Tiny, Tiny Victories

There's bad news and there's good news. Bad news first: We're about to spend $819 billion in federal tax dollars, pending Senate approval.

But there's good news, too. Tiny, tiny little good news. Remember this story about the Interior Design Board in Arkansas, which prohibits those without six years of formal schooling from hanging out a shingle as an interior designer? Well, the good guy in that tale, Arkansas state Rep. Dan Greenberg (R-Pulaski and Saline), writes today to tell me that "the vote to reauthorize the Interior Design Board's budget took place earlier today; I won for the moment. To continue in existence, the board needs 75 of 100 votes for funding; it got about 60."

The cheerful Rep. Greenberg notes: "This shows what happens when one trouble-maker stands up in the House well and speaks against a bad idea. Two years ago we had 3 NO votes, this year we had 30."

Take notes, Senate Republicans.