthyistic fashion, it lashes out with a preposterous, untrue and incendiary charge (at the) Vermont-NEA ...repetitive attacks only have led to loss of Free Press editorial credibility and a marginalized voice." So why does he protest? 

IT IS ABOUT RESULTS

Marsha Camp, a cognitive shill specialist writes, "Public education in our state is excellent." To refute the Free Press claim that "there is no correlation between the amount of money spent and academic success," she writes, "Money ensures the very best opportunities...smaller classes, honors and AP classes are all about money." Yet nowhere does she offer evidence to dispute the claim that money and success are not related.

If education is so excellent why did the Milton School District May Newsletter report that only 16 percent of female eleventh graders exceeded the science standard and 30 percent of tenth grade males exceeded the math standard. So 84 percent and 70 percent failure constitutes "excellence?" This was after the State intervened to help out. 

LEGISLATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS

»» John McClaughry, Kirby: I agree with your assessment of the performance of Governor, House, and Senate in 2003. However I think your list of achievements needs to be more clearly explained. Leaving out the drug program, ten more state police officers, and opening the already built (and overly expensive) Springfield prison, the list should read like this:

Increased compulsory labor price fixing; more government loans to debt-strapped dairy farmers; consolidation of control of public education in Montpelier without expanding parental choice; more government loans to help business survive Vermont's high tax, high regulation, high mandate climate; state spending and taxation balanced at record high level; first step toward corporate welfare for high cost "green" electric energy producers; costly study of socializing of private power dams; inflating small government department into agency for sole purpose of sympathizing with department's constituency; creating new government department to help manage other departments.

Why would anyone other than a "progressive" congratulate the legislature for these accomplishments? 

»» Rob Towle, Rutland City: While it is true that the House did help pass anything but a fix on Act 60, most Republican Representatives went into the process knowing that the Republican majority in the House is a very fragile one with Democrats and Progressives as the Vice Chairmen of most committees. This alone is not the biggest hurdle.

The major problem was that regardless of the thoughtful bills past in the House, the Democrat-controlled Senate would stand in the way of real reform. Status quo worked under the Dean administration and Senate Democrats were not about to fix anything that might come back to haunt FORMER Governor Dean's bid for the White House. Just think about it; the minute Dean leaves the State, his own party correcting one of the centerpieces of his tenure as Governor.

Act 60 reform will only happen when enough people in the Senate really care about the common Vermonter and not about what is happening in Iowa... 

»» Laura Brueckner, Waterbury Center: Your "rah, rah Governor Douglas" seems to conflict with the facts. Douglas has not reformed Act 250, and Act 60 and Act 71 remain firmly in place, cheating families out of their biggest investment - their homes. There have been NO cuts in government, in fact, duplication of Federal services continues with the OSHA inspectors still employed by the State of Vermont. While the poor and/or elderly can't afford life sustaining medication and health insurance, costs escalate due to government's failure to pay its medical bills. Douglas expanded grant programs for recreation associated businesses. It's hard for those of us affected by Douglas' failure to even try to keep campaign promises to see any difference between Dean and Douglas. The rank and file are still the losers in every single program and lack of action on life style-affecting "law." The tax shifting shell game continues unabated. The budget increased and tax revenues are down so tax burdens have increased for the hourly wage earner! It seems to me the letters to your site demonstrate these facts regardless of your clever spin. 

HOW DO SCHOOL BUDGETS PASS?

»» Martin Harris, Addison: I'd like to see you or one of your skilled observers take on the contemptuous treatment of voters by school boards -- you've given many examples of budgets with tiny reductions or even increases after voter rejections -- and theorize for us why these apparent failures of our once-prized local control are happening. My own theory is that the gentry-left, who have quite skillfully taken over our school and planning boards, now, with their talent for ad hominem attacks on anyone who disagrees with them, have driven enough of us from their meetings and hearings that they now dominate; but it doesn't explain why most budget and bond issues ultimately get adopted, after two or three futile rejections, even though we have the shelter of Australian balloting. 

COST CONTAINMENT

»» Gregory Thayer, Alderman--Rutland City: Cost Containment must be the highest priority on the minds of every local school board, town council and legislator. Here in Rutland City, we, the voters do not vote on our local City School District's budget. That is wrong and irresponsible.

Rutland City voters must have the opportunity to vote on our school department's. budget every March Town Meeting Day like every other community across our great State, if were going to cure the spending problem. Since the days of Dave Wolk, the City's former Superintendent, salaries went through the roof, and are still climbing. In my opinion, there is NO accountability!

