Potomac Confidential
Washington's Hour of Talk Power

Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, December 20, 2007 12:00 PM

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion by Metro columnist Marc Fisher, who looks at the latest news with a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

Today's Column: In Stadium Contract, a Prototype for Job Creation ( Post, Dec. 20)

Fisher was online Thursday, Dec. 20, at Noon ET to look at D.C.'s proposed school closings, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's ambitious spending plan and the fallout from baseball's steroids report.

Check out Marc's blog, Raw Fisher.

In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

Archives: Discussion Transcripts

A transcript follows.

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. It's the last show of the year and a good time to look back on how political leaders are doing--what do you make of Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's first year in office, and of how Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is doing as he hits the midpoint of his term? And looking ahead, what will be the top political races of '08 in the Washington area--can congressmen Tom Davis, Frank Wolf and Al Wynn be knocked off by what are expected to be robust challenges? Is Mark Warner a shoo-in for U.S. Senate in Virginia?

More to the moment, what do you make of the effort to let certain 17-year-olds vote in Maryland's primaries, on the theory that if they're going to be 18 by the general election in November, they should have a say in picking their party's candidates in the primary?

Sunday's column looked at the I Have A Dream Foundation's efforts to boost expectations and performance by D.C. school kids by having affluent folks adopt entire classes of elementary school kids and guarantee them the money they need for college. Tuesday's column visited the Sursum Corda housing project and explored developer Victor MacFarlane's role in the big, mixed-income community that the District plans to build on the site of that long-troubled project.

And today's column is a look at how a D.C. business is using its share of the baseball stadium contract to hire troubled young people who've never had a real job before.

On the blog this morning, a story about how a Hollywood studio pushing a big do-gooder Christmas movie ended up stiffing a bunch of local high school students.

On to your many comments and questions, but first, let's call the Yay and Nay of the Day:

Yay to Congress for tossing a little bone to the District in the form of a late decision to add D.C. to the state quarters program. What would you put on the D.C. coin?

Nay to Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose shady tactics in ramming a reading program down the throats of the D.C. school system are revealed in a stunning investigative piece by the Post's James Grimaldi this morning. The Louisiana Democrat is caught redhanded steering business to a company almost immediately after it gave her hefty campaign contributions--all at the expense of D.C. school kids.

Your turn starts right now....

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washingtonpost.com: In Stadium Contract, a Prototype for Job Creation ( Post, Dec. 20)

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Washington, D.C.: Dear Marc,

How about a thumbs up for David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, who just paid $21.3 million for the Magna Carta so it can stay on display in the National Archives? I am not a rah rah flag-waver, but I almost got a little misty reading the interview with him in the Wall Street Journal this morning.

Thanks.

Marc Fisher: Yes indeed--quite a gesture. A welcome reminder that there are still a few philanthropists out there who recognize the importance of making great works of art and history available to all, and that purchasing such essential works and tucking them away in a private collection is not only selfish, but a crime against future generations.

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washingtonpost.com: 'Great Debaters' Leaves Out D.C. Debaters ( Raw Fisher, Dec. 20

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washingtonpost.com: D.C. Gets 25 Cents' Worth of Respect ( washingtonpost.com, Dec. 20

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washingtonpost.com: A Reading Program's Powerful Patron ( washingtonpost.com, Dec. 20

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washingtonpost.com: Gansler Supports Voting At Age 17 ( washingtonpost.com, Dec. 20

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Arlington, Va.: The Post is raising its daily newstand price to fifty cents. I do not object because I realize the value of this particular newspaper and should expect to pay a reasonable price for the value it gives. I notice that weekly newstand price of seven issues, six daily plus Sunday, is $4.50 which is the cover price for The New Yorker, the magazine I have near me now, and it is cheap at this price. I also noticed that a Phoenix paper raised its price sky high for one edition that all of the Thanksgiving ads. If it is worth it, people will pay it.

Marc Fisher: I think and hope you're right. Newspapers have resisted raising their price for fear of chasing away readers and because for much of the past century, the newspaper business model has been based on having the broadest possible readership. I wouldn't want to be part of a business that went the way of European papers and started charging several dollars for a copy--that's a recipe for creating an elite audience, and newspapers should be broad-based.

