Anything Goes Friday

The big economic news coming out today is that the unemployment rate reached a 7.2%, the highest rate in 16 years, 40% of it from small businesses.  I know times are tough out there, folks, but this is not the time to panic, to get pessimistic, or to turn to the federal government for answers.  We'll have more about this on the program today.

 

The Treasury Department still hasn't responded to many of the questions asked about the bailout money.  Meanwhile, Obama's incoming Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, is planning on overhauling and expanding the bailout.

 

Here's the full text of Obama's speech yesterday about the "stimulus" plan.  There's a reason for his clever wordsmithery:  he's using polling and focus groups to sell this thing to the American people and to Congress.

 

In what might be the first glimpse into what Obama would do in the Middle East, his team is already prepared to talk to Hamas.  Where do you go with talks after Hamas says "we want Israel gone?"

 

Sarah Palin is finally striking back against the mainstream, uppity, navel-gazing media.  Tavis Smiley, of said media, says that he is working for Obama.  That's not news.

 

Only five Democrats supported President Bush on over 30% of votes in the House.  One of them was Jim Marshall.

 

There will be a vote on Sunday (over Sen. Tom Coburn's opposition) on a $10 billion omnibus lands bill that is full of pork.  This spells trouble for Republicans, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to stand up and support Coburn.  McConnell really is showing incompetence as a Minority Leader, isn't he?  I guess that all started when he decided to work with the Democrats on the massive "stimulus" package, which now Saxby Chambliss is saying he could support.

 

The Illinois State House voted 114-1 to impeach Blago.  By the way, his pick for Obama's Senate seat, Roland Burris, who did lobby for the job, might be crazy.  He's certainly egotistical.

 

You can thank Al Gore for this:  the market for "carbon offsets" is worth up to $118 billion.

 

I'm not alone in thinking that Sanjay Gupta isn't qualified to be Surgeon General.

 

Warner Robins might be worse than San Francisco, but we don't hold a candle to the begging coming from Edwardsville, Alabama.

 

A band from Michigan that will perform at the Inaugural Parade has to drop their Chiefs mascot because it might offend somebody.

 

PETA wants to start calling fish "sea kittens" so nobody will want to eat fish anymore.

 

The state of Georgia is investigating 200 gas stations for price gouging last year.  They've already fined a few stations.

 

Atlanta hospitals are refusing to send money to Grady.  Remember that Grady's problem is that they need more paying customers.

 

Check out the details of this robbery that happened in Macon.  Sucks for that guy, but it sure makes for an entertaining story for us.