The Next 100 Hours

[WilliamPitt]

Link to original: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011907R.shtml

The Next 100 Hours
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Columnist

Friday 19 January 2006

Something really weird is going on here. All of a sudden, the folks in Congress are behaving as if they actually represent ... well ... the people. Aren't they supposed to be hauling water for Bush? What happened to all those arm-twisting, rule-changing, ethics-shredding shows on C-SPAN?

Oh, wait. That's right. November happened.

The "100 Hours" legislative push commemorating the Democratic takeover of the House concluded yesterday. In what actually amounted to 87 hours of bill-passing, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her newly empowered crew passed a slew of bills that accomplished two signal goals: They helped actual people, and they simultaneously served up a walloping dose of Listerine to get the taste of the last twelve years out of our mouths.

Among the bills passed this week was a boost to the federal minimum wage, an expansion of embryonic stem-cell research, a law allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, a cut in student-loan interest rates, an implementation of port security rules, a move to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies, and a rollback of tax breaks for that industry.

Translation: They helped poor people, sick people, old people, students and national security, while getting back some of the taxpayer cash frittered away by the loose-handed oil boys in Washington.

Crazy stuff.

The Senate, which tends to move at a far more glacial pace, got into the act as well. According to the Washington Post, the Senate "approved 96 to 2 expansive legislation to curtail the influence of lobbyists, tighten Congressional ethics rules and prevent the spouses of senators from lobbying senators and their staffs. The Senate legislation ... would ban gifts, meals and travel funded by lobbyists, and would force lawmakers to attach their names to special-interest provisions and pet projects that they slip into bills. Lawmakers would have to pay charter rates on corporate jets, not the far-cheaper first-class rates they pay now."

The timing of the passage of this legislation was cute. Newspapers across America carried a headline announcing it, with the headline "Ex-Ohio Representative Ney Sentenced to 30 Months" just beneath. Ney, you will recall, was one of the representatives caught up in the astonishing Jack Abramoff bribery scandal. The sentence, as it turns out, was harsher than the one recommended by prosecutors in the case.

Before anyone in the Democratic caucus breaks an arm patting himself on the back, however, one all-important area must be addressed. The Democrats campaigned on all the issues they managed to legislate this week, including ethics reform, but the issue of Iraq and their promises about same stood out above all else. At this moment, their intentions towards addressing this problem remain murky.

A majority of Americans want the United States to begin actively removing itself from that conflict, and also want a clear plan as to how this will be accomplished. Bush, for his part, wants nothing to do with the will of the people, and is planning to "surge" more than 20,000 troops into the region. The Democratic reaction, thus far, has been a non-binding resolution against the war from the Senate, and a promise from Speaker Pelosi not to cut the war funding in the House.

The Senate resolution seems to make some amount of sense. There can be no military or tactical solution to Iraq without the political will to find one, and that political will is absent in the White House. It will take more than angry Democrats to create this will. Republican rank-and-file members will have to defect from Bush's plans, and this resolution appears to be a first step towards gathering a loud bipartisan consensus that things must change. It was, after all, three Republicans who convinced Nixon to leave office after all that shouting from the other side of the aisle.

The Pelosi promise to leave funding for the Iraq occupation unmolested, however, is troubling. People want the war stopped and the troops brought home, and the purse strings are the most effective way to accomplish this. Setting a firm date for the cessation of funds creates a hard line that cannot be crossed, and would require the administration to actively begin preparations for an end to our involvement in the conflict. Pelosi's promise removes that very large club from the arsenal.

There is more to this, of course, than simple political cowardice. Democrats who don't want to empower the "You don't support the troops!" demagoguery that is sure to come in the wake of any meddling with the war budget. "Stop funding the war" is easy to say, but the gritty details of a budget like this complicate matters. Killing the Iraq budget could also kill funding the rehabilitation of wounded veterans, health benefits and other vital programs embedded in the bill. Beyond the threat of political browbeating lives the actual threat of screwing the very soldiers the Democrats wish to help.