But with the collapse of the classifieds market and the decline of many major advertisers, it may be that readers will have to pay more for news in the future. Of course, online, everything's "free." Except that it isn't--as we're seeing in the deep and deepening cutbacks at virtually every news organization.

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Washington Post costs ... four bits?:$0.50 Posts?! I'll no longer be able to stump people with: "I used two coins to pay for my Washington Post, and one of them isn't a quarter."

Marc Fisher: The 35 cents price was always odd. The real problem going forward is that this country has proven again and again that it will not support a $1 coin, and nobody wants to have to pump a whole bunch of coins into a machine to get a paper.

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Washington, D.C.: Let's see: $50 million missing, Congress scuttles pay raise, longtime deputy announces retirement, scandal gos back to 1990. If Nat Gandhi is not in trouble now, he never will be.

Marc Fisher: Well, that's not entirely clear. Gandhi is very much in trouble, and his new campaign to go out and sell his message is a reflection of that. There's a good argument that the top guy should be held responsible for the scandal, but there's also a strong argument that the crimes preceded Gandhi and that he, like everyone else, was fooled, but that he's otherwise done a superb job and is respected on Wall Street. Many in the D.C. government say the winning argument in Gandhi's favor is that it's not likely the city would be able to find and hire someone as good or better.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Quick question that I can't find on the D.C. Web site: is the street sweeping parking in effect through the winter? I always assumed it was all year, but I remember receiving a flyer last spring stating that the city would begin using the street cleaners again so residents should again move their vehicles on the appropriate days.

Thanks.

Marc Fisher: They do suspend the cleanings during the snow months and that change went into effect on Nov. 30--you can find the details at http://dpw.dc.gov/dpw/cwp/view,a,1201,q,638627,dpwNav_GID,1479.asp

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Bethesda, Md.: Very inspiring column, but also sort of depressing. Why do so many young adults think sleeping until noon is the way to go? I tutor in a D.C. Middle School and even at that young age many students see no reason to put out any effort towards getting an education. I plan to keep trying, but wish I knew some way to "jump start" their interest so they might actually start doing things that could lead to a better future.

washingtonpost.com: In Stadium Contract, a Prototype for Job Creation ( Post, Dec. 20)

Marc Fisher: There are lots of reasons, but chief among them is that many of the kids you are tutoring likely have never been challenged or inspired in school, but rather have been passed along and subjected to stultifying, rote lesson plans.

They probably don't associate school with discovery, debate and dreams. So of course they'd rather sleep till noon.

None of that will change until and unless the system's deadening curriculum and culture are swept aside.

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washingtonpost.com: Weekly Residential Street Sweeping Ends November 30 ( D.C. Dept. of Public Works)

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Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Urban Alliance has been preparing D.C. youth for the workforce for the last 11 years. This year, with no public funding, Urban Alliance will serve 200 D.C. Public High School students and ensure they have the skills needed to succeed in life after high school.

Given the mayor's current focus on education, do you think that non-profits are being neglected as a city resource?

How can city leaders be convinced that the educational system will be more effective when working hand-in-hand with the non-profit community?

Marc Fisher: I think you're already seeing a massive change in attitude coming from the top of the D.C. system and government, as Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Mayor Fenty not only reach out to non-profits but infuse the lessons and personnel of those groups into dysfunctional schools. Of course, there are problems in the quality of efforts by non-profits, and that's one dangerous area for the school system as it reaches out for help. And it's one thing for the leaders to embrace outside groups and something entirely different for individual principals and teachers to start to see those outsiders as anything but alien invaders.

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Washington, D.C.: Right now Gandhi should be in his office working and not out trying to drum up support!

Marc Fisher: Good idea, except that as today's story notes, the feds have confiscated many of the tax and revenue office's most important documents and so the office is having to beg for access to complete its own essential audits and reports.

