Who Said It?

Dear Howard:

This letter is to ask for your help and support, and that of your colleagues, in the passage of an increase in the limit on the public debt.

As Secretary Regan has told you, the Treasury’s cash balances have reached a dangerously low point. Henceforth, the Treasury Department cannot guarantee that the Federal Government will have sufficient cash on any one day to meet all of its mandated expenses, and thus the United States could be forced to default on its obligations for the first time in its history.

This country now possesses the strongest credit in the world. The full consequences of a default or even the serious prospect of default by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and on the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the cost, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.

I want to thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent problem and for your assistance in passing an extension of the debt ceiling.

Sincerely,

Ronald Reagan

This is an actual letter that Mr. Conservative himself sent to then-Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker in 1983. Fast forward to 2011, and some House Democrats have passed it around to their Republican colleagues.

President Obama also mentioned on Friday that Reagan raised the debt ceiling 18 times.

No wonder we haven't heard much about Reagan since his 100th birthday this year - tea partiers are against what he stood for, because darn it, he was too liberal!

VerWys's opposition to jobs makes no sense

When Autocam offered to bring 200 jobs to Kentwood, city leaders saw an excellent opportunity.

With all the vacant industrial space in our city, the Kentwood City Commission embraced the idea of bringing in new jobs for the folks of Kentwood and surrounding areas. Autocam sought a tax abatement from the City so they could get started. It's a good deal for the City, given that the alternative - leaving the industrial space vacant - would have resulted in the same amount of tax revenue for the next couple years but without the jobs (though the City would receive new revenue in a few years; more on that later).

So Kentwood City Commissioners voted 6-1 to offer Autocam the abatement.

The one exception? Commissioner/Tea Party activist/Republican precinct delegate/twice-convicted felon Ray VerWys.

Why?

He said abatements are no different from “the targeted tax breaks handed down in Lansing” and that giving tax breaks to some only shifts the tax burden onto others. “We cannot afford to give up this kind of money,” said VerWys.

And in just a couple sentences, VerWys both slams the successful state tax breaks instituted under then-Gov. Granholm, while at the same time demonstrating a lack of knowledge about tax abatements and their benefits. So let me explain.

See, here in Kentwood (and in other places), the City Commission is authorized to give tax abatements to businsses that are starting up in Kentwood. This is meant to help with their start-up costs; the idea being that while they will still be responsible for their fair share of the tax burden in a few years, the City will do what it can to help them get started by not letting tax burdens prevent companies from creating jobs.

In the Autocam situation, it makes perfect sense. Without the abatement: (a) the empty industrial space would have remained empty; (b) no jobs would have been created; and (c) the city would get no additional revenue from the project.

But since the abatement was approved: (a) the industrial space will be occupied; (b) 200 jobs will be created; (c) the city will get new, direct revenue starting in a few years; (d) these new jobs will help families avoid foreclosures, meaning the City continues to earn revenue from their property taxes; and (e) the local economy will get a boost from their spending, meaning more jobs and more businesses saved (and again, keeping revenue for the City).

To hear VerWys say it, you'd think this is actually costing the City money. What would have cost the City is if VerWys had his way.

Which, thankfully for 200 West Michigan families, he did not.

Stay tuned as I keep track of how many jobs VerWys opposes for the remaining three years of his term.

Two quarters of profitability - and 400 jobs lost

Okay, maybe this can't be blamed on our new governor, Rick Snyder. But given some people's penchant for blaming his predecessor for all the jobs lost when she was in office, one wonders when they will blame Snyder for Steelcase's decision to cut 400 jobs here in Kentwood.

The company made the announcement Wednesday morning. Officials say 750 jobs will be cut nationwide. Plants in Ontario, Canada and Grand Prairie, Texas will also lose jobs. Some of the work will move to Mexico, as well as a plant in Alabama.

Yep - where the wages are cheaper. Same story as before. But then it gets puzzling (emphasis mine):

Despite two straight quarters of profitability and other signs the nation's economy may be recovering, a Steelcase spokesperson said the changes in the way people buy office furniture necessitates the need for further downsizing.

