The old man sat behind the counter of his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. Business had been brisk with people gassing up their vehicles to visit relatives. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour, wondering why he was still around, when the door opened and a man who looked homeless stepped through.Instead of throwing the man out, "Old George" as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up."Thank you, that's very kind. I don't want to be a bother," said the stranger. "It's pretty cold out there.....but maybe I should just go.""Not without somethin' hot in your belly." George said.He turned, opening a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty. Stew.....made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee, and it's fresh."Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said.There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Meester, help!" said the driver. In halting English with a thick Spanish accent, he continued. "Mi
esposa....she have the baby. Mi car, she broken." George peered under the hood. There was so much steam that he couldn't see much of anything. His guess, though, was that the block had cracked from the cold. The car was as dead as a doornail."You ain't going nowhere in this thing," George said as he turned away."Por favor, meester -- Ayudame! You can help me?" Tears stood in his frantic eyes.The door of the office closed behind George as he stepped inside. He went to the office wall, got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting."Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing to look at, but she runs real good. You can bring her back after the baby comes. I'll see what I can do about your car."George helped put the woman in the truck, and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the gas station. "Glad I gave 'em the truck; their tires were shot, too. Not safe." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had left. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it."Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked lowly, but finally caught. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been, thinking he'd tinker with it later on. When business dropped off around dinnertime, he discovered that the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on."Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter, though." The snow treads on his wife's old Lincoln were the same size. They were like new, and he wasn't going to drive that car anyway. So, he put them on the couple's Chevy.As he was working, he heard what sounded like gunshots. He ran outside. Across the street next to a squad car, he found a middle-aged policeman lying on the ground. Blood was coming from his right shoulder. The officer was moaning, "Please.....help....." His shoulder radio wasn't functioning.Following the cop's instructions, George tried to raise someone via the police car's communication system, only to find that a bullet had left it useless. George remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed pressure to stop the bleeding. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left a bag of clean shop towels. He wadded up a bunch of them and used duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.Running back to the garage, he tried to call 911, only to find that his phone had no dial tone. Now what?! Blankets and something for pain, George thought. All he had was the Arthritis-Strength Tylenol he used for his back. He went back to find the officer sitting up. "These oughta help with the hurtin'." He wrapped up the policeman and handed him the pills along with a bottle of water."You hang in there, I'm gonna try to find somethin' to get you off this cold street." A few minutes later, he returned with a large 4-way dolly, and managed to haul the policeman over to the warmth of his shop."Thanks," said the officer. "You probably should have just left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army, and I sure wasn't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looked worse than what it was, I think. Bullet passed right through ya. Seems to have missed the important stuff , though. I think with time yer gonna be right as rain."George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How ya take it?" he asked."None for me," said the officer."Oh, ya gotta try this! Best coffee in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts to go with it." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.George was about to head off to try to find a working phone when the front door of the shop flew open. In burst a young man with a gun."Give me all your cash! Do it....now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking, and George could tell that he wasn't a regular at this sort of thing."That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer."Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put that cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."The young man acted confused. "Shut up, old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me your cash!"The cop was reaching for his service revolver. "Put that dang thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here already."He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money that bad, well then....here. It ain't much, only $150 bucks, but it's all I got. Just put that pea shooter away."
