Michigan iPod controversy explained

As it turns out, the whole Michigan iPod-per-student "proposal" was, as suspected, never even real. The Lansing State Journal reports that a portion of the budget proposal press conference included an off-the-cuff comment, while holding an iPod, that the Democrats wanted to get "one of these" in the hands of every kid in Michigan. Apparently this statement was not based on any specific proposal, but reflected the general desire of the individuals involved to improve the technology component of Michigan's K-12 education. Given the financial troubles of the state, it's not unreasonable for people to have questioned the statement, and it's going to be interesting to see how the repercussions play out (especially since some of the representatives involved accepted money from Apple to fly out to Cupertino).