Democratic Representative Charles Rangel nailed the problem in his usual blunt fashion. "If my black ass was in Korea during the war and people got fed up with it," said Rangel, "and they cut off the money so I couldn't get some snowshoes or underwear, well, goddamn, you are cutting the wrong people."

It comes down to this. If Pelosi and her people are unwilling to navigate the dangerous waters surrounding the Iraq budget, they had better be prepared for a loud roar of outrage from the base of the party. Further, if they have chosen to leave aside the most direct way to end the war, their main task now is to come up with an equally effective plan to terminate the occupation. If the Democrats merely shrink from this tough fight, they will have proven to be as cowardly and tone-deaf as the fellow bunkered down at 1600 Pennsylvania.

The 100 Hours thing was a good start, and it will help people. Let's see what the next 100 hours brings.

[Mr Rabble]

1. Solution? Myriad investigations.

Once congressional investigations reveal the criminal scope of what the Bush Crime Family has done in the last 6 years, real public sentiment favoring impeachment will be overwhelming.

Thats the real fix for the Iraq ill.

[PADemD]

3. And all the while they are investigating, people are still dying.

[pat_k]

10. Dying needlessly. Numerous charges are proven in the public record right NOW.

Not only are investigations unnecessary, calling for investigations says one thing: "We don't have a case."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[tbyg52]

30. You're right! Don't investigate, just collate (the existing evidence). nt

[KittyWampus]

15. Right! Democrats need to break out their magic wand.

[mmonk]

34. Investigations aren't working.

I have been around asking people who aren't really plugged into politics. The average person out there isn't watching. The average person out there, for instance, doesn't even know about what went on during the Gonzo questioning nor his answers. The people won't know anymore in 08, than they do know. It's a cop out so far.

[NewJeffCT]

2. good article

nice way to highlight that our 100 hour agenda has passed. I have not seen much of it in my local newspapers or on local radio...

The 87 hours is a good start. I'm not as much concerned about the next 100 hours, but the next 100 days.

[porphyrian]

4. Amen. Is the impeachment ready yet? - n/t

[lonestarnot]

5. Impeachment, conviction and imprison the 2 top bastards is the only fucking answer!

And they better damn get started!

[annabanana]

6. It is the republicans who must take B*sh down...

For them to declare, they must have political cover. For political cover, they must have strong input from constituents. For strong input from constituents, there must be PUBLIC investigations.

For the investigations to be public ENOUGH.. there must be coverage. Massive coverage.
For there to be coverage. . Corpomedia must be shoved into it by the online news service.
We (DU, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Huffington, etc etc) are the online news service.

[pat_k]

8. "Investigations" don't get coverage. Only Impeachment Hearings will get their attention.

Calling for "investigations" says one thing: "We don't have a case."

Nothing could be futher from the truth. Torture, spying, and countless other charges are proven in the public record. We just need one. Holding Impeachment Hearings to make the case is the ONLY thing that will get "massive coverage."

It doesn't matter who acts first. The imperative to impeach trumps all "strategery"

But, the Democratic caucus can kiss their political future goodbye if Repubs call for impeachment first.

By their silence they confirm their "wimpy Dem" image.

As Bill Clinton pointed out, "Americans will pick strong and wrong over weak and right."

And, Strong and Right is unbeatable.

If the Dems think they can sit on their hands and allow the Republicans to show the strength and principle required to fight for impeachment, they should start packing right now.

The Constitution is being tortured in plain sight. If this Democratic caucus fails us, we take up the fight to mount primary challenges to replace each and every one of them with men and women who understand the meaning of an oath.

We cannot even begin to solve our common problems without a foundation. If the Repubs beat us to the punch, so be it. After impeachment, at least we are fighting on solid ground.

