Recovery.gov

Did you know that the massive U.S. economic stimulus plan has a Web site? And a logo?! I did not, until just now.

Going to have to check this out further when I am not up to my eyeballs in work projects because I am woefully under informed as far as the stimulus package goes.

Upon initial glance, though, I'm impressed with the site. I'm sure that a lot of it is pure PR, but as a PR person myself, I'm appreciating the language used on the site, timelines and graphs.

From recovery.gov:

This is your money. You have a right to know where it's going and how it's being spent. Learn what steps we're taking to ensure that you can track our progress every step of the way.

The site includes, among other things, a scrollable timeline with milestones, a place to share recovery stories, a link list of state specific recovery sites (only available in 12 states so far...), the full bill for reviewing and a message from the president.

Checking it out more thoroughly soon... What does everyone else think? Do you buy this? Are you skeptical? At this point for me, any sign of transparency and progress is better than nothing at all - and the approach taken here with an interactive Web site updated regularly is a great way to start.

Italian lawmakers are sleazier than ours!

I have been a negligent poster lately, mostly because I don't have a second to think about anything not work related, and when do come up for air, the last thing I want to do is spend more time on the computer.

This was too good, though. And it makes me feel better about our entire political system here in the U.S. - bank bailouts, bipartisan bickering and all.

On my way home from work yesterday, I heard this lovely piece about how Italian members of parliament were protesting a proposed fingerprint ID voting system because...

...they would actually have to be present to cast their votes. Um, SERIOUSLY?!

These guys apparently skip all the time (probably to conduct steamy affairs with Sophia Loren lookalike mistresses - in my head, anyway) and have their buddies lean over the table to hit their electronic voting button for them. Lawmakers are concerned that they will have to spend too much time in the chambers. The lawmakers. Don't want to waste their time. Casting their own (the public's?!) votes. And making laws. The lawmakers.

But they've reached a great compromise! In return for being so flexible and compliant with, oh, agreeing to complete their civic duties as lawmakers and being there for all the votes, they get an extra hour long coffee break each day! And a two hour break on Wednesdays! Gah, we all know how pesky those hump days are - they definitely call for a two hour break to make them more manageable.

So, let's not feel too badly about our politicians... It'd be interesting to see what state of affairs Italy is in right now. If they're better off than we are, perhaps we should consider coffee breaks for all!

Fingerprint voting not popular in Italy’s parliament (1:00) | PRI's The World

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Wanna work for Obama?

Better not have a blog, have ever written in a diary, have any questionable material on your Facebook account, have a spouse or significant other who lobbies or works for Fannie, Freddie, AIG or any company involved in the recent bailout...

While the first bit is common practice throughout the entire work world now, something makes me think President-Elect Obama's vetting process might be a tad more scrutinous.

Check out this NYT article outlining the changes Obama has made to the Presidential hiring process. (login required).

My personal favorite?

Under “Domestic Help,” the questionnaire asks the immigration status of applicants’ housekeepers, nannies, chauffeurs and yard-workers, and whether applicants have paid the required taxes for household employees.

Welcome to the new age of politics. I'm so glad that my help is all documented and accounted for.

Yes we can?

Ladies and gentlemen... aren't we elated that now Obama has been elected, all of our problems are solved?! Friend Cass directed my attention to this at another favorite blog of mine, Eavesdrop DC, where you KNOW there's going to be a ton of hilarious political musings overheard on various public buses and trains and government agency cafeterias and cubicles.

Overheard while transferring from ridiculously crowded Red Line train to ridiculously crowded Yellow Line train at China Town -

Woman One: Dammmnnn girl! This Metro so damn c-rowded

Woman Two: Shit yeah. Too many people here.

Woman One: Don’t worry, Obama gonna take care of that.

So, good thing we don't have to worry about those crowded metro stops anymore, right?

In other, slightly related news (and in case you were wondering...)-

A friend on Twitter recently asked "Whenever I speak to a black person, I feel the urge to congratulate them. Is that wrong?"

Survey says - ummyeah. It is on the list of things white people shouldn't do now that Obama's been elected. In the spirit of fairness and equality, however, there is also a list of things black people shouldn't do.