Yep, things are looking up - but we still gotta get rid of those workers who make more than 2% or 5% or whatever % of what the CEO makes!

Meanwhile, Kentwood Mayor Richard Root (a Republican, by the way, though Kentwood elections are nonpartisan) said:

"It's sad, but it's a business decision," Root told 24 Hour News 8.

Business decision? They've been profitable for two straight quarters! There had to be something else to it. Such as the need to pay CEO James Hackett $792,000 per year.

Whatever is going on, Rick Snyder has to be blamed for this, correct? After all, it was Snyder whose supporters often criticized the previous governor for all the job losses that she couldn't stop!

Bernero: "Being a good leader starts with being a good person"

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, one of our Democratic candidates for Governor, came to CMU to speak to students and to answer our questions. While I won't pretend that I'm 100% behind Virg, Alma, or Andy, I will say that now I know why so many others are supporting the Mayor!

Unsurprisingly, Virg talked mostly about economic issues. He discussed, among other things, his proposal for a state bank; our need for better trade policy; the importance of manufacturing; unions; Wall Street's refusal to invest in Michigan; the tendency of some to blame the workers for our economic problems; and so much more.

Virg also talked about his record in Lansing - including how he was able to get the budget done on time, without laying off a single person.

Beyond economic policy, Virg is also a supporter of the new healthcare reform law, though he (like many of us, myself included) doesn't think it's perfect. He also supports a woman's right to choose, though he only talked briefly about it, saying that as a man, he doesn't make decisions about abortion.

In terms of economics, I'm not sure I've ever (or at least lately) heard anyone in politics sound so wonk-ish and nerdy as Virg Bernero. (Especially not Snyder!) And yet he comes off like a regular guy someone smart enough and easygoing enough to relate to people and understand what our state needs.

While I don't know for sure who I will support on August 3, Virg Bernero has made a very solid impression on me.

Bits of Tid: January 5, 2010

• Merry 12th Day of Christmas! I don't have 12 drummers drumming for you (or any of the rest, for that matter), but I do have this:
  
  
• You know that stimulus most of the Republicans opposed and complained about? It looks like it has saved more than 30 million people from extreme poverty. I wonder what right-wingers who call themselves Christians would have to say?
• Even the Washington Post is condemning the attacks on Obama's handling of the attempted plane bombing.
• Please take just a few minutes to share with Organizing for America your thoughts on where they should take OFA in 2010.
  
• From @OMGFacts on Twitter:

  If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

  Insert your own joke here.
• From the inaugural remarks of Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who leads more people than any other openly GLBT mayor in American history:

  "Do not fear to dream big dreams. Bring your whole self to everything you do. Face the world with dignity and integrity. I promise you, the pain is worth the reward."

• $100 says the Lions don't lose another regular-season game until September.

Bits of Tid: October 26, 2009

• We're getting closer and closer to meaningful healthcare reform! Senator Reid is backing a public option with the option of allowing states to back out of it. While I can't say I agree with the opt-out provision, what is being offered now is certainly a lot better than what we have currently in our healthcare system.
• How's that No Worker Left Behind program working for Michigan?

  Of the nearly 34,360 people who finished training between August 2007 and February 2009, about 24,700, or 72 percent, either retained work or got a new job, while about 9,660, or 28 percent, were still looking for a job, according to the report being released Monday. It found more than 16,840 kept their jobs and about 7,860 found new employment.
  
  No Worker Left Behind offers up to $10,000 over two years to workers who attend community colleges or other training programs. It's overseen by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, which compiled the review.

How do you know if your lawmaker is a Democrat?

I'll give you a hint: Whether or not someone calls themself a Democrat is not the greatest indicator of whether someone really is one. (You probably knew that, right?)

See, real Democrats are the ones who stand up for ordinary people. They show - by their actions, not just by their words - that they want excellent healthcare, a clean environment, and did I mention a quality education for all young people?

Take these highlights from the 2008 Michigan Democratic Party platform:

Provide unprecedented educational funding. Under Governor Granholm’s leadership, per-student public school funding has been increased to record level of over $7,300 per student.