George pulled the pile of bills out of the cash register, and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry."I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to get something for my wife and son," he went on. "I lost my job, and our rent is due. The landlord said he was going to evict us if we didn't come up with at least part of the money we owe him. My car got repossessed last week. I've already sold every last thing I own that's worth a plug nickel...."George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the boy a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm, and we'll sort this thing out."The young man had stopped crying. He looked over at the cop. "Sorry I shot you," he said sheepishly. "I was so scared when you came up behind me that it just kinda went off. I'm sorry, officer....really.""Shut up and drink your coffee " the cop said.George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops threw open the door, guns drawn."Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer. "Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How'd you find me?""GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Somebody called 911, reporting shots fired over this way. When you didn't answer the dispatcher, she put 2 and 2 together. Who did this?" the other cop asked, looking suspiciously at the young man.Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his weapon and ran." He handed over the now wiped-clean pistol to his fellow patrolman. George and the young man exchanged puzzled looks."This guy work here?" the wounded cop asked, eyeing his shooter. "Yep," George said after only a brief hesitation. "Just hired him today. Boy lost his job last week."The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop before he was wheeled away, and whispered,"Why?"Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas, kid..... You, too, George! And thanks for everything.""Well, looks like you got one doozie of a break there. That oughta solve some of your problems anyhow."While the young man sat with his head in his hands, George went into the back room, and came out with a small box, which he handed to the boy."Here ya go, son.....something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."The young man looked inside to see a good-sized diamond pendant. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It's gotta mean something to you.""You're right....and now it'll mean somethin' to you," replied George. "I got my memories of Martha. That's all I need."From under the counter, George pulled out another box holding a car and a tanker truck. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's a present for that son of yours."The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old manhad handed him earlier. "And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with -- or pay thatrent? You keep that, too," George said. "Now git on home to your family beforeyou git yerself into more hot water!"The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if you really meant that job offer.""Sorry. That won't work. I'm closed on Christmas Day," George said. "See ya the day after."George watched the boy head off down the street. He turned to lock up the garage, thinking, "Whew, what a day! Nobody would believe it." When he entered the shop, he was surprised to see that the homeless man had returned."Hey! Where'd you come from? I thought you left?""Oh, I've been here all along. In fact, I've always been here," said the stranger, to the old man's confusion."You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why is that?""Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what the big to-do was all about. Trimmin' a tree seemed like a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself, and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."The stranger put his hand on the garage owner's shoulder. "But you DO celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son, and he will become a great doctor.The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any of the fortune for himself. That is the spirit of the season, and you keep it as well as any man could."George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man"Trust me, my friend, I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done, have no fear. You will be with Martha again."The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George......I have to go home now. There's a big celebration planned."George watched as the old denim jacket and the torn jeans that the stranger was wearing faded into a white robe. The room was suddenly bathed in a golden light."You see, George...... it's my birthday. Merry Christmas!"George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord!"Isn't this story better than any greeting card?Now clear the lump from your throat, blow your nose, and send this along to a friend of yours or someone who may need a reminder as to why we celebrate Christmas.MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
The Gas Station...A Blessed Story for You!
The (Obama Regime) creature, Frankenstein-like, is determined to destroy the creators.'-Eisenhower
American Minute with Bill Federer
'The national government was the creature of the States...Yet the creature, Frankenstein-like, is determined to destroy the creators.'-Eisenhower
They insisted handcuffs be placed on the power of the Federal Government.
These were the First Ten Amendments or Bill of Rights, ratified DECEMBER 15, 1791.
The Preamble of the Bill of Rights stated:
"The States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added...
RESOLVED...that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States..."
The Amendments did not limit States or citizens, but the Federal Congress:
"CONGRESS shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."Get the DVD, The Real Intent of Thomas Jefferson on Separation of Church and State
Regarding this, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Samuel Miller, January 23, 1808:
"I consider the government of the U.S. as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises.
This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the States the powers not delegated to the U.S."
Jefferson continued:
"Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the times for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets."
The Constitution of the United States of America-Analysis and Interpretation, prepared by the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress (Edward S. Corwin, editor, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1953, p. 758), stated:
"In his Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833, Justice Joseph Story asserted that the purpose of the First Amendment was not to discredit the then existing State establishments of religion,
but rather 'to exclude from the National Government all power to act on the subject.'"
John Bouvier's Law Dictionary, published in Philadelphia by the J.B. Lippincott Company, 1889, stated in its definition of Religion:
"The Constitution of the United States provides that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'
This provision and that relating to religious tests are limitations upon the power of the Congress only...
