Barbershop Banter
Speaking of Dean, my barber Jerome mentioned a great quote while he was cutting my hair this morning. Apparently, Dean has been pointing out that he balanced 12 budgets in a row and that George Bush has never balanced one.

I'll attest to that. I was living in Texas when GWB pissed away the surplus Ann Richards had made possible during her term as Governer. And that was during the boom, not after it. Sorry, “pissed” is the wrong verb. He gave away the surplus. To his rich buddies and corporate benefactors. Molly Ivins tells you all about it here.

As an aside, Texas was facing a budget crunch almost as scary as California's current one after the '84-85 bust. One of the key reasons the state didn't melt down financially was Ann Richard's remarkable performance as State Controller and then Treasurer. Her right-hand man and successor, John Sharp, was equally brilliant. Their efforts and a recovery of the Texas economy eventually led to a budgetary surplus. California could really use someone with Governer Ann's financial acumen and leadership right now. Not to mention her wit, charm, and gift for stinging rhetoric. Instead, we've got Gray, Cruz, and Arnold.

Jerome, incidentally, was into self-publishing long before the web made it easy for the rest of us. Is that cool, or what?