>> The Urban Institute and Brookings
>> have worthwhile stuff. They are soft
>> on privatization but relatively objective
>> in their analyses. Particularly good is
>> Burtless and Bosworth's paper on the
>> Brookings site (www.brookings.org).
>>
>> MBS
You mentioned the Urban Institute before in reference to good numbers on taxes, etc. (By the way, did you catch Katha Pollitt's column on the Heritage Foundation's fudging of poverty numbers? It's at the Nation's web site. http://thenation.com)
At a wedding reception recently, I met a young women who works at the UI. Very smart, good dancer and best of all, receptive to my charming chit-chat. However, when I let it slip that I felt the ending of welfare was a crime and America should be ashamed of itself, she said she didn't like ideologues and her demeanor changed for the worse. I mean, it wasn't like I was advocating stringing up the CEOs of the Fortune 500 from the telephone poles. Instead of debating her, I latched on to the end of the passing conga line.
-Peter, crouched in defensive position