The Christian religion is, of course, recognized by the government, yet...the preservation of religious liberty is left to the States."
Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story explained in his Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, 1833:
"The whole power over the subject of religion is left exclusively to the State governments, to be acted upon according to their own sense of justice and the State Constitutions."
Mercy Otis Warren wrote inObservations on the new Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions, 1788:
"The origin of all power is in the people, and they have an incontestable right to check the creatures of their own creation."
President Dwight Eisenhower stated at a Governors' Conference, June 24, 1957:
"The national government was itself the creature of the States...Yet today it is often made to appear that the creature, Frankenstein-like, is determined to destroy the creators."
Get the book, America's God and Country Encyclopedia of QuotationsWatch Faith in History
http://www.iecinternational.org/
Get the book, There Really is a Santa Claus-The History of Saint Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions
Teach English overseas! a month or a year - and be paid! - Find out MORE here
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NEW SCRUTINY FOR KEYSTONE CONTRACTOR'S TIES TO ENERGY GROUPS...
By Alex Guillén
NEW SCRUTINY FOR KEYSTONE CONTRACTOR'S TIES TO ENERGY GROUPS: A contractor working on the State Department's environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline is a member of several energy industry groups that have urged the government to support the project. Climate activists have already complained about alleged conflicts of interest by the London-based firm Environmental Resources Management, a company that worked on a State Department draft study concluding that the pipeline would pose little risk to the environment. While a previous State Department investigation found no conflicts of interest, the latest information could further roil the debate. Andrew Restuccia and Byron Tau have the story: http://politi.co/1fA06FE
INTERIOR, CSB NOMINEES COULD GET CONFIRMED BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Some energy nominees may get a last-minute Christmas gift if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has his way. Reid has filed cloture on several more nominations for the Senate to tackle before it breaks for winter recess - and his list included Mike Connor, the nominee for deputy Interior Secretary, and Richard Engler to join the Chemical Safety Board. Before senators get to Connor, Engler and other nominees, they'll have to tackle the budget bill passed last week by the House and an annual defense authorization bill.
Speaking of CSB: Via Reuters: "The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Monday called on California officials to adopt new rules for crude oil refineries that would force owners to prove they can operate their plants at the lowest risk practicable, the federal investigative agency said. An interagency working group representing California state agencies recommended similar action to California Gov. Jerry Brown in July." More: http://reut.rs/1kaWQDu
HAPPY TUESDAY and welcome to Morning Energy. Send your news toaguillen@politico.com, and follow on Twitter @alexcguillen, @Morning_Energy and @POLITICOPro.
MURKOWSKI'S ENERGY EXPORT DAY - JAN. 7: Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Lisa Murkowski will release a white paper and give a speech on energy exports Jan. 7, her office announced Monday. "This isn't about introducing legislation per se but about starting and having a dialog about the issue," Murkowski spokesman Robert Dillon said. Part of the paper will deal with oil exports, an issue that has become increasingly prominent with oil companies starting to argue that the U.S. oil export ban should be lifted amid booming domestic production.
Menendez urges Obama not to list oil export embargo: Even Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz last week suggested that perhaps now was a good time to review whether the export ban is outdated, prompting Sen. Robert Menendez to write President Barack Obama Monday with "deep concerns" over Moniz's comments. "When Congress first enacted limits on crude exports in the 1970s following the oil embargo, these laws were designed to enhance American energy security and protect U.S. consumers from volatility and price spikes," Menendez wrote:http://1.usa.gov/1dj6qyZ . As Moniz emphasized last week, the export ban is under the auspices of the Commerce Department, which has declined to comment on the matter.
