What Caught My Eye Today - Job Creation, Code Names, Vegetarianism

Job Creation - With the Democratic National Convention in full swing, a number of party leaders are attempting to boost President Obama's re-election effort by asserting that 4.5 million new jobs have been created during his term. Wow that sure sounds like a lot, don't it? President Obama himself has recently claimed more job growth in the past 29 months than President George W. Bush created "during the entire seven years before this crisis." Everybody say it with me now...4 more year, 4 more years. 4 more years.. However, CNN fact-checked that claim and found it to be "not the whole picture." Say what? There has been a net increase of just 300,000 non-farm payroll jobs since Obama took office. And if you count government jobs, there are actually 400,000 fewer people working today than in January 2009. Now that can't be right. How could anyone possibly confuse 4.5 million with a negative 400,000? When Democrats use the 4.5 million jobs number, they're referring to jobs created after the economy bottomed out in January 2010, one year after Obama took office. That time frame excludes the worst job losses, which took place in 2009, and which many Democrats argue were the result of Bush policies. Don't you just love when politicians practice their math skills? It's the only profession that I know of where "two plus two equals five" is the norm. Historical analysis of job growth percentages shows that Obama still fares better than some recent presidents. As of July, Obama is averaging +0.84% annual job growth in his term. That places him ahead of Bush, who saw +.051% growth in his first term and -0.84% in his second term. Obama is also tracking better than George H.W. Bush, who presided over +0.64% growth during his one term in the White House. Obama's job growth percentages trail far behind some other recent presidents, including Bill Clinton (+2.60% and +1.60%), Ronald Reagan (+1.75% and +2.53%) and even Jimmy Carter (+2.30%). So when it comes to job creation (or loss), is it really a question of competency or being in the right place at the right time (or as I like to say, "dumb luck")? I tend to think if you employ the right math, it probably doesn't matter.


Code Names - This one is kind of fun, mostly because I like cloak and dagger stuff. Though apparently, there isn't as much cloak and dagger as there used to be. Paul Ryan, who received Secret Service protection last month after being picked as Mitt Romney's running mate, has his new Secret Service code name to brandish: "Bowhunter." Ryan, a skilled archer and deer hunter whose kills are well-documented, chose the code name himself. Is it just me or does it seem a bit cheezy for a gut to pick his own code name? Ryan's wife, Janna, is "Buttercup." Mitt Romney, who has had Secret Service protection since January, is known as "Javelin"—a handle that could refer to a vintage muscle car manufactured by American Motors Corp., where Romney's father, George, was once chairman. Yeah, that's totally the first thing that came to my mind too. What's that? You were thinking maybe I was going to go with some phallic reference? Please. This is a classy blog. President Barack Obama's Secret Service code name, chosen during his 2008 presidential campaign, is "Renegade." Michelle Obama's code name is "Renaissance," while first daughters Malia and Sasha go by "Radiance" and "Rosebud," respectively. One cannot help but wonder just how much the letter R has contributed to the Obama re-election campaign or why he didn't go with the letter D instead. Obama's opponent in the 2008 election, Sen. John McCain, was "Phoenix," a nod to his home state. McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was "Denali." The code name tradition dates back to when communications between the Secret Service and White House Military Office were not encrypted. A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service said, "Given modern capabilities to secure communications through encryption, there is no longer any security relevance to protectee call signs." Naturally, this got me to thinking about code names for myself. I'm thinking of either "Magnificent One" or "He Who All Others Aspire To Be Because He Personifies All That is Right and Just in the World". I kind of like the way the second one rolls off the tongue.

Vegetarianism - For the first time ever, McDonald's is opening a pair of restaurants that will not serve any meat at all. Oh great. Yet another sign that the apocalypse is upon us. Both of the restaurants will open next year in India — one in the city of Amritsar (the holiest site in the Sikh religion), and one in the town of Katra (a "jump-off point" for Hindus visiting the mountain shrine of Vaishno Devi). The stores will serve the vegetarian items currently sold in Indian McDonald's restaurants, and the chain will likely develop some new items as well. It's all because of local preferences. Cows are sacred in India, and much of the country is vegetarian. So the existing McDonald's locations in India don't serve beef, but they do serve lots of chicken in its place. Sure, why not call it chicken, just for the sake of argument. Seriously, have you ever really looked at the stuff they put in those McChicken sandwiches? For instance, there's no Big Mac in India. Instead, stores serve the Maharaja Mac, which has chicken patties. It also sells the Filet-o-Fish, Chicken Nuggets and more non-beef menu items. The two vegetarian locations won't serve any chicken or fish items at all. Click here to see some of the other unique offerings available at your friendly neighborhood Indian golden arches.