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Washington, D.C.: Too many years ago, I was a 17-year-old high school student and learned that I could vote in the Ohio primary election because I would turn 18 before the general election. It allowed our high school history teacher to encourage us to evaluate the positions of candidates and start a habit of voting while we were still in high school. I approve.

washingtonpost.com: Gansler Supports Voting At Age 17 ( washingtonpost.com, Dec. 20

Marc Fisher: I like the idea too. Unfortunately, it's likely an academic question because whenever the voting age is extended downward, it produces a remarkably and depressingly slim result. Getting kids to vote is a major and rare achievement.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc -- following up on the Xmas windows article, I'd like some attention paid to how CVS comes into each neighborhood and covers up the windows with ye-old photographs, etc., so that people can't see in or out of the windows. Visibilty is a very important part of a lively urban street fabric and promotes safety and the feeling of safety if people walking past a building feel that people inside might be on the lookout for bad behavior outside. We don't feel safe walking past windowless warehouses, which is what CVS stores have become. In some areas of town, their stores are covered with heavy security features such as window and door grates, signaling to the community that it's a dangerous place to be around. Shame on CVS.

Marc Fisher: I couldn't agree more. In the guise of showing some local connection or spirit, CVS walls off its show windows and drops in a few old photos, but the primary result is that the business looks like it's boarded-up or is some illicit enterprise. Nothing is more welcoming and enlivening that big showcase windows that reveal what's going on inside--restaurants and grocery stores seem to get that, but CVS doesn't.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc, did you see the "shout out" Ask Amy gave to Donors Choose? It has the highest possible rating for charitable donors and she recommended it unequivocally. You started me giving some years ago and now I have a folder of thanks for the modest projects I have furthered. It's a great feeling to know that you are actually making a difference!

Marc Fisher: I didn't see that, but I'm glad to hear she's another fan of Donors Choose. It's a terrific approach to small-scale giving: Essentially, it's a catalogue, a wish list that lets teachers and others spell out their specific needs, and you can then fulfill those wishes with as small a donation as you can afford to make. In many cases, you even get to follow up and see how your money was spent. I know folks who got thank you notes from the kids involved in a class project or trip.

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Washington, D.C.: Why is it so much easier for The Post than the D.C. government to get a handle on the amount of money that has gone missing in the massive property tax refund scandal now under investigation?

Marc Fisher: Good question--I passed your question to Post investigative reporter and data analyst Dan Keating, who responds:

"Wee can say what looks suspicious, which for them is only step 1. Because they've blocked public access to the records and we can't subpoena bank records, we can't go any further than saying what's suspicious. So as soon as we count that, we can publish it."

I'd add that we do have a bit more incentive to report what we find than does the city government, which generally tries not to be in the business of dishing out the bad news.

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Washington, D.C.: RE: the CVS windows. The only CVS that I know of that does not do this is the one in the new condo building around 5th and Mass. It's unbelievable what a difference it makes! I think the city made them do that. I wish all the other would follow suit.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--I'll go take a look.

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Washington, D.C.: I loved the article on I Have a Dream. How wonderful to know growing up that going to college is an option for you. Coming from a middle-class suburban household, I always knew my parents would be sending me to college. There was never any doubt. If I hadn't grown up with that, I don't know where I'd be now.

Marc Fisher: That's exactly what I heard from the college students I spoke to who grew up as Dreamers in that program. Some of them might have gone to college anyway, and some never would have, but all said that being part of the program gave them the confidence to stay away from kids who were going to end up on the street. Knowing that the Dreamers program was going to take care of tutoring, clothing needs and college preparation told them from an early age that this was the track they were intended for and were fully capable of following.

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Maryland: Marc, I have a question about O'Malley and the plan that was crafted during the special session. Slots are on the ballot in Nov. 2008, and it will probably take at least a year or two beyond that before the state gets any money from slots.

So, will the budget for the next fiscal year be balanced without slots? If so, then why do we need them. It just seems really really sleazy to run government on gambling revenue. Citizens should pay for their government.

Marc Fisher: I agree and I imagine the anti-slots campaign will make that point. The fact is that we've been told for nearly a decade now that Maryland simply cannot make ends meet without slots, yet every year, the state carries on, balancing its budget without any unduly painful cuts--all without slots.

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Washington, D.C.: Just saw this month's Kiplingers Magazine, did you know that the very last page features a story on the dry cleaners sued by Pearson?

Marc Fisher: Haven't seen that. Do you have a link?

