That's one of my favorite yogi-isms from Yogi Berra, which humorous as his twisting of words is, accurately depicts the donnybrook that occurs like clockwork when the funding for the school system is debated in the annual budget process.
And true to form, this year's go-around is off to a rousing start, with the same commissioners at loggerheads as to how much of the amount requested by the Board of Education should be allocated.
On one side, there's the Rothschild-Frazier twosome, who (per usual) would use a meat cleaver in cutting it to the bone, while the Howard-Shoemaker faction is fully supporting it
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But there's been a new wrinkle added to this year's debate, brought about by Howard and Shoemaker scheduling a series of public meetings on the upcoming budget in the county's five voting districts from 1/7 to 2/3.
Topping the subjects to be aired at the meetings was, as expected, the funding of the school system, the hottest of hot-button issues.
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While the obvious reason for the "pro funders" setting up the meetings was to build public support for their position, the underlying purpose was-as I interpreted it-to clearly give them the upper hand by putting their opponents in a defensive position. A clever maneuver, indeed.
And from I read in a 1/9 article written by a reporter of the Baltimore Sun (who was on the scene at the first meeting), their strategy succeeded, what with Rothschild and his cohort reduced to playing the role of hecklers by shouting questions at Howard from where they sat in the audience, and referring to his presentation as "deceptive."
It'll be interesting to see what shenanigans they come up with at the remaining meetings, short of having them picketed by those of like mind.
Gosh, I hope I didn't give them a tactic to consider using.