We have some good School Board members and educators here in Rutland, but they have been sucked in and can't make the necessary changes. So now it is time for the People's voices to be heard!

I am proud of Representatives Duffy & Haas for their no vote on H-480. Some towns do well under this new law but Rutland City and businesses do not! Business taxes and user fees are going up, up and away! This will also dampen business recruitment efforts that me and other folks are working on. With the new business real property tax of a $1.59 per $100, our efforts may be for not.

Admittedly, some good steps were taken to alleviate some burdens, especially the homeowner property tax reduction to $1.10 and the killing of the sharing pool. But now it is time to get involved with our local legislators to completely kill Act-60 and reduce the business property taxes and sunset some of these increased user fees and other taxes. And start cutting duplication and waste. COMPETITION isn't a bad word either!

I support privatization concepts on the municipal side of government and I strongly believe choices and competition in our schools is a solid answer to a very old problem. This is about the children and our future. This is bigger then the Unions.

Another nice little practice here in Rutland City with our school department: Our City teachers have two active retirement plans working for them at the same time. (I did some research on this at the former state Treasure Office who manages the state's retirement programs.) Rutland City School Department employees have their state Teachers' retirement plan and they have the City of Rutland's retirement plan working for them --wrong, wrong, and wrong. That must change too; duplication.

Do your community and wallet a favor, get involved, ask questions and review the documentation and again, ask questions. It's your town, your school and your wallet! 

SEPARATION OF POWER AND THE GOVERNOR

»» Don Griffes, E. Charleston: Evidently the DPR editor does not understand all he knows about the Vermont State Republican Committee. Several recent statements lack credibility. You said several times in the last few weeks that "Governor Douglas fired the Vermont Republican State Committee Chair Joe Acinapura." This is just not so. The Governor has no authority whatsoever to fire a party chair. The party rules state that the removal (or to fire) of an officer of the State Committee, requires a two thirds vote of the State Committee. Yes Joe resigned his chairmanship of the State Committee for what ever reason, but he was not fired by Governor Douglas.

You also printed in the DPR several weeks ago this statement, "the (GOP State Committee) Chair serves at the discretion of the governor, he (the governor) has the right to put together his team". That is simply not true. According to the GOP party rules, members of the State Republican Committee have full responsibility to elect whomever they please, member or non members, to the governor’s liking or not. A governor can be a member of the state committee as an elected representative or as an appointed officer. The most legal power the governor would have in that case would be his one vote. However by virtue of the fact that he is our Republican governor, he can, will and does enjoy significant influence, but influence is the extent of the governor’s power and rights over party matters as it now stands.

We have a terrific Republican governor in Jim Douglas. A majority of Vermonters feel that he is doing an excellent job. But keep in mind that he does not have authority over the Republican State Committee he has only the power of his influence. For the governor to rule over the GOP State Committee would be anarchy just as much as it would be anarchy for the governor to rule over the House of Representatives or any other branch of government except the Executive branch which he administers as CEO. Our system is still a republic and that requires separation of powers. Our success depends on our continued application of republican principles of government. Our system of governance will evolve into anarchy if we ignore the "separation of powers" as built into our laws, rules and Constitution. 

INSTRUCTOR NEEDED

»» Alexey Voinov, Colchester: If "Republicans are well known to be better at math" (DPR 06-13-03), could someone please explain to me how does it help to reduce taxes when our debt is increasing. Going from a budget surplus to the largest in history deficit in two years is certainly a major achievement of the current GOP administration. Now I'm trying to figure out the math that goes with it.

I've always thought of our budget as a pool full of dollars. We have some incoming pipes that bring dollars in and taxes are the largest of those. We also have some outgoing pipes that suck dollars out, and military spending always went through the biggest of those pipes. Now if for a variety of reasons we increase the flow out (waging wars and improving homeland security), then obviously the dollar level starts to go down. If at the same time we start decreasing the inflow (taxes), the level goes down even faster. We quickly drain the pool, which we did, and then go into the negative - here the pool analogy breaks.

Unlike water, dollars can become negative, that is if we borrow them. As we all know from our experience buying houses and enjoying our credit card life, debt doesn't come alone - it comes with interest. As any mortgage company must tell you these days, you will actually pay the triple of your house price over the 30 years of your mortgage. Who is picking the bill in case of national debt? Perhaps our children - who else?

Financial Times (http://news.ft.com/home/us) has recently reported a study which showed that "the US currently faces a future of chronic federal budget deficits totalling at least $44,200bn in current US dollars". The report was commissioned by the Treasury, but was then shelved by the administration, perhaps again because of the poor math. One pretty obvious conclusion that the FT makes is that under a burden of such a deficit there is clearly no way Social Security and Medicare can be continued.

