This Week In the News
This week, the Republican Senator from Idaho, Larry Craig, admitted that he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct and invasion of privacy stemming from his encounter with a Minneapolis police officer in the mens room of the Minneapolis airport. Craig, who is also the subject of an investigative report by the Idaho Statesman that he has had sex with numerous men in restrooms, will now face a Senate ethics panel at the urging of his fellow Republicans. He has also stepped down from his leadership role in Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. At a news conference, Craig denied that he is gay and said that "it is a vicious rumor started by a bunch of men I had sex with."
This week, the Census bureau reported that poverty in America decreased for the first time in six years....by.3%. Other news was not so rosy: the median household income last year was still about $1,000 less than in 2000; in 2006, 36.5 million Americans were living in poverty — 5 million more than in 2000; The median income of working-age households remained more than 2 percent lower than in 2001. The President cheerfully reported that his tax cuts were working.
This week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigned his post. While pundits and the Administration have all opined as to the reason, TWN was able to get the scoop from Fredo himself. After first denying any knowledge of his resignation, then denying he played any role in his decision to resign, Gonzalez finally confessed, "I need to satisfy my jones for work in the non profit sector. I am going to serves as the Chairman of ABBA, or the American Boot Boys Association. It is a group intended for all those, like myself, whose lasting mark on this society is their selfless fealty and loyalty to their superiors even when such loyalty defies reason. Let's face it, every administration, whether in business or in politics needs men who value a proximity to power more than integrity. It is what make the world go 'round." Asked about the groups activities, Gonzalez stated, "We run workshops on basic groveling and flattery, but also have high level seminars on taking the heat for your man, creating an echo chamber in the office, how to say only what he wants to hear with a shred of credibility. The first two are one dayers, but the seminars generally go over a week. They include lunch with powerful people that you can be close to. "
This week, we marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While publications from Time to Salon have noted the slow pace of re-development -- only about $4 billion of the $16 billion allocated to Katrina recovery has been spent -- there are some bright spots. Take Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Two hundred miles inland, Tuscaloosa suffered only heavy rains and scattered wind damage during Katrina, none the less, developers are making new luxury condominiums near the University of Alabama with an attractive feature: up to half the cost of the condo can be deducted using a tax credit contained in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act ("GoZone"). As New Orleans struggles to rebuild among formaldehyde infested trailers, and a rental assistance program one federal court has called "Kafkaesque," some question whether the federal government needs to pick up the tab for luxury condos. Pressed for comment Alabama's Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who sits on the Appropriations Committee that created the credit -- commented, "Few realized how badly the luxury infrastructure of our inland city was hurting. Welfare -- its not just for the poor anymore."
This week, the Census bureau reported that poverty in America decreased for the first time in six years....by.3%. Other news was not so rosy: the median household income last year was still about $1,000 less than in 2000; in 2006, 36.5 million Americans were living in poverty — 5 million more than in 2000; The median income of working-age households remained more than 2 percent lower than in 2001. The President cheerfully reported that his tax cuts were working.
This week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigned his post. While pundits and the Administration have all opined as to the reason, TWN was able to get the scoop from Fredo himself. After first denying any knowledge of his resignation, then denying he played any role in his decision to resign, Gonzalez finally confessed, "I need to satisfy my jones for work in the non profit sector. I am going to serves as the Chairman of ABBA, or the American Boot Boys Association. It is a group intended for all those, like myself, whose lasting mark on this society is their selfless fealty and loyalty to their superiors even when such loyalty defies reason. Let's face it, every administration, whether in business or in politics needs men who value a proximity to power more than integrity. It is what make the world go 'round." Asked about the groups activities, Gonzalez stated, "We run workshops on basic groveling and flattery, but also have high level seminars on taking the heat for your man, creating an echo chamber in the office, how to say only what he wants to hear with a shred of credibility. The first two are one dayers, but the seminars generally go over a week. They include lunch with powerful people that you can be close to. "
This week, we marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While publications from Time to Salon have noted the slow pace of re-development -- only about $4 billion of the $16 billion allocated to Katrina recovery has been spent -- there are some bright spots. Take Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Two hundred miles inland, Tuscaloosa suffered only heavy rains and scattered wind damage during Katrina, none the less, developers are making new luxury condominiums near the University of Alabama with an attractive feature: up to half the cost of the condo can be deducted using a tax credit contained in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act ("GoZone"). As New Orleans struggles to rebuild among formaldehyde infested trailers, and a rental assistance program one federal court has called "Kafkaesque," some question whether the federal government needs to pick up the tab for luxury condos. Pressed for comment Alabama's Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who sits on the Appropriations Committee that created the credit -- commented, "Few realized how badly the luxury infrastructure of our inland city was hurting. Welfare -- its not just for the poor anymore."
posted by Jack Reed at 9:53 AM
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