It seems the Republicans in the House not packing up to leave are upset at the prospect of having to work a full week for their $165,000 salary. Take Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) who whined, "Keeping us up here eats away at families. Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families - that's what this says." Perhaps Jack should talk to the families of the 140,000 troops that are on their second and third tours in Iraq because of his rubber stamp support of the Bush Presidency. I’m sure they’d sympathize with his situation.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/08/182826.php Congress watch.
Speaking of those who are packing up, Speaker Elect Pelosi (just love to say that) has proposed a severance package for the aides who are losing their jobs as their Republican bosses leave the House. She hopes to give them at least 60 day’s salary so they can make ends meet while they look for employment in the private sector. That’s a lot more generous than Newt was in 1994 when the shoe was on the other foot. He refused to even consider a severance package for the Democratic aides. Just one more difference between them and us.
In other news, the Bush administration has completely ended hunger in America. The Department of Agriculture has removed the word “hunger” from all reports and replaced it with “food insecure”. Isn’t that what they did when they re-defined water hazards on golf courses as wetlands? Who do they think they’re fooling?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/4384540.html Hunger replaced with “food insecure”.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/columnists/conservation/article/0,13199,1179434,00.html Golf courses are now wetlands.
Perhaps they can end the health care crisis by replacing the word “sick” with “health insecure”. I’m sure that would make those covered by Cigna insurance feel a lot better since Cigna has increased some group coverage by 82% in one move. The increase, which affects groups in California and New Jersey, brings family coverage to as much as $44,000 a year. Gotta’ love that free market health care system.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2006-12-05-cigna-rate-hikes_x.htm?csp=34 $44,000/year for health insurance.
Of course, there is one group that might justify such cost. According to an AP-Ipsos poll that shows while 71% of Americans disapprove of Bush’s handling of Iraq, 9% still believe there will be a clear-cut victory in that war. The meds cost for that 9% has to be huge!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16107249 9% expect clear victory in Iraq.
That group, I guess you’d have to call it the “Union of Delusional Idiots”, does include one very powerful member: President Bush. A day after the ISG Report came out detailing how dire the situation in Iraq is Dubya and his pet poodle, Tony (not to be confused with Barney who no longer supports the Iraq policy) held a news conference. Bush said we were "succeeding slower than I expected” and declared he would not accept anything short of total victory. I guess that makes him the “Delusioner” or perhaps the Hallucinator in Chief.
http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=9546 Bush calls for victory in Iraq.
Just another day in America, the land of the befuddled.