Weekend reading:

I got a-plenty of friends who’ve taken all they could get and were honest in figurin’ they had it comin’ to them. They’ve paid taxes for years and seen other people take the benefits.  Now at least they’re gettin’ a little of it back.  That’s the whole point, though, that’s what’s wrong.  There was a time when we looked up to Uncle Sam; he was somethin’ to be proud of and respect.  Now he’s turned into some kind of muddle-brained Sugar Daddy givin’ out goodies right and left in the hopes that everybody’s goin’ to love him.  And people are playin’ a selfish game with him, all tryin’ to grab more than the next man, tryin’ to get more out of the pot than they put in.  Let the other man pay.  Gore the other man’s ox but leave mine alone.

It’s divided us into little selfish groups, snarlin’ and snappin’ at each other like hungry dogs, grabbin’ for what we can get and to hell with everybody else.  We beg and fight and prostitute ourselves.  We take charity and give it a sweeter name.  And when we get what we ask for it’s never what it looked like it was.  The sweet milk generally turns to clabber.
–  Charlie Flagg, in The Time it Never Rained, Elmer Kelton, 1973

Monday morning reading:

In his weekly radio address, Baldacci says Maine must show a commitment to improved K-12 education in order to receive funding that’s part of an education reform initiative called Race to the Top. He says Maine’s done that.

To be successful in Race to the Top, Baldacci said he’s submitting legislation to allow Maine to adopt national standards that identify where Maine schools excel and where they need improvement. He says steps to measure the effectiveness of teachers also will be proposed.
Baldacci: Maine strong contender for federal school funds, AP, 2/20/10

You go, John!