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Arlington, Va.: I have not had a chance to read the Mitchell report, so maybe this issue is addressed, but one question I have about this whole story is, where were the team physicians during all this? From my fan's vantage point of many years I have heard numerous athletes in different sports complain that team physicians only cared about their performance with little concern for their health. If this is the case, then why did they have to higher personal trainers to do the same thing, only with less knowledge of the potent medications they were issuing? It's like saying I don't want to go to my doctor for my cold because he always wants me to take antibiotics, then instead asking your neighbor if he has any unused antibiotics in his medicine chest.

I think the most damning circumstantial evidence of Roger Clemens's guilt is the fact that he clung so tenaciously to his trainer even after the guy had been exposed as a rogue -- and there apparently still is no good explanation as to how Mr. McNamee went from being NYPD to ex-NYPD.

Marc Fisher: The trainers are obviously the key to the whole steroids issue--that's how the players tended to get the stuff and it also seems to be how others were encouraged to try it. These tended to be outside trainers, hired by the players, rather than the team employee trainers. But you're right--I haven't heard a thing about the role of team physicians, but then again, they tend to be orthopedists who are kept on retainer largely to deal with surgical and related injury issues, rather than daily questions of fitness and training.

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Bloomingdale, D.C.: What to put on the D.C. quarter? Because it won't be out until 2009, we have plenty of time to create an iconic image that will define D.C.'s notoriety on the national stage. I propose an image of this coming summer, when hundreds of thousands of D.C. residents will turn out to dump tea off the side of the 14th St. Bridge into the Potomac.

Hey, it worked once. Might as well give it another shot, right?

Marc Fisher: Hundreds of thousands? I read that only 80 or so showed up to the Tea Party held at the Georgetown harbor this past weekend. Sadly, the fact is that even D.C. residents don't tend to get overtly involved in the fight for voting rights.

But that shouldn't stop us from trying to use the coin as an opportunity to raise awareness of the city's plight. Just as the Taxation without Representation license plates turned out to be a great conversation starter all around the country, a coin with that same message would help enormously. But good luck getting that overt message onto a coin that has to be approved by the feds. So the challenge is to find a more subtle way to get that message onto the coin. Mull that for a bit.

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Leesburg, Va.: I, too, loved the story about the philanthropist buying the document, but one thing has been bugging me...

Isn't it just "Magna Carta" not "the Magna Carta"? I remember getting lectured by a history teacher about that once, and I know I've seen it without the "the" in other history and law books since. It's something to do with the original Latin and the "the" going unwritten -- basically, by saying "the Magna Carta" you're saying "the the Great Charter."

Isn't that something the W.P.'s editors should catch? And if I'm wrong, I want those points back on that history exam long ago!

Marc Fisher: Hmm, I dunno--a quick look reveals that even the British Library refers to it as "the Magna Carta," and I should think they'd know. Anybody have more on this potential grammar crisis?

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Arlington, Va.: I am not sure what CVS's motives are, but whenever I walk past the old Biograph theater I think to myself, "I sure miss the Biograph theater."

Marc Fisher: Or the MacArthur, or any number of other former movie palaces.

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Springfield, Va.: Would the accusations against Clemens have been printed in The Post if it wasn't for the Mitchell report? I have not read the entire report (I have a life), but it seems that all of the fingerpointing at Clemens is based upon the word of a trainer who is cooperating in hopes of a reduced sentence, and some generic thank-you notes. No prescriptions; no other paper trail. Would your editors at The Post let you print an article with life changing accusations against any public figure based on such skimpy evidence?

Marc Fisher: And why is that level of evidence anything other than persuasive? You have someone who was intimately involved in the distribution of the banned substance naming his customers--what better evidence do you want? If we were reporting the story de novo, we'd certainly use the comments of someone that closely connected to the alleged wrongdoing, especially if, as in this case, he was upfront and open about his own misdeeds. We would also report the defense and comments of those named, such as Clemens, but it's essential to recall that the Mitchell investigators sought cooperation from players and were denied any access in nearly all cases. So those players who are now suddenly speaking out in their own defense deserve an enormous shot of skepticism, because when they had their chance to mount a meaningful defense, they stayed quiet.

