What Caught My Eye Today
Capitol Hill - Boy, was it chock full of political rhetoric today. Not to worry, thought, nothing was accomplished. Here are some of the highlights from today's posturing:
A defiant Democratic-controlled Congress voted to provide health insurance to an additional 4 million lower-income children, and President Bush vowed swiftly to cast his second straight veto on the issue. The legislation cleared the Senate on a vote of 64-30. It passed the House last week, but supporters were shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's threatened veto. In a situation of unusual political complexity, Republicans dictated the decision to pass the legislation speedily. It appeared their goal was to short-circuit attempts by supporters of the bill to reach a compromise that could attract enough votes in the House to override Bush's veto. Maybe the Democrats have a strategy of their own that goes something like this--If we keep sending bills to Bush that he vetoes, maybe he'll get writer's cramp; then we'll get him real good.
President Bush compared Congress' Democratic leaders Thursday to people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying "the world paid a terrible price" then and risks similar consequences for inaction today. Bush argued the current debate over the Iraq war and the administration's anti-terror methods hearkens back to debates decades ago over resisting action when Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin first talked about launching a communist revolution, when Adolf Hitler began moves to establish an "Aryan superstate" in Germany, and in the early days of the Cold War when some advocated accommodation of the Soviet Union. I agree with the President. Let's throw out all the principles that we stand for and that our troops have spilled blood to preserve in order to get the guys that threaten our way of life. Seems to me that if the President gets his way, so do the terrorists.
And finally...
President Bush sought to save Michael Mukasey's troubled nomination for attorney general, defending the retired judge's refusal to say whether he considers waterboarding torture and warning of a leaderless Justice Department if Democrats don't confirm him. "If the Senate Judiciary Committee were to block Judge Mukasey on these grounds, they would set a new standard for confirmation that could not be met by any responsible nominee for attorney general. That would guarantee that America would have no attorney general during this time of war," Bush said. Uh, not exactly, Mr. President. I think what the Committee is trying to do is to get an answer from the dude who would become the nation's chief law enforcement officer on whether or not waterboarding is torture or not. Saying this is not a reasonable question because he's not familiar with the law regarding torture doesn't really give me a warm and fuzzy. We all agree that the war on terror is of tantamount importance, so how could it be that a nominee for Attorney General is not knowledgeable about such matters. It's not like this is the first time waterboarding has come up in conversation. Gimme a break.
Caribbean - Tropical Storm Noel drenched the Bahamas and Cuba while rescue workers in the Dominican Republic headed out in boats and helicopters to reach dozens of communities isolated by floods and mudslides. The death toll in the Caribbean rose to 107. Noel became the deadliest storm of the Atlantic region this year. Hurricane Felix, a devastating Category 5 storm, killed 101 people when it lashed the Caribbean and slammed into the Nicaraguan and Honduran coasts in early September. Noel's center is accelerating through the Bahamas, according to U.S. forecasters. It was moving north-northeast at roughly 14 mph, and maximum sustained winds were near 65 mph. Over the next 24 hours, Noel is expected to become an extratropical storm, which gets its energy from the collision of warm and cold fronts, not the steamy ocean waters that tropical systems feed on. We were so close to making it through the end of hurricane season, and then this. Here's a little shout out to the fine folks in the Caribbean--and I met a fair few of them last week. You would be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of people anywhere else in the world. All the best to you.
Jobs - The Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts has release this year's list of worst jobs:
- Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop -- 87.0% of jobs categorized as 'bad'
- Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop -- 87.0%
- Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers -- 85.4%
- Fabric and apparel patternmakers -- 82.2%
- Lifeguards and other protective-service workers -- 81.6%
- Waiters and waitresses -- 80.4%
- Tour and travel guides -- 79.4%
- Models, demonstrators, and product promoters -- 79.2%
- Dishwashers -- 78.8%
- Motion picture projectionists -- 78.1%
Two things caught my attention on this list. First, do you notice how most of these jobs are in the service industry? No wonder service sucks so much. Second, I don't know about you, but there are way too many food service positions on this list. You all may want to think twice before yelling at your server or stiffing them on the tip. You may be sorry later.
No comments:
Post a Comment