[pat_k]

7. Failure to impeach just confirms the impotence of the Democratic "leadership"

Haven't you noticed the increasing drumbeat? The chattering class writing off this Congress as impotent? We are hearing it not just on the Daily Show and Colbert, but on Tucker, Hardball, Situation Room.

For once, the consensus of the mainstream chattering class is right when they point out that the election was not "for" Pelosi's agenda. They miss the boat when they say it's "all about" the war though.

The election was a cry for help. A cry to "Get us out of Bush world."

". . .it is a gestalt around George Bush. it's being a pariah to other countries; it's people dying in what they increasing find is a vain fight; it's massive budgetary imbalances; it's a lack of compassionate conservatism; it's insecurity in jobs; it's the feeling that people have not been leveled with.

-- Curtis Gans, Director, Center for the Study of the American Electorate (MP3 @ 18:30)

The hopes of the nation -- that we could escape Bush world -- were pinned on Democratic control of Congress.

When she took impeachment "off the table," Pelosi killed that hope.

Americans continue to grasp at straws, but everyday the impotence of the so-called Democratic "leadership" is clearer. (Cutting off funds is useless; Bush will raid the budget and do what he wants. Passing legislation is useless; Bush will veto or nullify with a signing statement, or steal the credit for anything he deigns to permit. . .).

If the Congressional "leadership" finds the courage to impeach Bush and Cheney in the next 100 hours, they'll demonstrate REAL leadership; they'll open the floodgates of hope and action.

If she won't impeach to rescue the Constitution, maybe she'll impeach to rescue her political future. I give her until President's Day. Then it's time find a serious primary challenger.

[puebloknot]

19. That Pelosi is a grandmother, that she wears Armani...

..has been a major topic of conversation around here since she took the gavel.

I don't care. Her focus on issues that any sane government does in a heartbeat, while assiduously avoiding the war and the criminals sitting in the White House, does not bode well for Pelosi or for the country.

There are rumblings in various venues about abandoning the Dem party, if we're going to be living under a Dem-controlled fascist state, as opposed to Repug-controlled fascism, anyway.

Excuses abound for not going forward with impeachment. Someone patiently explained to me that Conyers had to agree to the "off the table" pronouncement because he has that little ethics problem ("little," I think is the operative concept) with regard to his staff.

Impeachment will mean opening Pandora's Box, and inside that box will be found some Dems, taking corporate money, not being perfected political beings.

Let's roll (to use a perfectly obnoxious expression)!

Pelosi needs to get out of the way and let justice happen. If she remains entrenched in her position, two or three elder Dems need to walk on over to her office and have a talk with her. (That assumes, of course, that there *are* senior statesmen who will stick their necks out to save the country. Let it be so!)

[pat_k]

21. What is obvious to outsiders is often unimaginable to insiders. . .

With the exception of those who are new to the 110th, Members of Congress appear to be trapped in the dysfunctional, created "reality" of their insular beltway world. (In any closed system, faulty "insider" assumptions beget faulty interpretations, which beget assumptions that diverge further and further from reality "outside.")

Long experience is a two-edged sword. "Elder Dems" who were "there" on one of the few occassions that Dems have stood up and fought on principle have experiences to look to that can challenge the dysfunctional beliefs that currently surround them.

Unfortunately, the "conventional wisdom" and exhortations we've heard since the election -- "impeachment is off limits," "it's about issues, issues, issues," "suppress anger," "don't overreach," etc. -- aren't new. We heard them last month. We heard them last year. We have been hearing similar admonitions to be "pragmatic" and "tactical" or to "keep our powder dry" for decades because such admonitions are grounded in assumptions and patterns of thought that have resisted change for decades. Those who have inhabited the insular beltway world the longest tend to have their heads most deeply embedded in the beltway sphincter.

Ultimately, it's gonna take a big dose of reality from outsiders (i.e., folks like us confronting them, face-to-face, so we can directly challenge their rationalizations for inaction).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[ArnoldLayne]

9. The next major issue needs to be

impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

[G_Leo_Criley]

11. The next 100 hours?

How about laying groundwork, by way of investigative committee(s) to impeach Gonzales, and any other cabinet members and officials who've been part of the sick joke of this administration's failures?

