recession

Amuse Bouche: Bobby Jindal’s Rebuttal

Friday, February 27th, 2009

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Just when you think the Republican Party “can do anything” can’t stoop any lower, they throw Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal onto the national stage—to tirelessly compare himself to President Obama, make numerous Hurricane Katrina references to score a little cheap sympathy, and then sideswipe our dear president for passing “irresponsible” legislation.

Who compares himself to another in one breath, only to whack the same person from behind in another? It’s low. It’s dirty. And this is the behavior of the Republican Party’s new wonder boy—the kid they’re supposedly grooming to run for the White House in 2012? Good luck.

And, uh, if the American people “can do anything,” then why the hell was Jindal talking to us like we’re a bunch of illiterate children? We. Can. Understand. You. At normal talking speed. Governor. (But if you feel the itch to dumb yourself down more in the future—by all means…)

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In the News: To Stimulus or Not To Stimulus?

Friday, February 6th, 2009

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…That ain’t the question.

Obama is a man with a mission. He’s gonna pass this damn stimulus package, and he’ll pass it whether the Republicans like it or not.

“The time for talk is over, the time for action is now,” Obama said in a speech at the Energy Department yesterday.

An $800 billion version of the bill swept through the House without a single GOP nod of approval last week. It’s now in the Senate (with a new price tag of nearly $900 billion) and Obama’s been doing his darndest to woo some Republicans—but it’s going to take more than a bipartisan Super Bowl party and a few one-on-one parent-teacher conferences to get those conservative penny-pinchers on board.

A bipartisan group of senators is currently working to cheapen the package by cutting social initiatives that won’t immediately stimulate the economy. Blah, blah, blah. As time drags on, Obama’s getting more and more antsy to throw around some money, create a few jobs, and pop a few economic anti-depressants.

And so the Dems are gearing up to take a vote and pass the bill, with or without Republican support.

“Not … so … fast … !” some say—and around we go again …

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Layoffs at the Zoos?

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

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A layoff for elephants? Yes, an expected effect of the current recession are state budget cuts that reduce crucial funding for exhibits at zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens. In New York alone, their 76 zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums will lose $9.1 million dollars in funding next year.

“We’re faced with this very difficult problem of firing the animals, as it were,” said Steve Sanderson to CNN. Sanderson is the CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium.

Taking matters into their own hands, the Bronx Zoo has created a video (www.bronxzoo.com) to alert people to the animal layoffs.

In this case, an animal firing means some species will be shipped off to other zoos. Or if a species dies, it will not be replaced. And the overall amount of zoo exhibits will decrease.

A spokesman for the New York State Budget Office told CNN that cuts are necessary because of the state’s financial situation. New York isn’t the only place where the state’s budget problems are affecting the zoos. Animal exhibits are being streamlined or discontinued in California, Missouri, North Carolina and Maryland.

Although there is an $819 billion economic stimulus package in consideration, funding for zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums are not included. Taxpayer watchdog groups fought to keep funding from being directed at these organizations.

I hear the elephants, giraffes and other animals at the zoo are wondering: where is their economic bailout?

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Inauguration Diary: D.C. Here I Come!

Monday, January 19th, 2009

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Yes, I am going to the Inauguration 2009. And I must confess. I am feeling a little under-excited. And I honestly don’t know why. (Maybe it is the cold weather, the large crowds, the tremendous logistics involved, the financial expense, etc.) This is probably THE most historic presidency of my lifetime – at least that is what I am being told by almost everyone around me. And a part of me believes this statement. Whenever people super-hype things, I always take a teeny step back. (Maybe it is because I personally believe I will witness tons of firsts—including a woman elected president, other people of color as president, or global leaders in addition to the greatest thing of all —world peace and an end to terrorism.)

With that being said, I will probably become swept up in the moment once I arrive to DC (via two planes..sigh). The presidency of Barack Obama is something truly worthy of celebrating. The United States has a chance to change course.

So why the sense of trepidation about this fantastic moment? Well, I can’t help but think of the costs of this super Inauguration spent by myself, others and the United States government while this country is in a serious recession/depression. And I am trying to remember the thousands of people that are losing and have lost their jobs during the economic fallout.

But I guess I’m digressing from the beauty of the moment.The Obama electoral win shows that the United States has (at some level) shifted its consciousness to a place where people are being judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, which was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. There is no coincidence that Obama was elected during this time in history and will assume the presidency the day after MLK’s birthday. There are no coincidences.

This consciousness shift is the main reason I am getting excited. I am getting pumped up to witness this incredible moment in history.. IN PERSON. Yes, I will be there on the U.S. Capitol steps (I can’t believe I actually got a ticket!) watching the ONLY 2008 presidential candidate I believed in become the leader of our country.

Okay, I’m getting excited writing this post. Stay tuned on my adventures back to DC (my home) to participate and observe in this tremendous time in history. (I will be twittering it too. Follow me on Twitter.)

Yes, I’m tingling a little bit now. An intelligent, hopeful, trustworthy, compassionate man—who happens to be a man of color—will be our next president in three whole days!! Woo hoo!

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Right Wing Response: Rudolph Sues, Ahmadinejad Gives Christmas Message, and More…

Monday, December 29th, 2008

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer sued Santa and won. Check out the parody column at the Globe and Mail. It’s a cautionary tale about discrimination, or rather a roast on political correctness…

Feliz ‘dinejad! says National Review Online’s Mark Steyn. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave the “alternative Christmas message” on BBC 4 this year. Here’s the story and the full text of Ahmadinejad’s message, and here’s the response from NRO’s Michael Rubin.

We’re safer since 9/11 because of the policies of the Bush Administration, writes Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in a Washington Times op-ed. John Hinderaker at Power Line agrees, but places less emphasis on airport and border security and more on Bush’s aggressiveness overseas. Hinderaker adds that he hopes the Obama Administration realizes we need to stay aggressive. But how the president-elect will lead is still a big question mark.

Huffington’s read on the economic crisis is wrong, argues David Harsanyi at RealClearPolitics. In a recent post on the same site, Arianna Huffington wrote that laissez-faire capitalism is dead, but Harsanyi rebuts, pointing out that federal regulation has actually grown during the Bush years. Harsanyi decries leftist scare tactics and argues we shouldn’t use a temporary recession to make foundational changes to the economy.

Obama shouldn’t go after the Bush Administration for war crimes, writes Mort Kondracke, executive editor of Roll Call. With “Bush haters” calling for investigations into war crimes related to the global war on terror, “Obama should make it clear right now that he opposes such action,” Kondracke writes. Such calls are a sign of “political vengeance” rather than truth-seeking, and a probe would disrupt national unity and, more importantly, morale within the intelligence community during wartime. Putting a stop to such talk now, Obama would also prevent the “unseemly” possibility that Bush blanket pardons everyone involved in the GWOT on his way out.

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