EXIT DELAY—On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Tom DeLay’s political career came full circle in an Austin courthouse five blocks south of the Capitol building where his career began in 1979. The former majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives was found guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Executives from […]

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Following the Money “Should the American people put their faith in a white billionaires boys’ club to lead the revolution on behalf of poor people of color?” —Barbara Miner, at NOTwaitingforsuperman.org The documentary film Waiting for Superman advances a seductive argument: that the solution to the “problem” of public education lies exclusively in innovation that […]

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Après le Déluge “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” —Congressman John Shimkus quoting God at a 2009 Congressional hearing The criminal charges former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay faces in an Austin courtroom are straightforward. Since 1905, it has been […]

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An Incentive to Buy High—If the General Services Administration is the government’s “Office Depot Catalog,” as attorney Victor Kubli describes it on page 1 of this issue, the Industrial Funding Fee is an enticement for vendors listed in the catalog to gouge the government. The fee funds the agency, which receives no appropriation to operate. […]

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Military-Industrial Complicity “At the end of the day, what does this represent to the taxpayer? … A net loss. This is a contractors’ private club. … This is about them taking care of themselves.” —A National Guard source speaking anonymously “Their solution was to make it up,” Victor Kubli said. “That’s right, make it up.” […]

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