John Dean has suggested this. If we are able to impeach the underlings, then what is left is a very weak house of cards that will be paralyzed, humiliated, and in danger of falling.

See: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20061215.html

Dean has some other interesting articles out on Findlaw too.

Remember: Rumsfeld and Cheney are both retreads from the Nixon administration. If underlings had been impeached then, we wouldn't have had them with us for this latest go-round. Once impeached and convicted, the official may never hold office again.

How about Charles Stimson (Deputy asst. secretary of defense for detainee affairs?) who recently shouted out some law firm names publicly, implying that these lawyers were un-American for defending those at Guantanamo. Even suggested that people might not want to do business with them. Seems like HE's the one who ought to be impeached. Talk about un-American! If this guy is allowed to continue in his position, I'd venture a guess that, like Cheney and Rumsfeld, he'll be back some years down the road.

glc

[Gregorian]

12. America's twelve step program- 100 hours at a time.

I love it.

[blues90]

13. I have a stupid question

For all those wanting impeachment , not that I disagree , however what we have now is dems who for the last 6 years know damn well bush is a madman and must know how this all works . There have already been a few states that have submitted articals of impeachment and now New Mexico is a big deal ?

As far as I can tell the last 6 years with the dems being silenced should have been the time where they looked ahead to stop this war . Now perhaps they have but I see no evident of this , not when 3500 more troops are already sent to Iraq , I have to wonder what their lives are worth during this political 100 hours went by .

I know the dems felt they had to prove to the people how the house should and could be run . I still have to wonder what part the extra troops play in this and just what they get out of it , what more blown off arms and legs and new high tech replacement parts if they live through it .

[Brundle_Fly]

14. William

your television appearance has made me decide to shave my head.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/363806503_c76c657fec...

[WilliamPitt]

31. I'll loan you my weed-whacker.

Shave the head, keep the beard.

[AikidoSoul]

16. What about the armour for the troops? It's my understanding that

our soldiers are still largely unprotected.

The argument that the Democratic Congress would be abandoning the troops by pulling the budget strings tighter is bogus, considering that LOCKHEED, HALLIBURTON, and other war mongering corporations have been and continue to rake in billions of dollars -- but our troops are fighting without the most basic protections.

Have the troops been ordered to shut up about this problem. Haven't heard much about the armour lately.

How come it's out of the conversation in the press? Maybe it's time to bring the topic up again, and again, and again..... give this issue would give a better picture about what and who are really important in this war as far as supporting the troops is concerned.

[Norrin Radd]

28. Not in the press, but in the House.

The House Armed Services Committee recently held a hearing on "Protection Equipment for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom." on the 16th. You can find the video on C-Span.

[puebloknot]

17. Impeachment. Nothing else will do it.

If Pelosi, et al. are going to hedge their bets on Iraq, with an eye firmly on 2008, they should do the math about how many of our troops, and how many Iraqis, are going to die while they're engaging in "bipartisan" niceties. And they should formulate the numbers of us who won't vote Dem in 2008 if the Dems don't show some spine right NOW!

I'd like to know what Ms. Pelosi *means* when she says they're going to hold Bush accountable? When, Nancy? And how?

[bobbolink]

18. Would have been nice to restore the $$$ to Medicaid that was cut

in the last budget.

But I've been kindly reminded by DUers that that isn't important.

Let 'em eat cake...

[AtomicKitten]

20. Second 100 hours.

1. Stop the war by any means necessary.
2. Blizzard of subpoenas.

[Vincardog]

22. William will I be seeing you in DC next weekend?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

23. Marianas labor law reform NOW

it had the votes all along-DeLay and Ney wouldn't let it to the floor

[Earth_First]

24. The second 100 hours ought to deal exclusively with the occupation of Iraq...

Then, it's investigation and subpoena time.