In reality it is not going to be that bad. In reality all the taxes that are returned to us will end up in the market providing a major stimulus to the economy. The economy will flourish, and we will collect all the tax money we need. My only problem is that the tax credit that we are to enjoy is designed in such a way that on average a person with a million in earnings will receive about $90,000 back, while those unlucky ones who took only $25,000 home are not supposed to get anything back at all.

Perhaps that's fair: after all they have paid so little in taxes anyway, so why bother about them at all? (TaxCut software estimated my gain at about $171 - thank you, but I would rather have my Medicare.) However it's also pretty obvious that a dollar given to a poor person matters so much more to that guy, than the same dollar given to a millionaire. If a poor person receives some extra money, he/she will most likely spend it immediately at the nearest Wal-Mart or grocery store. If a millionaire gets some extra bucks, will he be in a hurry spending them in the market? I doubt it. More likely it will go to real estate, luxury goods, stocks (not necessarily American ones, keeping in mind how the stock market performs these days).

So what is this tax credit really doing for us? Is it supposed to stimulate the economy, or just make the rich richer? And why should I be so happy going further in debt? Could someone more advantaged in math please explain?

After all maybe Free Burlington Press wasn't all that naughty ignoring the $350bln tax program on its front page. Maybe we should forgive them? 

*** QUOTABLE ***

A LITTLE CIRCUMSPECTION NEEDED

"We went to war in part because Hussein failed to account for his weapons, had proven his willingness to use them and behaved in a way that encouraged governments around the world to believe he possessed them. Our intelligence about a hostile foreign government is never perfect. When it tends overwhelmingly toward one conclusion -- in Iraq's case, that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction -- should we give the benefit of the doubt to a dictator with a record of deceit and aggression? ...

"It is too early to declare final victory in Iraq. But we're well past the point of knowing that our war to liberate Iraq was right and just. The discovery of mass graves filled with the bodies of murdered children should have convinced even the greatest skeptic. We made America more secure, liberated millions from a reign of terror and helped create the prospect for the establishment of the first Arab democracy. That should make Americans proud -- and critics of the administration's decision to go to war a little more circumspect." --Senator John McCain, 6/15/03

http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Newscenter.ViewOpEd&Content_id=1117 

THE HILLARY ZONE 

"Miss Hillary's new book surely will make it on The New York Times' bestseller list. The only suspense left is whether it will be placed on the fiction or nonfiction list." --Tony Blankley

"Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Monica Lewinsky? A vast right-wing conspiracy!" --Kathleen Parker

"At last we'll cut through the lies and get to the embellished, politically motivated truth" --David Letterman 

GET OUT OF THE WAY! 

"[T]eachers unions are the gatekeepers of American education reform. Since "A Nation at Risk," they have opened the gate many times -- for more spending, stricter graduation requirements, smaller class sizes and other don't-rock-the-boat "reforms" that preserve the status quo and aren't threatening to union interests. These reforms have done little to improve the schools. But then, improving the schools is not the unions' real concern.

"In the meantime, they have tried to close the gates on reforms with the capacity to deliver major improvements -- namely, accountability and choice. These reforms are dire threats to union interests. Accountability rejects the cushy deal that has long given teachers secure positions and predictable pay regardless of how well they do their jobs. It insists instead on new standards and measures of teacher performance -- with consequences if they don't measure up." --Terry M. Moe, The Detroit News, 6/10/03

http://www.detnews.com/2003/editorial/0306/10/a11-188323.htm 

NO CATHOLICS NEED APPLY 

"The absence--on the brink of Supreme Court vacancies--of a set of constitutional rules regarding filibusters is worrisome. In the meantime, the effect of this acrimonious practice is felt largely by the president's federal appellate nominees, Miguel Estrada, Patricia Owen and Carolyn Kuhl. And this week, the opposition geared up to add Bill Pryor, nominated for the 11th Circuit, to the list of able persons who are being denied, not with a politically accountable up-or-down vote, but by stealth and delay....Mr. Pryor (and Ms. Kuhl) are practicing Catholics. Some of the opposition to both comes dangerously close to a religious exclusion..." --Douglas W. Kmiec, dean of the Catholic University School of Law

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003628 

THAT'S OUR WALDO ALRIGHT 

"[Dean]'s a dark-horse candidate, and the only way he can win the nomination is by appealing to wild-eyed hyperpartisan Democrats." --Opinion Journal, 6/16/03

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110003634 

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