No we can't, white folks
Now that Obama has won, here are three things white people shouldn't do

My personal favorite here is

"Don't personally congratulate all your black friends. Black people are not a sports team, and Obama did not win the Super Bowl."

No we can't, black folks
Our man is going to the White House. Now here are five things black people shouldn't do.

"Do not promise to name your first child after Barack Obama. We've come far, but Barack Obama Jackson does not have as much of a ring to it as you think."

And finally, to end this post on a conciliatory note - check out From 52 to 48 with Love - a collection of photos and notes sent in by readers with the message that whomever you voted for, we are all Americans, and the only way this nation is going to get back on the right path is if we all work together.

Cheesy? Yes. But call me cheesy, because I believe this stuff and a lot of those notes and pictures really spoke to me.

Ouch...

Poor, poor Sarah. Might I also mention that this NYT Politics Blog post had one of the funnier headlines I've read all year -

Comment On Dit, "Prank Call"?

By Julie Bosman

OCALA, Fla. – Gov. Sarah Palin has been punk’d.

A pair of Canadian comedians, notorious for pranking politicians and heads of state, reached Ms. Palin on Saturday and pretended to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

According to an audio recording, a press aide handed the phone to Ms. Palin, who enthusiastically greeted the fake Sarkozy, “It’s so good to hear you, thank you for calling us.” She added, “We have such great respect for you, John McCain and I. We love you!”

Speaking in an exaggerated French accent, the fake Sarkozy asked Ms. Palin about the state of the race, dropped names of nonexistent Canadian officials, frequently interrupted her mid-sentence and told her he saw her as president one day.

“Maybe in eight years,” Ms. Palin said.

The duo, Sebastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette, have pulled similar pranks on Mick Jagger, Bill Gates and French president Jacques Chirac.

At one point, he said that he shared her interest in hunting.

“Oh, very good, we should go hunting together,” Ms. Palin said.

He replied: “I just love killing those animals. Taking away life, that is so fun!”

She laughed politely.

He added: “As long as we don’t bring Vice President Cheney.”

More laughter from Ms. Palin. “No, I’ll be a careful shot,” she promised.

The call ended after about six minutes, when the host informed Ms. Palin that she had been pranked.

“Oh, have we been pranked?” Ms. Palin said. “What radio station is this?”

Tracey Schmitt, Ms. Palin’s spokeswoman, said in a statement: “Governor Palin received a phone call on Saturday from a French Canadian talk show host claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C’est la vie.”

At least it wasn't just her - they pranked Sarkozy, too. And points for the "mildly amused" and "C'est la vie" comments. Someone in her camp must be pretty witty...

Listen to the full audio here

America's student poll the best election bellwether?

Sooo... I may not have even used the term "bellwether" in its proper context. The only time I ever hear that word is around election time and don't think about it enough to remember how exactly to get it right in a sentence.

It does have interesting associations, though. During the election "bellwethers" are the political equivalent to palm readings and tea leaf divination... In the past two or three weeks I have heard Ohio be called the nation's most reliable indicator for the entire nation's voting patterns on NPR during my drive to work. Once I get to work and take my news break, Slate has determined that not all of Ohio, but one solitary bakery in Cincinnati can determine the winner based on whose likeness sells more cookies.

But this has to be the most interesting article I've come across so far - Weekly Reader asserts that it's neither one state nor one bakery that will determine this term's winner, but rather America's schoolchildren.

And the children have spoken.

According to the 2008 Weekly Reader Presidential Election Poll, Obama is the man by 57.4 percent of students' (aged kindergarten through 12th grade) votes. More than 125,000 kids voted, and according to Weekly Reader:

For the past 52 years, the results of the Weekly Reader poll have been consistently on target, with the student vote correctly predicting the next president in 12 out of 13 elections. (The only time the kids were wrong was 1992, when they chose George H.W. Bush over Bill Clinton.) This year, as in 2000 and 2004, the student election was conducted in conjunction with noted polling organization Zogby International.

I remember Weekly Reader... Those were the days. And possibly part of what has exacerbated my current news fixation.

Cute election site (possibly for adults too, if *some* need to start slowly to catch up on their politics) - nice chance for kids to participate in what will someday be their civic duty. A little early awareness never hurt anybody.