[Zorra]

25. Bu*h will just leave our poor soldiers to be slaughtered like fish in

a barrel if funding is cut off, just to spite Democrats.

We already know for a fact that Bu*h is a conscienceless sociopathic mass murderer.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that he would pull our troops out of Iraq, even if he knew that every single last one of them would be killed.

He is a monster that simply does not care in the least about taking the lives of human beings.

[Faryn Balyncd]

26. IRAQ - - - Restore the RULE of LAW - - - Restore CIVIL LIBERTIES - - - ACCOUNTABILITY

IRAQ - - - Restore the RULE of LAW - - - Restore CIVIL LIBERTIES - - - ACCOUNTABILITY



Stop the Escalation
Instead of ignoring the advise of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group, heed thheir recomendations and stop the war.


Restore the Rule of Law.
The president is not above the law.
Hold him to it.


Restore civil liberties:
Repeal the PATRIOT act.
Restore habeas corpus.
Repeal all unconstitutional abuses of the Bush/Cheney regime.


Hold them accountable.
Investigate.
Determine and document the truth.
After determining truth, carry out the law, letting the chips fall where they may.

[Senator]

27. Sure, Hit 'Em with Your Purse. That'll Git-R-Done

But how they'll even lift it after that 100 hours of masturbatory work-i-ness is beyond me.

Maybe the '08 candidates can weigh in on how best to discuss discussing it?

The next 100 hours will bring the same as the first 100 hours. Bupkis.

Only Impeachment... is a substantive act.

It IS our positive agenda.

It is our ONLY moral, patriotic option.

--

[Jeffersons Ghost]

29. K&R thanks for this OP william but don't underestimate nancy... here's some words that apply...

on violence:
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one -- even at the cost of your life."

on patience:
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds. Unwearied ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience. Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy. Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always."

on strength:
"They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them. It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love. Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong. Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. Non-violence is the article of faith. "

on courage:
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. If you don't ask, you don't get. A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking. Adaptability is not imitation. An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth. A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."

~Mahatma Gandhi~

[Faryn Balyncd]

32. ROBERT - - - - PARRY - - - - on what was MISSING from the first 100 hours...........

As usual, William Pitt hits the nail on the head:

"Before anyone in the Democratic caucus breaks an arm patting himself on the back, however, one all-important area must be addressed. The Democrats campaigned on all the issues they managed to legislate this week, including ethics reform, but the issue of Iraq and their promises about same stood out above all else. At this moment, their intentions towards addressing this problem remain murky."

And here's what Robert Parry has been observing:


http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/010307.html

ROBERT PARRY on what is missing:

"As the Democrats regain control of Congress for the first time in 12 years, the party leaders still don’t seem to understand the forces that sent them into the wilderness in 1994 or the reasons they were summoned back in 2006.

"Typical of their cluelessness was a “100 Hours Survey” distributed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in mid-December. The survey asked Democratic contributors to rank nine priority issues in order of importance for the new Congress..........The issues included raising the minimum wage, financing stem-cell research, revising the Medicare prescription drug program and stiffening ethics rules. The only national security issue on the list was the implementation of all the remaining – but unspecified – recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

"No reference was made to ending the Iraq War, launching investigative hearings on President George W. Bush’s actions, reasserting checks and balances on the Executive, or restoring constitutional safeguards that have been overridden during the “war on terror,” such as the habeas corpus right to a fair trial......................Though many issues on the DCCC’s priority list surely have merit, what’s missing is any commitment to the larger purpose of the American Republic......,..."


..............

complete article: www.consortiumnews.com/2007/010307.html

Americans, including millions of normally Republican voters, did not throw out the GOP so that Democrats could murmur bromides while doing nothing of substance to stop the war and reverse the Bush/Cheney constitutional abuses.