Make higher education available for all. Higher education is vital to success in the new economy. Under the leadership of Lt. Governor John Cherry, the Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth devised a comprehensive plan to double the number of Michigan residents with a college degree or other valuable educational credential. Michigan Democrats vigorously support the plan and applaud the progress toward implementation.

Democrats want to make sure higher education and technical training in high-growth fields is accessible and affordable to all. Governor Granholm’s $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarship, available to all high school graduates, helps ensure that they can go to college or receive post-secondary training.

Kinda makes you wonder about people like George Cushingberry, one of three people with a D by their name who were part of a panel that cut the Michigan Promise scholarship.

Or those Blue Dog 'Democrats' in Congress who choose profits instead of people's lives.

Bits of Tid: August 4, 2009

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT!!!
• It's also Coast Guard Day and Chocolate Chip Day.
• And it's Primary Election Day in certain cities and towns in Michigan. Let me remind you that one vote really can make a difference. I won re-election as precinct delegate last year by a single vote!
• No one should pretend that things are all rosy for the automakers yet. But 'Cash for Clunkers' sure has helped their sales.
• The American Football League is no more.
• Tigers' magic number: 56.
• Oh well.
  

Bits of Tid: August 2, 2009

• Darn. The Palin divorce rumor appears to be just that - a rumor. But maybe she ought to get a divorce. McCain, Gingrich, Giuliani, Ensign, Vitter, Limbaugh - she'd fit in well with the GOP. And we've only had one divorcee President - Ronald Reagan.
• Money is running out for the Cash for Clunkers program, but Congress is expected to approve more money for it. As Gov. Granholm said:

  "Michigan is probably disproportionately affected positively, but since we've been disproportionately affected negatively by the economy, I think it's actual, it's sweet justice."

• If I'm a little too crazy for you, blame my brother.
• If Democrats don't take a stand and ban the 'music' of the Jonas Brothers, then I'm voting Republican in 2012! ;-)
• Tigers' magic number: 58.

Bits of Tid: July 30, 2009

• Is Max Baucus's chairmanship in trouble?
• "In order to save your life, we need to make sure you didn't make a late payment on your mortgage five years ago."
• Speaking of which, surely I am not the only one who notices the hypocrisy from many who call themselves "pro-life" yet oppose reforming health insurance. 18,000 people die in this country every year because they lack health insurance.
• Less money for schools = fewer teachers = bigger classes = less individual attention for each student = students not getting the education they deserve = a less talented workforce = companies choosing to create/maintain jobs in certain places instead of others = a weaker economy.
• Not all Americans are geniuses, but not many are that naive either.
• KKK says "White Power," clowns respond in ways humiliating to the KKK.

Bits of Tid: July 29, 2009

• I've noticed that most of those in Congress who are against a government-run plan for all Americans are themselves beneficiaries of a government-run plan.
• So you have health insurance, and you like it. What good will healthcare reform do for you? Plenty, if the White House gets its way.
• An Ontario woman who has made news south of the border by lying about Canada's healthcare system is being sued by the Province.
• Not saying Chuck Todd is my favorite, but here he is discussing Glenn Beck's accusations of Obama being racist:

  What's most amazing about this episode is that what Beck said isn't a fireable or even a SUSPENDABLE offense by his bosses. There was a time when outrageous rants like this would actually cost the ranters their jobs. But not anymore; if anything, it's now encouraged.

• They can't discuss issues anymore, so they hang effigies.
• On food stamps? Know someone who is? More and more farmers markets are taking food stamps.
• The Republican Party is controlled by far-right southerners, complained Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH). Well, David Vitter validated Voinovich, calling the Ohioan "wishy-washy."
• Speaking of Vitter, let's buy some sex.

Bits of Tid: July 27, 2009

• US home sales went up in June. We're not completely out of the woods - not by a long shot - but things may have bottomed out.
• Pollution does wonders for your IQ. Which is to say, you wonder why your IQ is so low.
• Speaking of which: Sarah Palin in late-night comedy.
• Tomorrow the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on Judge Sotomayor's nomination.
• Are you a hunter? If so, you might be interested in this.
• Facebook users: Follow the instructions and post this as your status:

  Facebook has agreed to let 3rd party advertisers use your posted pictures without your permission. Click on SETTINGS up at the top next to the log out link. Select PRIVACY. Then select NEWS FEEDS AND WALL. Next select the tab that reads FACE BOOK ADS. There is a drop down box, select NO ONE. Then SAVE your changes. (REPOST to let your friends know!)

