how to be an opposition party

State Rep. Rene Oliveira has the right idea: come up with a money-is-no-object, pie-in-the-sky plan. Announce that you want to spend, oh, what the hell, let's say

$8.1 billion

to do things everyone agrees with in principle like

educate poor and bilingual students, give teachers pay raises and improve school facilities.

Don't worry-- you'll never have to actually spend this money or be responsible for successfully educating those bilingual students. Because Republicans like Tom Craddick will be falling all over themselves to remind the public that not everyone agrees with these noble goals. Republicans of Craddick's ilk will show how very out of touch they are by saying things like:

That's just not going to happen. That's not reality.

And let us be the first to draw the obvious soundbitten conclusion: Democrats like Oliveira want to educate our children. Tom Craddick, Republican, thinks the successful education of Texas schoolchildren is

just not going to happen.

National Democrats, you watching this guy? You see how easy this is?

SPACEDARK