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I Have a Dream...: also knowing that someone else believes you can do it, that is key. If you've read or watched "Pursuit of Happyness" one thing Chris Gardner says was very influential on him is that his mom told him when he was young that he could make a million dollars one day, if he wanted to. He had a tough childhood, but he knew his mom believed in him. I think many kids write off their future because they feel the situation is hopeless for them, so why put in the effort?

Marc Fisher: It's all about expectations. That's true in how any kid behaves, and in how we all decide how far to dream.

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Anonymous:"There are lots of reasons... many of the kids you are tutoring likely have never been challenged or inspired in school, but rather have been passed along and subjected to stultifying, rote lesson plans. They probably don't associate school with discovery, debate and dreams. So of course they'd rather sleep till noon. None of that will change until and unless the system's deadening curriculum and culture are swept aside."

You've got to be kidding. Sell that to someone who didn't go to public school. Discovery, debate and dreams go on at schools (or among students) where the kids come prepared to engage in those activities. Once people realize that it all begins at home maybe things will change.

Marc Fisher: You're of course right that many kids come to school in poor neighborhoods with at least two strikes against them--not enough sleep, lousy nutrition, woefully insufficient emphasis on learning at home, etc. But that's no excuse for schools. If you have kids for seven or eight hours a day, you can make a huge difference--if you adopt an attitude and approach wholly different from what you're proposing.

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D.C. -- $50 million missing: Marc,

While I have little patience with those who argue against D.C. (congressional) voting rights based on Marion Barry or local scandals, let's be clear about one thing: With every new revelation on the "$50 million missing" scam, you can just hear the air going out of the statehood balloon. Even with a series of good mayors like Williams and Fenty, it's just not going to happen.

Marc Fisher: It's probably not going to happen, but one scandal or even a long string of scandals should not and will not make any difference. If we're going to start handing out basic constitutional rights based on the efficiency of government in a particular place, we're going to be pretty short on rights pretty fast. D.C. residents deserve the right to vote because they are U.S. citizens, and for no other reason.

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Anybody have more on this potential grammar crisis? : Gene Weingarten or Tom the Butcher would know such things. Are they not nearby?

Marc Fisher: They are frolicking in the sands of some pricey resort on some remote Caribbean isle, laughing hysterically at those of us left behind in the cold. They laugh and spit at our petty grammatical quandaries. They have only derision for our failure to understand their superior status in the world.

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Washington, D.C.: The earmarked $2 million to D.C. schools discussed in today's lead article is just outrageous. I used to think your colleague Mark Plotkin was a bit over the top in his zeal over D.C. voting rights, but I'm starting to edge closer to his camp. Who cares if we get a freaking quarter? Give us some say over our own lives instead!

Marc Fisher: Wait till you get a load of the next installment in our D.C. schools series. Sadly, it's not just Congress that's ripping off the city's schoolchildren.

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Washington, D.C.: re: D.C. tax scam

In all the coverage related to the tax scam I haven't heard anything about attempts to get the two main conspirators to talk about the scheme. Wouldn't it be advantageous to offer some sort of deal wtih Walters, etc., if they would explain the extent of the scheme? Or is it the simple fact that they aren't talking?

Thanks

Marc Fisher: As I heard it, such efforts began almost immediately. I don't know to what extent they've been successful, but it's not at all unusual for there to be a long quiet period in such investigations, followed by some key players flipping.

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: Mr. Fisher, the problems may have preceded Gandhi but they certainly occurred during his watch when he was directly responsible for the tax office and was supposed to sign off on checks over a certain amount. Why shouldn't he suffer the same fate as the recently departed supervisor who failed to uncover the scheme?

Marc Fisher: Because the immediate supervisor's job was to know whether something like this was going on, and in the case of this scandal, it was so widely known about and there was so much cause for suspicion at the rank and file level, that the immediate supervisor should be held directly responsible. Whether to hold the ultimate top boss responsible as well is a philosophic and strategic question--surely in most cases, such a person would not know the details of what was happening several rungs below. But the numbers in this scandal are so huge that it does beg the question: How could anyone in the hierarchy not have realized just how many millions were missing?