STEYER PUSHES OIL EXTRACTION TAX IN CALIFORNIA: California billionaire Tom Steyer is turning his attention toward pushing for an oil extraction tax, his group NextGen Climate Action said yesterday. The Contra Costa Times has more: "The oil industry, which claims such taxes would make California less hospitable to business and increase reliance on foreign oil, put up $95 million to defeat a ballot measure in 2006, and lawmakers have balked at taking the plunge ever since. This 'Reclaim Our Resources' campaign will host public round-table discussions, share research, conduct polling, run advertising blitzes via social and traditional media, and provide policy and media support for like-minded lawmakers. Voters in 2006 rejected Proposition 87, an oil-extraction tax plan, after real estate heir and movie mogul Steve Bing spent about $49.6 million to support it, only to be outshouted by the industry." More:http://bit.ly/18SzkXm
INTERIOR MAKES OFFSHORE WIND ANNOUNCEMENT DELAYED BY SHUTDOWN: The Interior Department today will announce its plans to auction off areas off the coast of Maryland for offshore wind projects - an announcement that was set to come months ago but got delayed because of the shutdown. The area up for grabs (and subject to public comment first) covers almost 80,000 acres and could support up to 1.2 gigawatts of wind power, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. O'Malley has worked to make Maryland for attractive for offshore wind, including recently passed legislation requiring utilities to get 2.5 percent of their electricity from offshore wind by 2017. Map of the proposed lease area: http://1.usa.gov/1ej2AuZ
If you're interested: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Gov. Martin O'Malley and BOEM Director Tommy Beaudreau make the announcement at 10:30 a.m. at the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation Headquarters in Baltimore.
ALSO IN OFFSHORE WIND NEWS - CAPE WIND WILL QUALIFY FOR CREDITS: The long-delayed Cape Wind project has begun construction and will qualify for an investment tax credit that is set to expire at the end of this year, according to Siemens, the project's turbine supplier. A spokesman for the 468-megawatt project would only say the company is 'hopeful we will qualify.' The tax credit would be worth around $780 million for Cape Wind. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/199mmqQ
But wait, there's more: Siemens said yesterday that a 1,050-megawatt turbine order the company has gotten from MidAmerican Energy Company is the biggest ever onshore wind order in the world. (By comparison, the U.S. has about 60,000 megawatts of installed wind capacity right now). BusinessWeek: http://buswk.co/1cwFOJ9
**More than 500 influential voices in energy. One platform. Chevron is proud to be the originating sponsor of the #EnergyInsider Tweet Hub. Visit the Tweet Hub now to get the latest insights on energyhttp://bit.ly/19mVphp **
CYBER POLICY BRINGS PRIVACY CONCERNS: An Obama administration plan to improve the country's digital defenses has become a makeshift privacy battlefield. A draft set of cybersecurity best practices commissioned by the president and authored alongside industry prescribes that power plants, financial institutions and others should secure their systems by limiting their collection and storage of sensitive customer information - the very data often in hackers' crosshairs. Tony Romm has more for Pros: http://politico.pro/19abAk3
PUMP UPDATE: The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.23, up two cents from a month ago but down three cents from both a week ago and the same point last year, according to AAA's weekly report. Factors driving down the national average include the end of some production problems on the Gulf Coast, less seasonal demand and snowstorms keeping many in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast off the roads.
MUST BE NATIONAL AMICUS BRIEF DAY: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers yesterday wrote in a brief for the Supreme Court that the narrow portion of EPA's greenhouse gas regulations the court is considering go against the will of Congress and step over the administration's authority: http://politico.pro/1c89Vf6. And 75 state and local chambers of commerce wrote in their own brief that the economic consequences of EPA's rule would be 'severe' and that the agency did not consult enough with business interests:http://politico.pro/1cNmdYM
And NAM, others file on EPA 'veto': The National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court over EPA's "veto" authority over Clean Water Act dredge and fill permits. The Obama EPA retroactively withdrew parts of a permit for a major mountaintop removal coal mine in Mingo County, W.Va., and despite a strong rebuke from a district court judge, the appeals court said the move was within EPA's authority. The brief:http://bit.ly/18SbY44. The high court hasn't decided yet whether to take up the case.
