Pay raise politics
When executives of Detroit’s Big Three automakers came to Washington this fall by private jet, many in Congress said the extravagance proved the CEOs were out of touch with the deep financial problems of their companies, as well as the American taxpaying public in general. Is the shoe on the other foot? Members of Congress are scheduled to receive a $4,100 salary increase early next year, bringing their pay to $169,300. The 2.5 percent cost-of-living bump will be their first increase since January 2006. It will happen almost automatically, without an up-or-down vote, tied to an increase for federal workers. One Democrat, Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah, told the Associated Press the pay hike shows insensitivity to the plight of working Americans. He’s right. When a number of people are losing their jobs, their elected representatives might show more than a little empathy. Although it has been a few years since they got a raise, last time we checked $165,200 (their current pay) was well above the country’s median income level.
Free lunch
It’s no secret that when many kids go home for the holiday break, they may not get another nutritious meal until school reopens. Officials with one
Ohio school district were so worried that the economy would force even more students to go hungry over the holidays that they opted to reopen some school cafeterias for several days. “The economy is so tight, and the food stamp dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to,” a school official told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “This is America; we’ve got to take care of each other. Food for children should not be an issue.” Indeed.
You know, you know?
More on the Caroline Kennedy-for-Senate story. JFK’s daughter is getting cuffed about pretty good as the idea of Camelot II — with her claiming uncle Robert Kennedy’s seat in the Senate — shifts from merely whimsical to plausible. A sign of the temperature shift is an article in the New York Daily News that includes every “you know” and “um” that passed Kennedy’s lips during a recent interview. Newspapers often omit such benign clutter from an interviewee’s direct quotes for clarity’s sake. But not in this case — suggesting a subtle attempt to show how unpolished and halting this Kennedy is without a little literary airbrushing. It’s akin to the way some news outlets went with unvarnished Sarah Palin quotes during the recent presidential campaign. Indeed, Kennedy unretouched reveals a person who struggles to put into words a compelling case for her candidacy. The interesting thing will be seeing how Kennedy handles the punches, including a few cheap shots. As they say, it ain’t beanbag.
Holding our own
Sometimes no change is a good thing, considering the alternative. Although growing more slowly than it was, Oklahoma’s population change between July of 2007 and July of 2008 kept it in 28th place among the states. In terms of the pace of population growth, the state ranked 19th in the nation. Oklahoma had 3,642,361 residents as of July and grew by just over 34,000. At this rate, it will be a long time before we hit 4 million. Why is no change in the overall ranking good? It at least keeps the state in the running in the race against loss of influence as measured by its congressional delegation. The last official census, in 2000, resulted in the loss of one of Oklahoma’s six congressional districts (at one time we had nine seats). The current pace of growth doesn’t figure to help us get that seat back, but it also doesn’t threaten us with the loss of another seat. In fact, Oklahoma’s growing at about the same rate as the nation as a whole. Only two states, Michigan and Rhode Island, lost population in the one-year comparison. It’s the ten-year comparison that matters. The next census and subsequent congressional redistricting starts in about a year.
Taco spelled backwards is…
Had your breakfast? If not, you might want to save this tidbit for another hour. Seems a current animal rights debate in China isn’t about freeing cats from the obligation of being pets. It’s freeing them from being eaten. The Chinese have a taste for pet food, says an Associated Press dispatch from Beijing. A recipe for a popular soup includes cat meat; butchers are happy to supply it. China even has a “major trading hub” for slaughterhouse cats. Naturally, PETA (which would rather you didn’t eat any meat) has weighed in on the butcher’s scale of Chinese cuisine. Cats carry a current price of $1.32 a pound – compared to 95 cents for dogs and 62 cents for chicken. Protesters have targeted this ancient tradition of turning Morris into mush. Lest we get too puffed up about our cultural superiority, we’re reminded of the remarks from the Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) character in “Little Big Man” about eating boiled dog with Native Americans: “Now I will admit, dog is greasy, but you’d be surprised how downright delicate the flavor is - especially when you’re starving.” We think we’ll side with PETA on this and get our dog food out of a can instead of putting Rover or Fluffy in a pot.