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Okay, not exactly a Metro story, but...: The Post, and many other media outlets, have given extensive coverage to the rescue of the family in Northern California from the snowy mountains after they got lost hunting for a Xmas tree. Only one story I have seen so far mentioned that the father and his kids were dressed in clothing more appropriate for a walk in Rock Creek Park in the Spring. It seems that no reporter has bothered (or felt gutsy enough) to ask if they had listened to weather reports beforehand (was the storm a complete surprise?), and whether they tried to head back to the car as soon as it started snowing. And, of course, it would be seen as tacky to detail just how much the rescue cost (wonder if the dad is one calling for lower taxes). The story could have been a good opportunity to warn people across the country, including the D.C. area, about what to do, and what not to do, when heading to the mountains. But, then, we like warm, fuzzy stories (so to speak) at this time of year.

Marc Fisher: Dress warmly. Bring extra socks. Drink lots of water. And--contemporary corollary--turn your cell phone on. (This is what I am always being told. I never listen. The phone stays off.)

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D.C. Quarter: Actually, there is not a lot of time to work out the design -- since the D.C. quarter will be the first one out in 2009, they'll have to start minting them less than a year from now. The design needs to be approved at several levels, which can take some time, and the dies have to be created before they can start production. There's really only a few months to figure out what the design will actually be.

Marc Fisher: Which probably means we'll get some wishy-washy, generic D.C. image like a cherry tree or, heaven forfend, the Washington Monument.

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CVS windows: You're right about the overall effect, but I do like the old pictures.

Marc Fisher: Sure, so do I. So let them put those up in the store, and open up those windows!

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RE: it seems that all of the fingerpointing at Clemens is based upon the word of a trainer who is cooperating in hopes of a reduced sentence: Didn't Barry Bonds suffer the same fate? There seem to be far fewer tears being shed for him. Why is that?

Marc Fisher: Much of the anger directed at Bonds in recent years stemmed from the fact that he's such a jerk and at his constant denials of something that was obviously true. Similarly, Mark McGwire's fall from public grace stemmed in good part from his stonewalling performance before Congress, where he simply wouldn't address the question about steroid use. In Clemens' case, he, like his friend Andy Pettitte, could probably have eased the public reaction by admitting what he'd done. But instead he's taking the denial route, which, as best I can tell, has not helped any player maintain public confidence.

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Walters tax scam: For every fact she reveals, give her back a Prada bag.

Marc Fisher: Incentive learning!

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Maryland: Not sure why there has to BE public support for a $1 coin. The gov't needs to grow a set and mandate its use. STOP MAKING THE $1 bill! That's what other countries have done that have successfully moved away from the penney -- AUS -- and others that now use a pound coin --U.K. No choice -- it is what it is. Businesses can and will suck up the costs of adjusting. A bill lasts 18 months in circulation, while a coin lasts 30 years.

Better yet -- do away with cash altogether. We have the technology to let me get a coke from the machine with my cell phone, debits are accepted everywhere. People who insist cash is king are the ones hiding in the underground economy.

Marc Fisher: Cash is vanishing faster than I thought it would. But there are still plenty of pockets of the economy that run on cash only, and many of those are coin-driven businesses. So maybe you're right that the way for government to make this happen is to take away the $1 bill. But isn't it vastly more satisfying to have a wad of ones than a pocket full of coins? That's a huge psychological and cultural piece that isn't going to go away anytime soon. When we were cub reporters in Miami, my friend Joel of Achenblog fame used to take his paycheck to a bank and cash it--in ones. Man, did he feel rich as we went to dinner with a big fat wad 'o greenbacks in his pocket.

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Voting age and street sweeping: No connection -- just two random comments:

1. I turned 18 in July 1992 and was a Maryland resident at the time, and I swear that I voted in the primaries. But this new proposal would suggest that my memory is wrong. Is it?

2. I just saw a D.C. ticket-writer writing tix on R St NW yesterday for parking on the wrong side of the street on sweeping day. Hey, DPW, if you're paying attention, make sure the metermaids know the rules!

3. On a related parking-rules note, are you familiar with the pilot project to provide D.C. residents in residential permit parking zones with visitors' passes? It's an approach that has worked in Arlington County, and I'm really hoping it moves District-wide...

