The Daily Top Five: February 27, 2007

1. Nancy Pelosi is finding it harder to govern than she thought. From Politico.com:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is discovering the cold truth about governing with a slim majority: It's much easier to promise behavioral change for Congress than to deliver it.

Pelosi vowed that five-day workweeks would be a hallmark of a harder-working Democratic majority. So far, the House has logged only one. Lawmakers plan to clock three days this week.

The speaker has denied Republicans a vote on their proposals during congressional debates -- a tactic she previously declared oppressive and promised to end. Pelosi has opened the floor to a Republican alternative just once.

Pelosi set a high standard for herself when she pledged to make this "the most ethical Congress in history" -- a boast that was the political equivalent of leading with her chin. And some critics have been happy to hit it.

She is drawing fire for putting Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), who had $90,000 in alleged bribe money in his freezer, on the Homeland Security Committee. And The Washington Post reported during the weekend that she is helping chairmen raise money from donors with business before their committees.

It is always easier to lob bombs than defuse them.

2. One school from the People's Republic of San Francisco is abolishing home work. apparently next on the list is abolishing the ability to think. These kids are doomed to failure in future grades. Hooray for David Ackerman!! Not all homework has been abolished, but still, I think homework, if done even properly, can enhance learning and at the very lest re-inforce skills. It also teaches responsiblity and self-discipline.

3. Speaking of education, Generation Y or millenial kids lead the Pack in the narcisism department.

In the study being released today, researchers warn that a rising ego rush could cause personal and social problems for the Millennial Generation, also called Gen Y. People with an inflated sense of self tend to have less interest in emotionally intimate bonds and can lash out when rejected or insulted.

"That makes me very, very worried," said Jean Twenge, a San Diego State associate professor and lead author of the report. "I'm concerned we are heading to a society where people are going to treat each other badly, either on the street or in relationships."

I have seen young people who are so used to getting their way, they don't understand the concept of compromise, of conciliation and of deferring to others in some situations. The result is that some recent college grads struggle not only with their personal lives, but their careers as well. The authors take care to note that they don't think Gen Y needs massive psychiatric care, but do note it is a problem.

4. Al Gore's Energy use is certainly getting a lot of press, perhaps rightfully so. I find the hypocrisy troubling, but Captain Ed warns us, don't get too sloppy with the righteous paintbrush:

Okay, before we start really throwing the hypocrisy label at The Goracle of Global Warming, we should take care not to hit ourselves with it first. Most CQ readers are free-market thinkers. There's nothing wrong with Gore using that kind of energy if he's willing to pay for it. A mansion would use a lot more energy than a normal single-family dwelling; I'm sure that Bill Gates' electrical bills dwarf what Gore's paying for his Tennessee juice. My objection to his level of consumption would only be that he's driving prices up with his large demand.

That being said, the fact that his energy use increased so dramatically after the release of his documentary makes him look a little ridiculous. After all, he's on the road more now, and energy use should decrease, although his family may not travel with him much. Besides, as we saw at the Oscars last night, Gore wants the rest of us to downsize and conserve rather than just treat energy like any other market -- and Gore is obviously not doing that for himself.

My thoughts are here, I still think it hypocritical.

5. The Duke Rape Case is a complete and utter joke. The defense team still has not seen the prosecutions DNA test results. Mike Nifong has now been held up by two federal circuit courts as a bad example of prosecutorial misconduct.