Day of Protest

As predicted, March 4th featured widespread protests to cuts in education in about 30 states, led by California and especially the students at Berkeley.  I caught some coverage of the protests that day on CNN, which had live cameras set up to observe multiple protests around the country and "to catch the action" when police used tear gas near UC Davis where students had shut down a major highway.  Reaction in the media was predictably mixed.  Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Peter Robinson saw the protests as evidence of "The Golden State's Me Generation, arguing that "The demonstrations ... demonstrated the entitlement mentality and self-absorption that has come to dominate much of higher education."  In FDL's "The Student Uprising in Caifornia," David Dayen was more sympathetic, beginning his article with: "About the only encouraging moments during the years-long budget disaster here in California have been the increasing campus radicalization against the draconian cuts to public education." Also, as predicted, things were rather quiet here in New Jersey where citizens and students have not yet recognized the economic storm that's about to hit education here as well.