COMING TODAY - FIRST CVD DETERMINATION ON OIL TUBES IMPORTS: The Commerce Department today will announce its preliminary determination for countervailing duties on 'oil country tubular goods' from India and Turkey. OCTG are well casings and metal tubes used in oil and gas wells. The countervailing duties are a small part of Commerce's investigation, which was spurred by a complaint from U.S. Steel Corp. and other companies. Commerce is also weighing anti-dumping duties on OCTG imports from nine countries. Imports from India and Turkey were worth a combined $352.5 million in 2012.
FROM ME'S MAILBAG: DOE should 'conduct a study on operations energy efficiency tools, and ... recommend uniform methodologies for measuring the energy and cost savings from these technologies and services," Sens. Ron Wyden, Mike Crapo and Elizabeth Warren write. Warren and Crapo included an amendment directing DOE to conduct the study to the long-delayed Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill. Letter: http://politico.pro/JARaoS
THE OLD WORLD WILL BURN IN THE FIRES OF INDUSTRY: We're a little late on this one, but just had to share: Scientists at the University of Bristol used IPCC data to model what the climate and weather of Middle Earth would have been in 'The Lord of the Rings.' Those carbon-emitting Orcs need more study, the paper concludes. "In particular, given the undoubted variations in CO2 due to the nefarious activities of Sauron and Saruman, evaluating the climate sensitivity of Middle Earth would be an interesting exercise." http://bit.ly/IHf4O9
SIXTY PERCENT OF THE TIME, IT WORKS EVERY TIME: The Fish and Wildlife Service wants to survey residents in parts of Arizona and New Mexico on their feelings about jaguars. Federal Register:http://1.usa.gov/J0GLSj
QUICK HITS
- DOE had to block 2,200 attempts this year by users looking to get data before the wider public. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/199MZM8
- Associated Press national political editor Liz Sidoti is leaving to head up BP's U.S. communications. Huffington Post: http://huff.to/J0JjzM
- Kinder Morgan wants to triple the size of a pipelines moving oil from Alberta to the Pacific Coast. Wall Street Journal:http://on.wsj.com/1hfpQaO
- Mexico's state legislatures have approved a plan to let private companies produce oil and gas in the nation. AP: http://bo.st/19upcoe
- Florida Power & Light wants its customers to pay for emissions reduction upgrades to peak demand plants, but not everyone likes that plan. Miami Herald: http://hrld.us/1bVY81V
- A proposed solar project in California may get shot down by regulators over concerns about risks to birds. Mercury News: http://bit.ly/18NpeUq
- Pennsylvania Gov. John Corbett gave a $1 million grant to GE to develop an LNG locomotive. Erie Times-News: http://bit.ly/1c8vvjH
**The energy industry supports 9.8 million American jobs. And every job created by the energy industry creates nearly three more indirect and induced jobs across the economy. This year alone, Chevron is investing $8.9 billion in U.S. energy projects. See what else Chevron is doing to move our economy forward http://bit.ly/JgZoBL **
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Obama: In Worse Shape than George W. Bush in December 2005...But he's not gone yet!
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Morning Jolt December 17, 2013 Obama: In Worse Shape than George W. Bush in December 2005 Do you ever get tired of the headline, "Obama Numbers Hit New Low"? Nah, I didn't think so.