• Five years ago tonight:
  

Bits of Tid: July 26, 2009

• The Free Press has a good article on efforts to promote Michigan-made products.
• Conservative 'fiscal restraint' at its finest.
• Here's another article from the Free Press, this one on Isle Royale National Park.
• Could things be looking up for Ford?
• Want to save some money? Wash your clothes in cold water. In one year, using hot water to wash your clothes wastes enough energy to drive a car 3,600 miles.
• Want to save some money? Wash your clothes in cold water. In one year, using hot water to wash your clothes wastes enough energy to drive a car 3,600 miles. Cold-water washing is just as effective as warm- or hot-water washing.
• Starting today, Governor Granholm has less competition in the Hottest Governor contest. Yep, today's the day Sarah Palin steps down. Of course, Palin was no competition for JG in the Smartest Governor category.
• Speaking of which, Granholm will appear tomorrow night at 9PM on CNBC's special, Meeting of the Minds. Granholm and four other intelligent people, as well as Bill Frist, will discuss healthcare reform.
• The Tigers, who came into Friday in a tie with the White Sox for first in the AL Central, have taken the first three games of this weekend's series to leap into a 3-game lead. Going into tonight's game, their magic number to clinch the AL Central is 63.
• The good news:
  
• The bad news:

Obama in Michigan: Betting on education

While many issues are facing America right now, education is not one that is discussed very often, even though our country's education system consistently ranks lower than most in the developed world.

Luckily, we have someone in the White House who understands the importance of building a stronger education system for this nation.

President Obama talked about education, with a focus on community colleges, in his first visit to the Great Lakes State as President today. He spoke at Macomb Community College, located in Warren. Due to the pain Metro Detroit has suffered with automotive layoffs, MCC was a prime place for him to discuss his American Graduation Initiative and the issue of education as a means of ensuring our long-term prosperity.

As the President said:

Time and again, when we placed our bet for the future on education, we have prospered as a result -- by tapping the incredible innovative and generative potential of a skilled American workforce.

Indeed, almost nobody who reads this blog will doubt that an educated workforce is necessary for our economy to prosper. Companies only create skilled jobs where talent resides, and education is supposed to foster that talent. Which is why a strong education system is a must - especially in today's economy.

So why the focus on community colleges? From CNN:

Obama called the investment in community colleges crucial because "jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience" in coming years.

"We will not fill those jobs, or keep those jobs on our shores, without the training offered by community colleges," he said.

To improve our community college system, the President discussed his American Graduation Initiative. According to CNN, the initiative includes such key areas as:

• Community college challenge grants, to help underfunded colleges that are dealing with limited capacity and to build partnerships with schools and businesses.

• The Access and Completion Fund, to provide performance-based scholarships and give colleges the tools to design more programs around work schedules.

• Modernization of community-college facilities, with $2.5 billion to help renovate facilities and keep up with maintenance costs. The renovations will create jobs, Obama said.

• Open online courses, to create options online as a tool that some think can be more effective than classroom instruction alone.

As Obama said, the American Graduation Initiative

will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need -- and the results workers and businesses demand. Through this plan, we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade -- 5 million.

But at what cost? He says the plan will be paid for

by ending the wasteful subsidies we currently provide to banks and private lenders for student loans. (Applause.) That will save tens of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. Instead of lining the pockets of special interests, it's time this money went towards the interests of higher education in America

Of course, as some have said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

When it comes to higher education, the Obama Administration has certainly gotten off to a good start. In addition to this initiative, the Administration has already eased rules on repaying student loans and is working to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

While Obama is right to note the important yet understated role community colleges play in this country, my hope is that he will also work to ensure that four-year colleges and other schools have the tools necessary to educate students who, like me, choose to earn an education at those institutions. While access to affordable, quality health care is critical for our short-term economic health, our long-term prosperity may very well hinge on access to affordable, quality education.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

EVERYBODY TAKE COVER! WARN YOUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND FAMILIES! CRANK UP THIS VIDEO TO FULL BLAST! THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE IS UNDER ATTACK AND LIBRULZ ARE MAKING OUR NATION SOCIALIST!!!!!