Taco spelled backwards is…
Had your breakfast? If not, you might want to save this tidbit for another hour. Seems a current animal rights debate in China isn’t about freeing cats from the obligation of being pets. It’s freeing them from being eaten. The Chinese have a taste for pet food, says an Associated Press dispatch from Beijing. A recipe for a popular soup includes cat meat; butchers are happy to supply it. China even has a “major trading hub” for slaughterhouse cats. Naturally, PETA (which would rather you didn’t eat any meat) has weighed in on the butcher’s scale of Chinese cuisine. Cats carry a current price of $1.32 a pound – compared to 95 cents for dogs and 62 cents for chicken. Protesters have targeted this ancient tradition of turning Morris into mush. Lest we get too puffed up about our cultural superiority, we’re reminded of the remarks from the Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) character in “Little Big Man” about eating boiled dog with Native Americans: “Now I will admit, dog is greasy, but you’d be surprised how downright delicate the flavor is - especially when you’re starving.” We think we’ll side with PETA on this and get our dog food out of a can instead of putting Rover or Fluffy in a pot.
‘A Jesus thing’
Oklahoma’s two U.S. senators aren’t known for pulling punches when they make public pronouncements. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, got blasted years ago for complaining about the nudity in “Schindler’s List” and for his remarks on “rampant” lesbianism in southeastern Oklahoma. Statements on global warming by Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, could practically fill a book. Now, Inhofe’s comments on his frequent trips to Africa have some people squirming. It seems Inhofe has a heart for Africa. He’s gone there at least 20 times at taxpayer expense and defends the trips as worthwhile missions to seek help for AIDS victims and starving children on the continent. But it was his choice of words that drew fire: The senator said his African trips are “a Jesus thing.” That’s a bridge too far for the secular world, but it’s vintage Jim Inhofe, the man who just got re-elected with 57 percent of the vote. We suspect that U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., could have made the same trips at the same time for the same amount of public funds and been praised by some of the same people who were discomfited by Inhofe’s remarks.
‘A Jesus thing’
Oklahoma’s two U.S. senators aren’t known for pulling punches when they make public pronouncements. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, got blasted years ago for complaining about the nudity in “Schindler’s List” and for his remarks on “rampant” lesbianism in southeastern Oklahoma. Statements on global warming by Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, could practically fill a book. Now, Inhofe’s comments on his frequent trips to Africa have some people squirming. It seems Inhofe has a heart for Africa. He’s gone there at least 20 times at taxpayer expense and defends the trips as worthwhile missions to seek help for AIDS victims and starving children on the continent. But it was his choice of words that drew fire: The senator said his African trips are “a Jesus thing.” That’s a bridge too far for the secular world, but it’s vintage Jim Inhofe, the man who just got re-elected with 57 percent of the vote. We suspect that U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., could have made the same trips at the same time for the same amount of public funds and been praised by some of the same people who were discomfited by Inhofe’s remarks.
Weyrich’s passing a blow to conservatism
Conservative leader Paul Weyrich, who died Thursday, was a man of clear principles who uniquely understood politics and its imperfect practitioners in Washington, D.C. One of the founders of the Moral Majority, Weyrich, 66, was a North Star for social conservatives. Through his written commentaries, radio and television shows and the non-profit Free Congress Foundation, Weyrich helped guide conservative policy formation for more than three decades, usually from the grassroots up. His weekly, off-the-record policy luncheon was attended by members of Congress — Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, has represented Senate Republicans there for a number of years — and presidential administrations alike. There, the holders of governmental power sounded out key constituencies on items ranging from taxes and spending to conscience issues. Weyrich was a sharp analyst who had little patience with wishy-washy politicians or the horse-trading that typifies business in the nation’s capital. He was about political activism and fighting for principle — which he did to the end, authoring an op-ed column on conservatism’s future course the day before his death. Paul Weyrich’s passing leaves a large void in the conservative movement.
Weyrich’s passing a blow to conservatism
Conservative leader Paul Weyrich, who died Thursday, was a man of clear principles who uniquely understood politics and its imperfect practitioners in Washington, D.C. One of the founders of the Moral Majority, Weyrich, 66, was a North Star for social conservatives. Through his written commentaries, radio and television shows and the non-profit Free Congress Foundation, Weyrich helped guide conservative policy formation for more than three decades, usually from the grassroots up. His weekly, off-the-record policy luncheon was attended by members of Congress — Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, has represented Senate Republicans there for a number of years — and presidential administrations alike. There, the holders of governmental power sounded out key constituencies on items ranging from taxes and spending to conscience issues. Weyrich was a sharp analyst who had little patience with wishy-washy politicians or the horse-trading that typifies business in the nation’s capital. He was about political activism and fighting for principle — which he did to the end, authoring an op-ed column on conservatism’s future course the day before his death. Paul Weyrich’s passing leaves a large void in the conservative movement.
