We are paying them to do their job, aren’t we?
The U.S. House has followed the playbook of the Democratic led Michigan legislature. Let’s go home for an extended holiday vacation even though there are many things that should be done. I couldn’t have said it better than the NY Times.
The Republican-led House of Representatives concluded a year of paralysis and dysfunction on Thursday with the latest in a string of failures to act on a pressing crisis, leaving undone a sweeping emergency spending measure to send another infusion of money to Ukraine for its war against Russia.
It was a startling outcome but also a fitting finale for one of the most tumultuous and unproductive legislative years in recent memory, characterized by Republican infighting and a tiny majority that left House G.O.P. leaders toiling to do even the bare minimum of governing.
I wonder If they will take this as unpaid time.
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I am sure the people of New Jersey have seen a lot of strange things in their daily commutes on the subway. However, I am sure the cause of yesterday’s delay was a first. Per the NY Times today.
That New Jersey Transit service was delayed was not all that unusual. The reason on Thursday, however, was something out of the wild, wild West. There was a bull — one with long horns, no less — on the tracks.
During the waning hours of the morning commute at Newark Penn Station, trains were stopped by the brown bull charging by the passenger platform.
When Javier Perez, 54, arrived at Penn Station around 10:30 a.m., he heard that there were delays caused by some sort of obstacle. He scanned the tracks and saw the bull ambling down the train line. “I was like, ‘OK, that’s the obstruction,’” he said.
By noon, New Jersey Transit, the state agency that runs trains and buses, said the bull was off the tracks and that service had resumed after a 45-minute delay.
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In today’s day and age of high-tech military equipment I was shocked to read this stat today. A leaked US intelligence assessment revealed up to 45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions that Israel has dropped on Gaza since 7 October have been unguided “dumb bombs”. That means 14,000 dumb bombs have been dropped.
No wonder there have been so many civilians killed and no wonder the U.S is pushing Israel to be much more targeted and precise in its military operations.
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It is about time.
The withholding of information from the public by leaders of public institutions should not happen. The MSU board has finally come to their senses.
Per the Detroit News, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees took a long-awaited step Friday by unanimously approving the release of thousands of withheld university documents linked to the sexual abuse scandal involving sexual predator Larry Nassar.
Board Chair Rema Vassar called it a “historic day” after at least five years of state government officials seeking access to the documents.
“We are sorry for all the hurt and pain that survivors have experienced and continue to experience,” Vassar said during an online meeting. “Today, we take a bold step toward a bright, green future of truth. … Survivors, you have won this day.”
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I read this in a book I was reading yesterday. Maybe we should follow the Canadians. It is my Quote of the Day.
Canadians are sensible about firearms. They don’t like them. They don’t like the idea of their fellow citizens owning them. They’ve passed laws that give good, sharp teeth to gun control. The United States has a homicide rate three times that of Canada: two-thirds of those homicides are committed with firearms. A child in the United States is twelve times more likely to die of firearm injury than a child in Canada. The evidence in support of Canada’s attitude and legislative action is so convincing only an idiot wouldn’t get it.
Willam Kent Krueger from the book Thunder Bay.
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Quote of the Day: See above story.
Orchid of the Day: Reluctantly to the MSU Board of Trustees. They finally did what should have been done five years ago.
Onion of the Day: The U.S. House of Representatives and the Republican leadership.
Questions of the Day: What did MSU gain by delaying the release of the Nassar documents? Why was it so hard to do the right thing? What changed from then to now?
Image/Video of the Day: David Bowie and Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby, David Bowie – Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy (youtube.com)