If Democratic leaders heed the pseudo-centrist, do-nothing advice of the DLC, rather than the clear demands of the American majority to end the war and reign in Bush/Cheney, the support of the American people will be transient.

[lizbitchwitchy]

33. I agree in part

I can agree with your voiced concern over their refusal to define and take definate action as far as getting out of Iraq is cocerned. However, I was not all that impressed by the first 100 hours either.

They cut student loan interest rates in half and they propose to raise the amount of the Pell Grant. Whoopie! Our basic education system is in dire need of funding. There are many children with out access to an education which is their right as an American citizen. Why aren't they addressing the problem at the roots. We have kids who can not read and write or add and subtract and they are providing for those who are heading towards higher education. In my opinion any education in this country - higher education, that is, is just as harmful as not having the basic education.

They pushed for the government to be allowed to negotiate better deals for those on Medicare, hooray! We trust the government as much as we trust those who are responsible for getting our infirm, poor seniors in this pickle to begin with - oh wait...that was the government. See how that works?

But obviously the health care system in this country is a concern which is why they pushed for more funding for stem cell research, halleljuia! Just think of all those people suffering from incureable and fatal diseases who will now have hope. Hope that a cure is coming before they die from the disease. Now all they have to do is hope that someday they will be able to afford the cure or that the government will start legislating about things that matter rather than things that won't affect many more in a positiv way then the republicans managed to do in their run at the helm.

This is all irrelevant and a distraction from the real critical issues their country and our country faces. It's critical that they do something about the education system in this country - that is the basic, elementary education system and the foundation of the entire structure as it is crumbling right before us and they are handing out favors to those who already got threw it and are reaching for more. It's honorable but not in the current state of affairs.

All in all we have a bare minimum of people who will feel the effects of any of this crap. A few people paying off student loans will save oh a whopping 30.00 a month maybe and they will need that for the gasoline in their car and to pay their electric bill. Those receiving pell grants will be happier but doesn't that mean that there will be fewer pell grants to hand out too - therefore more people without the resource?
A few seniors who are poor and in need of medical attention might be able to afford another perscription that they need but they still won't have any heat and enough to eat. See what I am saying? These are tokens - a bone tossed our way which don't resolve the issues that will eventually destroy this democratic idea and a governmnt of the people; by the people; and for the people.

What about the media monopolies - we need a free and independent press to preserve a democray and everyone knows it but we have a corporate media - riddled with conflicting interests between their other profitable businesses and the news that they should or do report. This is a problem and one that needs to be addressed immediately. No one touches this. No one talks about the US military targetting journalist covering the iraq war - and why that is. No one talks about the FCC and how they are ironically making rules which contradict the very reason they were created to protect us from. What about the media outlets selling "news clips" to sway public opinions for a political party and towards a political agenda? What about the security that journalists need to have to protect their sources and the whistle blowers identities? This is all untouched in the first 100 hours and it should be a matter that is top of the list

What about the election system and the only hand we the people have in the policies that govern us and those who enforce these policies. A huge red flag that can not be missed by those who legislate and especially the democrats who legislate is that in 2000 for the first time ever in this country we had a man sent to serve as president on orders of a court rather than the votes of the people. Without a free, fair, and verifyable election system, we have no democracy. But the say nothing and do nothing about these critical issues.

I am not impressed by the democrats in their shining armour (bought and paid for by the tax payers, no doubt)and their grand debut as they come riding in on a horse's ass and the President's pet goat - signing some patriotic song with civil servant signs on their foreheads - I am not buying it. Let's see them DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT - something signficant and worthy of all this patting on the back - otherwise I am so not impressed.

[lizbitchwitchy]

35. Oh and I forgot to mention that minimum wage increase

That 7.52/hour will take all those poverty stricken people right up to the next tax bracket - leaving them netting less than before they got the increase. What a way to look out for the little guy! Still as unimpressed as I was at the time of my last post.

You guys can not be seeing this much differently, or are you?