Politics and stuff

I've filed to run for the Little Rock School District Board of Directors. So far, I have only one opponent. He is an investment banker and has already spent more on this campaign than has ever been spent on a Little Rock school board election. He rolled out a professionaly created web site that listed everyone who had endorsed him. They were the movers and shakers of Little Rock. Did you ever notice that it's only the rich who decry class warfare. I doubt I will win this race. He can outspend me on literature, signs, hired door-bell ringers, etc. He seems very enthusiastic about serving. The thing is, he thinks a "hey, let's all pull in the same direction" will resonate with everyone and things will just naturally get batter. He says he'll defer to the administration on matters of education because they're the "experts." He thinks that the job of the board is to provide a vision and direction for the district. He's wrong. Those things come from the community. The board's job is to craft policies that will promote the community's vision. He knows that the board is supposed to keep an eye on the money, and since that's his profession, he'll probably be good at that. I'm smarter than the average bear and I never did understand how it worked; there was something called "7% claw back" that was the real kicker (I may have the percentage wrong; it's been years). His web site touts his education, and it is pretty impressive: high school at Central, undergrad in government from Harvard, JD and MBA from UA-Fayetteville. It makes mine look sorta provincial: Waldron High School in Scott County, BA, BS, MA, all from UA-Little Rock. Yep, he wins that pretty handily. The election is in November. I plan to use the traditional America calendar for elections; I'm only piddling around until Labor Day. For now, I'm going to raise some money for yard signs, a couple of big signs, and a fold-out with my psositions of stuff that will have a cut-out that will let you hang them from door knobs. Many of you know that I am clinically depressed. My mental well-being took a helluva hit when I saw how much money he had spent. I don't expect to win, but I hope that we can work up some sort of debate or panel discussion that will be on a necessarily even commmon ground.