The Kalamazoo City Commission has unanimously passed a nondiscrimination ordinance for sexual orientation:

It will prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people when it comes to hiring, housing and other accommodations. The ordinance goes into effect in July.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! THEY ARE OUT TO GET US AND DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE! NOW MY PARENTS' MARRIAGE OF 35 YEARS IS IN JEOPARDY BECAUSE MEMBERS OF THE K'ZOO COMMISSION HAVE DECIDED TO PUSH THE BALL FORWARD ON EQUALITY RATHER THAN DOING THE RIGHT THING AND CHEATING ON THEIR SPOUSES!!!

RUN FOR YOUR WIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!

But that's not all. From The Atlantic:

Have you heard that the United States is headed toward socialism? Jonah Goldberg says it is. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby says it is. Phyllis Schlafly says it is. Richard Viguerie says it is. The Republican National Committee says it is. We must be getting pretty close.

How close? This is what socialism looks like:

0.21%!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! WE'RE BECOMING SOCIALIST THANKS TO B. HUSSEIN OSAMA!!

WILL WE EVER WAKE UP AND LEARN THAT LIBRULZ ARE ATTACKING OUR RIGHT TO HATE OTHERS AND MAKING AMERICA SOCIALIST?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(End sarcasm)

Money, Congress, and We the People

Want to know what a conflict of interest looks like? Here are three examples. First from Yahoo! News:

Influential senators working to overhaul the nation's health care system have investments and family ties with some of the biggest names in the industry. The wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, the lawmaker in charge of writing the Senate's bill, sits on the boards of four health care companies.

Members of both parties have industry connections, including Democrats Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin, in addition to Dodd, and Republicans Tom Coburn, Judd Gregg, John Kyl and Orrin Hatch, financial reports showed Friday.

The Hill reports:

Senators who oversee the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package held stocks in many of the banks bailed out towards the end of last year, according to financial disclosure reports released Friday.

According to the reports detailing senators’ finances in 2008, nearly half of the members of the Senate Banking Committee had holdings in financial institutions that have taken funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The panel has jurisdiction over the bailout fund and other relief efforts directed by federal regulators to save the nation’s financial system.

For example, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), a Banking panel member, has assets in several banks that have taken bailout funds. Along with Goldman Sachs, the senator has several assets in Bank of America funds, worth at least $115,00. Bank of America has received $45 billion in government funds.

And finally, from the Miami Herald:

Among the 17 senators who voted against allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco are some of the top recipients of campaign contributions from the tobacco industry, which has donated millions of dollars to lawmakers in the past several campaign cycles.

Over the course of his nearly quarter-century Senate career, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hails from the tobacco-rich state of Kentucky, has received $419,025 from the tobacco industry, more than any other member of Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that analyzes the influence of money on politics and policy.

North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who led the opposition to the bill, is the second-highest recipient and netted $359,100 from tobacco-related political action committees and individual contributions. His state is the nation's largest tobacco grower and is home to R.J. Reynolds, the nation's second-largest tobacco manufacturing company, which contributed $196,850 to Burr's campaigns.

Despite refusing to take lobbyist money during the campaign - and having the same policy put in place at the DNC - Barack Obama was still able to get elected President by a convincing margin. He refused to let his principles be stained by their money.

I think we all accepted the idea that just because Obama was elected, that didn't mean corporate and lobbyist money was divorced from government. Not at all. However, now that Obama has shown how one can get elected to high office without lobbyist donations, I find it striking that a lot of people in Washington think they somehow still find it necessary to be so closely connected to big-moneyed businesses and interest groups.

I see an apples-to-oranges comparison here - Congressional and Presidential elections aren't the same - but even so, it would be hard for any of these people to justify letting any conflict of interest get in the way of doing right by the people.

