Hypocrisy Alive and Well at the Snow Camp

Bongo has a dinosaur-sized bone to pick with Larry Snow today.

But first, Bongo must admit his tail was wagging wildly when he read the first sentence of the District 158-Teacher Negotiations story in today’s Northwest Herald.

“District 158’s school board will not dip into its $16.9 million operating fund balance to pay for a new teachers’ contract, officials said Wednesday.”

However, Bongo was quickly reminded of the dictionary definition of HYPOCRITE as he read further:

Hypocrite:

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

The statements made by Snow (highlighted in the image above), while true, are a direct contradiction to his battle cry up until this point. You would like to think that Bongo would be used to it by now, but it never ceases to amaze me how Snow can change his tune as quickly as a dog can down a doggie treat.

Surely Snow realizes that the only reason District 158 has healthy operating fund balances right now is because of the 2004 referendum.

You know, the one he fought so hard to see fail?

You know, the one he said we didn’t need?

You know, the one he promised to rescind if he got elected in 2005?

You know, the one he has used for most of his fodder in his vendettas up until now?

Interesting how now Snow is singing the same song that has been sung to him by his former friend and current board colleague Tony Quagliano, who has gone on record as saying the referendum was needed and that the district would be in sad shape without it. Funny, the last time Quagliano made those statements publicly, Snow chimed right in by saying Quagliano had “switched sides” and that the referendum was never needed.

Ah, but how quickly things change.

Bongo encourages voters to keep a keen eye on the tactics of Snow as next year’s election rolls around. If this newspaper article is any indication of what is to come, Bongo thinks Snow will try to take credit for all of the good things that have happened over the last few years, even though he was on the dissenting side of most of those votes. Like the last two budgets, for example. Both of those budgets included surpluses and he voted against both of them.

For Snow to step into the limelight and try to take even an ounce of credit for the sound financial footing on which District 158 now stands, is taking “hypocrite” to a whole new level.