As far as the Sky Boxes (how did this even become part of today's LL Daily?), much like Tom mentions, I doubt if they are used effectively. Selling the boxes makes sense, but the Council nor Mayor DIDN'T PAY FOR THEM to start. The boxes are alloted to the politicians for preferential treatment and are, for all intents and purposes, a payoff. Selling these "gifts" won't generate a large return of investment and won't even scratch the surface of the deficit we have. True, if allowed to sell they could pay for the salaries of a few teachers, but honestly, the boxes are just nickels in the bucket. If anything, they should KEEP the boxes, hold a lottery, and randomly select DC Citizens to attend the games. Heck, we PAID for them, why not use them.

Finally, I read the Capital Gains report and I must say I'm a little insulted that Rhee and a Harvard Business Professor want to turn DC Middle School kids into little money-hungry capitalists under the mask of education. Soon kids won't study to learn, they will be little academic prostitutes doing it for the money. If Rhee truly wants to know about academic motivation without monetary incentives, look outside of the U.S. China and India in particular do not PAY their kids to learn or reward them for high academic achievement...at least monetarily. Granted, those environments can be highly competitive and less tolerant of failure, but there are still things to garner from it. Money is a bad motivator, especially in a repressed economy. If the Capital Gains program is subject to cost cuts, does that mean that the kids will stop studying?

Other interesting facts from the article: "We won't know until we see some more numbers whether paying students for performance works...improvements in middle and high schools were more modest than those in elementary schools--and it was a subset of the marginally improved middle school kids who received money for their efforts."

Basically what that says is that sustained academic achievement starts early. Motivate kids in elementary school and they will continue throughout their grade school years.

One more from the article for you, "Is the program worth its $2.7 million price tag (half of which taxpayers cover)?"

So we tax payers pay $1.35 to support this program? Couldn't that impact the DCPS budget shortfall, recruit teachers, buy supplies, etc. I'd pick any of those over a "modest" improvement in middle- and high school test scores, for any of those three have a better way of impacting ALL students as a whole.

When I graduated from a DCPS High School, because I was in the Top 10% of my class, I got a stipend to use for college. It helped defer costs, but had I not got it, I still would have studied, went to college, and not saw the stipend as an entitlement. See, kids today need to know that what you learn now will undoubtedly impact your trajectory for the future. Knowledge is more valuable than money. While they can take your MONEY away, via taxes, unemployment, etc. They cannot take your knowledge away.

The idea has some initial plausibility -- anyone who has ever dealt with a corporate executive knows that they value their free drinks and snacks far more than the long-term interests of the company they work for -- but in the final analysis I don't buy it. Let's get rid of the luxury boxes.

Selling the boxes would bring in revenue. Letting Fenty & the council keep the boxes makes no sense. It made no sense in good times, & it certainly makes no sense in bad times.

NYC forced Mayor Bloomberg to sell the city's luxury boxes. NYC also convicted a corrupt city councilman who was stealing public money using phony non-profits, just like Barry.

I know - NYC is a real city, while DC is just a plantation.