Shakespeare and Co. Booksellers

An attempt at passing a building reserve levy in Missoula County — to maintain and improve our four area high schools — failed again, for the 2nd time in six months. It was to provide a total of $10 million dollars over ten years.

See, it’s not sexy enough. You need to do it like the PAC people and go for $60 million, $80 million — by the time it’s done, $120 to $200 million (with inflation and cost overruns and bullshit figured in) — and you’ve got to get some bankers and developers and large-vision economists and corporate boosters and assorted big-time arts promoters and think-tankers and civic planners and professional PAC pushers and some tired-of-driving-to-Spokane-to-see-a-Broadway-show types involved, and then you’ve got to tell everyone that you want to — please, we really need to — do it for the kids.

But a $10 million dollar school levy that’s actually for the kids?

Um, no.