September, 2006 archive
Broder on the Presidency 0
From his chat today.
Read this:
David S. Broder: I would hope we get a president who trusts the American people and treats us as grownups, describes the realistic choices confronting us at home and abroad, and has the wisdom and fortitude to carry through policies supported by an informed public. That’s asking a lot, but the country deserves no less.
Now think about what we’ve got now.
Should Have Moved On 0
Instead of doing this (From FactCheck dot org):
Another ad says the same three Republicans were “caught red-handed” taking donations from military contractors while failing to support penalties for contractors who overcharge. In fact the donations were relatively small and MoveOn offers no evidence the votes were influenced by money. Furthermore severe penalties already exist for fraud against the Pentagon. What the targeted Republicans opposed were Democratic proposals to increase penalties.
I watch little television, probably, on the average, less than an hour a day. No news and almost no network shows.
So I get to miss all the juicy political ads.
Well, “miss” isn’t the right word. I don’t miss them.
They don’t get inflicted on me.
Off-Road Rage 0
Oh, my. Must have been one heck of a sale they were heading for.
(snip)
The dispute began about 12:30 p.m. as both women tried to pull into the same parking spot in Powder Mill Square, a center of small shops, eateries and offices off Del. 52.
(snip)
Steptoe started arguing over the parking spot with the second driver, Megan Gioffre, 31, of the 2400 block of Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilmington, he said.
Steptoe then pulled out a can of chemical spray and sprayed Gioffre’s face and eyes, Whitmarsh said.
The macer is charged with felony assault; the macee with misdemeanor assault.
Happy Labor Day 0
Harold Meyerson:
The young may be understandably incredulous, but the Great Compression, as economists call it, was the single most important social fact in our country in the decades after World War II. From 1947 through 1973, American productivity rose by a whopping 104 percent, and median family income rose by the very same 104 percent. . . .
That America is as dead as the dodo. Ours is the age of the Great Upward Redistribution. The median hourly wage for Americans has declined by 2 percent since 2003, though productivity has been rising handsomely. Last year, according to figures released just yesterday by the Census Bureau, wages for men declined by 1.8 percent and for women by 1.3 percent.
Don’t spend it all in one place.
Don’t Do This at Home 0
Second prize went to the warning label on a kitchen knife: “Never try to catch a falling knife.”
Third prize went to a cocktail napkin decorated with a map of the seacoast of Hilton Head, S.C., and a warning: “Caution: Not to be used for navigation.”
Among the honorable mentions was the warning on a bottle of dried bobcat urine used to keep rodents away from garden plants: “Not for human consumption.”
My favorite was at the local Mobil, on the gasoline pump: “Do not drink the gasoline.”