Senator Burr, for instance, faces a potentially competitive re-election campaign next year. Senator McConnell, on the other hand, doesn't face the voters again until 2014. And yet both felt the need to break from the vast majority of their colleagues to vote against the best interests of the people of our nation.

Members of Congress are supposed to represent We the People. That's why we have a Congress in the first place. If a lawmaker won't do right by We the People, then what does that tell you about their integrity?

Bits of Tid: June 12, 2009

• Happy Election Day!
• Here in America, Midterm Election Day is fewer than 44 million seconds away!
• Bill Clinton is hopeful that the current President will be able to succeed where he couldn't in the area of healthcare reform.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a massive backlog that is hindering service to those who served.
• How can we strengthen civic participation? The White House Blog explores the subject.
• Finally, some good economic news for Michigan:

  Michigan's growth in clean energy jobs has outpaced the nation's since 1998, according to a Washington study.

• Give blood and you might go to Vegas.

Bits of Tid: June 9, 2009

• We are in the midst of National Headache Awareness Week, International Clothesline Week, National Business Ettiquete Week, and National Automotive Service Professionals Week!
• Feeling wonkish? The White House has unveiled its Roadmap to Recovery, which is aimed at keeping or adding 600,000 jobs over the course of the next several months.
• And on that note, let the building of a new mass transit system begin!
• Residents and businesses in Walker, MI, are now allowed to put wind turbines on their properties.
• Speaking of wind turbines:More here.

ARRRRGH - Bankruptcy Edition

Ugh.

Bankruptcy for Chrysler, and now GM. I won't insult your intelligence by saying that this is utterly devastating, to say the least.

While not glossing over the harshness and devastation of GM's bankruptcy, President Obama and Governor Granholm have made it clear they are committed to ensuring that the newly restructured GM will be leaner, meaner, and structured far better than the old GM. The White House has released a fact sheet on GM's restructuring.

Meanwhile, on the Huffington Post, Granholm writes:

So, three major opportunities exist to turn the destruction of bankruptcies and job losses into the creative reconstruction of America's manufacturing economy:

President Obama's commitment to free us from dependence on foreign and carbon-based fuels; the imperative that those green products be made in America to create that true independence; and a talented manufacturing sector hungry for work.

The moment is now to use our lean, retooled American manufacturing sector to build the green cars, batteries, a smart electric grid, wind turbines and solar panels that will lead us to energy independence.

It's a time of dramatic, historic, national transformation. And despite today's devastating news, Michigan is ready to lead.

Meanwhile, there seems to be at least some hope for Chrysler. Obama:

"The decision by Judge Gonzalez of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to approve the Chrysler sale transaction paves the way for the new Chrysler to successfully emerge from bankruptcy as a new, stronger, more competitive company for the future. Only a month ago, this great American company’s very future was in doubt. Now, as a result of a substantial commitment by the U.S. government, and tough sacrifices from all stakeholders involved, Chrysler has a new lease on life. We said this process would be completed quickly and efficiently, and that’s exactly what has been accomplished today. Tens of thousands of American jobs will be saved as a result of this extraordinary effort."

We'll get through this.

UPDATE: I just found this thanks to Graham:

Bits of Tid: April 13, 2009

You Have Earned The New Puppy Edition

• Oh, but it looks like Bo is not getting a warm reception from conservatives!

  "The administration acknowledges that this is a Portuguese Water Dog," said Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK). "The American people have a right to know whether American water dogs were passed over in the administration's rush to install their chosen candidate. And was the dog born here, or in Portugal? I, for one, would like to see a birth certificate."

  (Hopefully you realize that was snark!)
• Title of a Daily Kos Diary: Stimulus Projects UNDER Budget.
• It looks like (un)common sense is making its way into discussions about US-Cuba relations!
• Luck.
• Uh, Guv?
  Here's an explanation. Because teams from their states were playiong in the NCAA Championship, Granholm and North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue made a bet - as politicos often do at championship time - to see which governor's home state team would win it all. Because UNC won, Granholm wore the UNC garb and donated to a food bank in North Carolina.