Marc Fisher: No, your memory is correct. Since the 70s, 17-year-old Marylanders who will be 18 by the general election have been allowed to vote in the primary. The issue now is whether to restore that right now that the state attorney general's staff has come up with a legal opinion that the 17-year-old vote is illegal.

Visitors passes would be a welcome policy shift--having to truck down to the police station every time we have a visitor at the house is not exactly a customer-friendly approach.

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50 cent W.P. daily: My reaction is "bleh." I don't even care really. I'm a home subscriber, the higher rate will not change that. What really worried me about newspapers this year was when the Book World changed style formats (I think that was this year?, I've gotten used to it now), and when the N.Y. Times shrunk -- I subscribe to the Sunday. It's still pretty darn cheap for something that I use almost daily. Oh, and the WSJ, even though I rarely read it, I worried about that Aussie guy buying that -- haven't bought it since, but as I said, rarely read it before.

Marc Fisher: Shrinking newspapers are something you'll probably want to get used to--it's probably inevitable that many U.S. papers will shift to a tabloid format as virtually all British papers have. It saves money on paper and ink, and younger readers find it far more convenient than the big, unwieldy broadsheet page.

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Arlington, Va.: The whole textbook industry is a racket. There are a handful of companies that have a virtual monopoly on a multi-billion dollar industry. They may produce quality products, but let's not kid ourselves that they are not spending exorbitant sums "marketing" principals and teacher organizations. If a new kid on the block wants to get into the game, he is virtually forced to lobby aggressively. Maybe what happened here was a simple vulgar exchange: Mary Landrieu entered this provision to pay back for contributions, pure and simple. Or maybe the Voyager execs used their contributions to gain access, and used this access to make a compelling case that they are producing an innovative teaching aid but wherever they turn they are told, "Sorry, we use Houghton Mifflin, or HarperCollins, and always will, so bye," and she decided to use her power to intervene on behalf of a "little guy." I'm just sayin'.

Marc Fisher: Ok, let's say you're right and it's just good old power politics--money buys access and politicians suck up to Mr. Moneybags. Fine. But the end result here is not just some unnecessary road work. Rather, it's the piecemeal dismantling of efforts to create a working and common curriculum. In a city where many, many kids switch schools way too often, it helps to have a curriculum where the same reading program is in effect at most, if not all, schools. Landrieu's egregious behavior undermined that essential goal.

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Tea Party: The Boston Tea Party worked because it wasn't a symbolic guesture, it was an act of vandalism that cost a shipping company and the British government the modern-day equivalent of millions of dollars. Thousands of people throwing tea into the Potomac isn't going to hurt anyone in the purse, except for maybe the people the Coast Guard cites for illegal dumping in a waterway (no idea if tea could be considered a pollutant, but it's probably not so great for the fishes). In order to get the feds attention in the same way the Boston Tea Party did, someone is going to have to actually blow up the 14th St Bridge, not throw tea off it.

Marc Fisher: Now there's a vote for terrorism on a massive scale. Isn't there a powerful gesture that might not be quite as horrifying? If a tea party is too dainty for your taste, why not something a bit more creative, like asking voters to cast ballots for congressman even when we don't have such a position?

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RE: Barry Bonds:"such a jerk and at his constant denials of something that was obviously true" Barry can be a jerk, however, as an admittedly casual baseball fan I am amused and amazed at all the "serious" baseball fans who believed Clemens got better as he got older with "no help." Seems like a different standard to me. Does it to you?

Marc Fisher: I heard lots of fans speculate about Clemens being on the juice. But you're right--in general, pitchers got away with far less suspicion than sluggers, because a big spike in home runs was a far more visible expression of steroids' impact than a pitcher who just happened to last far deeper into his 30s or 40s than most of his peers.

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Crofton, Md.: You wrote whenever the voting age is extended downward, it produces a slim result. The article states the following:

"The State Board of Elections is expected to follow Gansler's recommendation at a meeting today by restoring the right of 17-year-olds to vote in primaries as long as they are 18 by the date of the general election.

Since the 1970s, Maryland residents have been able to register at age 17, if their birthday was before the November election. Thousands of 17-year-olds routinely voted in primaries"

Do you even read the article before you offer up an opinion or do you just read the headlines? This is not new. This is a restoration of a voting procedure.