Parting observations from the schoolkids polled -

• "This is history being made!"
• "I will always remember this. It's nice to have my vote counted!"
• "Even though I am not 18, my voice is being heard."
• "I like McCain because he loves pets like I do."
• "I want to be president. I am going to be president. If Obama can run for president, so can I." (Comment from a Hispanic second-grade boy.)
  

Read the rest of the release (including some of the more thought provoking trends) here.

The fate of the nation vs. pop culture

I find it really unnecessary to air the final Presidential debate and the Project Runway finale at the same time...

Talk about drawing a line in the sand. You are either an upright citizen who cares about the outcome of the most historically compelling Presidential race EVER or you are an un-American, ignorant pop culture junkie who cares more about voting via txt for the ProjRun fan favorite than casting your ballot for the nation. Or you have TiVo or DVR.

I don't have TiVo or DVR. (hey - I'm only Jane six pack here, I don't have extra cash floating around for fancy cable).

So... I ended up satisfying both aspects of my personality by sprinting between two rooms at J's parents house last night.

Summary judgements:

The debates... gah, I really did sit down for the end of this - the Roe v. Wade/supreme court appointee question and education stuff. Way to get me all bent out of shape right before bedtime. Some of these topics are sooo sticky - and even though I feel (strongly) a certain way, I can clearly see how someone could feel equally as strong about the flip side of the coin. Yeesh. Democracy is great, but it certainly should make a person think about how he or she feel about some very sensitive subjects.

Both candidates held their own and, suspending preexisting prejudices, I really did hear what the man who is not my candidate had to say, and appreciated it more than some of my guy's views at certain points. I do think that Obama was the clear winner as far as proving himself as calm, rational and cool under pressure, however. That split screen sure did show a whole lot of *blink, blink, blinking* on the right side of the screen. While McCain smiled and shook his head at Obama's answers, maniacally scribbling down responses, Obama sat listening to McCain.

I do not care to announce a winner for content because of the subjectivity of that - people hear what they want. But delivery wise, Obama for the win. Now, for the fun part.

Project Runway... Actually, the debate was more fun than projrun for me this time. Typically I get super excited about the finales and I feel that there are one or two very strong finalists. Maybe it was just the mood I was in last night, but all three collections were kind of underwhelming. Some of the dresses were gorgeous, the collections were a tad bizarre. And I did love Leanne's shapes, but SERIOUSLY, does one collection need that many pleats/petals whatever those things were?! Ahh well. Still good t.v.

So. In case of "the fate of the nation vs. pop culture" I deem the debate, and more specifically, Barack Obama, the winner of the evening. But I am glad I had some gorgeous dresses to distract myself from time to time and to keep me from talking politics with any of the debate watchers. Yin and yang.

Is it 1929 again?

If Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson tells me right now that we're going to come out of the current financial crisis O.K. I am going to go ahead and believe him. Because that's what I need to hear

Samuelson wrote an encouraging opinion piece in the in the Post yesterday morning and I was more than happy to hear some positive (at least, in the current context) news.

Even though six in 10 Americans believe that another depression is likely, Both CNN money and Samuelson disagree - with proof:

In 1929 -

• the federal government was not a huge part of our economy like it is today. (Gov't. accounts for 20 percent of spending today, compared to three percent in 1929)
• we have had 10 recessions since the 1940s, but no depressions
• the two worst recessions in 1973-75 and 1981-82 had peak unemployment rates of nine and 10.1 percent respectively. Unemployment was 25 percent during the great depression and 6.1 percent this September.
• we have the FDIC insuring our bank accounts up to $250,000
  

Samuelson:

The economy will get worse. The housing glut endures. Cautious consumers have curbed spending. Banks and other financial institutions will suffer more losses. But these are all normal symptoms of recession. Our real vulnerability is a highly complex and global financial system that might resist rescue and revival. The Great Depression resulted from the mix of a weak economy and perverse government policies. If we can avoid a comparable blunder, the great drama of these recent weeks may prove blessedly misleading.

Read the CNN poll and Samuelson's op-ed to feel better about your life. And your 401(k).

You're welcome. :)