Free Republic

A hundred years ago — and that's when this picture was taken, in 1912 — men didn't leave home without a hat. Boys wore caps. This is a socialist political rally in Union Square in Manhattan. There may be a bare head or two in this crowd, but I think those heads are women's.

SACRAMENTO – During the 2003 recall that thrust him into office, Arnold Schwarzenegger accused then-Gov. Gray Davis of mismanagement and hinted that he was corrupt. But when his administration has needed expertise or become embroiled in political trouble, Schwarzenegger hasn't hesitated to hire top officials who worked for Davis, a Democrat. Last week the Republican governor selected Mary Nichols, a former chief environmental aide to Davis, as chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board to try to calm the controversy over his firing of the state's top air-quality regulator. Nichols is one of at least six key players in the...

School reforms irk St. Louis parents Mon Mar 15, 9:40 AM ET Chicago Tribune By Stephanie Simon Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times Nine months ago, the school board hired a corporate turnaround company to run the troubled public education system here. The consultants will return to New York in June, their $4.7-million contract up. They will leave behind a school district in chaos and a city enraged. Applying business models developed to save casinos and clothing chains from bankruptcy, the outsiders slashed the district's expenses by 15 percent. They shut 16 schools, laid off more than 1,100 employees and hired...