Also note: "Two months ago, Democrats held an eight-point advantage on the heels of the October government shutdown. Today it's just two points – 47 percent to 45 percent. As a point of reference, shortly before Republicans made historic gains in the House in 2010, this "generic ballot" narrowly favored the Democrats." Obama's Cabinet: The One Place Americans Can't Get Laid Off or Fired Hey, remember when we used to joke that Obama was always throwing people under buses? In USA Today, political science professor Ross Baker notes the strangely persistent presence of Kathleen Sebelius at the Department of Health and Human Services, and examines how rare it is for President Obama to directly fire anyone:
The explanation usually offered by the Obama folks on background is that firing cabinet members or other staffers is usually perceived as a panic move. That person has to be replaced, and the replacement usually takes weeks or months or even a year to get up to speed. And Obama's staffers are quick to point out he's never going to be bullied into firing anyone by a Beltway media that he insists he ignores. Okay, but Sebelius still managed and directed perhaps the biggest and most consequential cluster you-know-what in American domestic-policy history. She helped craft a policy that was sold with PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" and the Washington PostFact-Checker's biggest Pinocchio of the Year . What's more, if Obama is telling the truth, he was kept in the dark about the unfolding disaster until a week after Healthcare.govlaunched. She still isn't giving straight answers. If all of that hasn't earned a dismissal, what does? We know that Obama isn't particularly close to anyone in his cabinet; Politico called serving in Obama's cabinet "the worst job in Washington."
It's hard to believe Obama really thinks of Sebelius or anyone else in his cabinet as indispensible. Of course, Obama's not the first president to demand loyalty from his staff and repay it in kind. George W. Bush was loyal to "his guys" and "his gals." That was one factor in how Harriet Miers came to be nominated by the Supreme Court. The advantages of the Bush-Obama loyalty approach are obvious, but let's imagine the opposite. Imagine you had a president who wasn't afraid to fire any member of the cabinet who turned into a liability. Imagine a president bold enough to say he likes being able to fire people for bad service. Imagine a president known for cutting people loose, quickly and coolly, after any massive foul-up with big consequences. Don't you think that might cut down on the number of massive foul-ups with big consequences? Speaking of which . . . Your Tax Dollars at Work: The EPA's Absentee Wannabe-Spy So, what would it take to get an agency's secretary or administrator to really overhaul the culture, fire those who can be fired -- despite difficulties -- offer scathing performance reviews for poor performers, light fires under butts, and generally right the ship? Would it take an unbelievably embarrassing disaster like this?
Sure, throw the book at Beale. But will there be any consequences for any of Beale's bosses at the EPA? Did any of them ever ask why an alleged climate change expert would be running around Pakistan for the CIA? Imagine any of your co-workers trying this at your job. "Boss, I can't come in today, or tomorrow, or anytime in the near future. I've been recruited to the CIA. Also, you have to keep paying me. It's a matter of national security." Now imagine your workplace's highest-paid employee pulling that stunt.
Getting down to the wire for Christmas shopping! Let's check out the DNC's store to see what they're offering as last-minute gift ideas. . . A mug that says "Happy Holidays" and offers greetings in many languages, but not "Merry Christmas." Perfect for that decorated veteran of the War on Christmas! A "Speaker Pelosi" magnet pin. What, are these left over from 2010? $1.99. If you find one of these in your stockings, it is a sign Santa just didn't give a damn this year. "I heart Obamacare" sweatshirts. Can't believe they didn't sell out! You love equality, but not capitalization. For $49.95, you can buy a framed photo of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi at the signing ceremony for Obamacare: You know, the National Republican Senatorial Committee might buy one; they'll be using that image in their ads over and over again in the coming year . . . ADDENDUM: An unfortunate, or perhaps revealing, metaphor from Irish journalist Niall O'Dowd: "Waiting in line to meet President Obama and First Lady Michelle is a little like waiting for communion." They're "a little like" each other in the sense that both involve waiting, yes. Then again, so does a late-night run to the convenience store. A comparison of the president to the Eucharist would be a little easier to take if, say, the U.S. Embassy in London hadn't just installed giant tapestries depicting several portraits of our president, reminding us that the cult of personality is alive and well: Before you lash into O'Dowd, note his deep appreciation for the home of our presidents:
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PREPARING FOR OBAMACARE
One Citizen Speaking... |
Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:56 PM PST Before you pick up that phone or visit www.healthcare.gov, you may wish to take a few moments and consider these questions … Click on image for larger copy.  |
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