Marc Fisher: I don't see how that contradicts what I said. The fact is that around the country, when voting has been extended downward, say from 21 to 18, the payoff in votes has been slim. Restoring the right of some 17 year olds to vote in Maryland, by extension, wouldn't be likely to produce much of a bump up in participation.

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Washington, D.C.: So about that Metro hike...do you think the service will improve? $4.65 to get from Virginia to Dupont is insane.

Marc Fisher: If you compare it to urban subway systems, it's an outrageous figure. But if you compare it to suburban commuter trains, it's a bargain. I was on the Metro-North train from New York's Grand Central to Bridgeport, Connecticut last weekend and the fare was something like $9.25 one way. Our Metro is a hybrid system, an urban subway and a suburban commuter rail all in one, so fares that fit between those two levels seem about right.

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Virginia Voter, Va.: Have you mentioned that Ken Cucinelli prevailed in his state Senate election? He originally won by just 92 votes. His opponent, rightly IMO, challenged and asked for a recount, but Cucinelli's margin grew to 101 votes. That's still amazingly close, and a sign of voter rage. His opponent was so lame The Post refused to endorse her, I believe. But voters want who they want. In this case, many of them would rather have anyone other than a Republican. But those folks fell just short.

I wonder what happens in two years. Is Cucinelli a goner?

Marc Fisher: Depends on whether the Democrats put up a reasonable opponent. This year's candidate was unusually weak in campaign skills, even if she is smart, devoted and thoughtful. Cuccinelli is an energetic and attractive campaigner, and that counted for more than the widespread disenchantment with his social beliefs.

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Nitpickerville: It's Gandhi. Not Gandhi.

Marc Fisher: Right you are--and that's not nitpicking, it's accuracy. Thank you.

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Washington, D.C.: Will Ben's Chili Bowl serve Dippin' Dots?

Marc Fisher: Such sacrilege! How dare you!

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Alexandria, Va.: Mitchell report -- in defense of the accused players not talking to Mitchell, Donald Fehr (the players' union leader), stated that Mitchell was only willing to present his evidence against the player when they went to meet with Mitchell and only during the questioning. That's not how a court of law works -- the Mitchell report was not a court of law. But that sounds more like an ambush where you are not giving access to the evidence and accusations beforehand. The players were not going to be allowed to construct a defense or analyze the evidence. I wouldn't have gone in front of Mitchell under those conditions...

Marc Fisher: But as you say, this was not a court proceeding. The right comparison is more to the kind of internal investigation that your office might conduct if allegations of wrongdoing were brought against you. If you were innocent in such a situation, you'd want to clear your name, and you wouldn't worry about procedural stuff that is meaningful in a courtroom.

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RE: The real problem going forward is that this country has proven again and again that it will not support a $1 coin...: If we took away the $1 bill there wouldn't be a choice! That's what every other country has done, and you know what, people adjust.

Marc Fisher: So maybe we should stop obsessing about what's going to be on the DC quarter and just insist that the next $1 coin be a tribute to D.C.

Voting rights and the end of the $1 bill--two changes that have about an equal chance of happening in our lifetime.

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: Will the WaPo be doing a review of area hospitals in the next year? I am about to write a nearly scathing letter to the director/CEO/Pres/whatever of Providence concerning the lack of coordination among its doctors in a particular area. Wonderful staff, okay food, good emergency room personnel, almost superlative senior care, but we were unnecessarily frightened about a condition that is actually next to nothing while we are dealing with another already frightening situation with my MIL. Had the doctors talked to each other, and spoken with one voice, a lot of anxiety would have been saved. Finally, one very impressive and caring hematologist explained everything yesterday, and (at least with this part) we are thrilled. I am sending you this at 0600 because her surgery for the real problem is at 0900 and I won't be able to check this until later. Maybe another in-depth look at medical training in patient communications...

Marc Fisher: Good story idea--thanks.

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Marc Fisher: That kicks things in the head for today. Thanks for coming along. More in the paper on Sunday, in both Metro and Arts&Style. No show here on the big site next Thursday, so we're back in the saddle on Thurs, Jan. 3. But the big blog will be active most every day and the columns keep on coming. Thanks for dropping by and have a great holiday and a quiet break, if you get one.

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