Question of the Day (but not every day)

Question:

Is it hypocritical for Republicans, or more specifically Anti-Government Teabag types, to take a government job?

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No Shame In Their Game

Great 8 minutes. The last minute and a half should be next election's attack ad.

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Lame-as-F@#k Congress
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Rickey? Helloooo?

Once again, I have to bring out the milk carton.

As fans might have noticed, “Riding with Ricky” has once again gone missing.  It has been since August since we last we saw a post over at RwR.

Again, visitors to the site are now greeted by a page stating that it has gone private.

The last time this happend, Rickey was in the process of buying a house, so to avoid the risk of being redlined out of his chosen neighborhood, he went private.

Rickey may be up to no-good again.  Maybe he is interviewing for a job?  Maybe he needed to move again?  Maybe the in-laws discovered his blog?

Your guess in the comments.

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Put Down the Pitchfork, Joe

Yesterday on Fox News Sunday Morning, Senator Joe Lieberman (Idiot-CT) stated that so-called Islamic extremists should be tossed out of the military. Obviously, an Al Qaeda sympathizer should be kicked to the curb, but do we really want someone like Joe Lieberman deciding what brand of Islam qualifies as “extreme”?

Really, in the U.S. Army, this is not a matter of constitutional freedom of speech. If Hasan was showing signs, saying to people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to have zero tolerance. He should have been gone.

I don’t hear Lieberman calling for the ouster of Christian and Jewish extremists from the military, even though it surely contains some of those. The 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta was perpetrated by a Christian extremist, but I don’t hear a call to expel that religious sect entirely.

I am betting this guy was crazy first and a Muslim second. Let’s put down the pitchfork Joe and wait for the adults to finish their investigation.

Source: Firedoglake

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Hypocrisy on the Hill

For the last two days, the CEO’s of the three largest American automakers have been before congress lobbying for $25 Billion in loans to keep them afloat for the next year or so. Much of the news coverage of their appearance has been of lawmakers ripping the CEO’s to shreds for everything from CEO pay, to building SUV’s, to flying corporate jets to Washington.

Clearly the current big three CEO’s don’t have the public relations skills that Lee Iacocca had nearly thirty years ago. At the time Chrysler was in need of similar assistance, and Iacocca worked for $1 per year.

These particular CEO perks don’t get me too worked up. CEO pay nationally is way out of hand but that problem won’t be solved by beating up the big three. That didn’t stop Congressman Peter Roskam, (R- Ill.) from demanding the three CEO’s work for a buck.

Need I remind Roskam that the United States has been running a sizable deficit for decades? When will Roskam begin working for one dollar? He won’t. It would be pointless and it won’t seriously benefit the national budget. But the point is, Roskam works in a body that regularly gives itself raises, regularly drives SUV’s, likely rides in private jets and helped contribute to the mess this country is in.

Roskam isn’t my Congressman, so I doubt he will respond to my e-mail, but I am sending the letter below to point out his hypocrisy.

November 20, 2008

Congressman Peter Roskam
507 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Roskam,

This morning on several news programs, the country witnessed you asking the CEO’s of the big three automakers to work for one dollar per year as part of the effort to get the companies back on their feet. While this would likely prove to be a nice public relations gesture, as Lee Iacocca did when Chrysler needed similar assistance nearly thirty years ago, I am sure you are aware that this would have little significance to the automakers’ bottom line.

Like the automakers, I am sure you have noticed that the United States Government has been running in the red for the better part of three decades. Since you find it so important for people in positions of authority to work for one dollar, when their organizations are running in deficit, will you be giving up your Congressional salary this year?

CEO compensation is out of control, but you won’t fix that problem by letting the big three go out of business. Instead of showboating, isn’t it time to consider the 3 Million workers and retirees who are supported by the American auto industry? There are Illinois jobs at stake.

Signed,

Bob

You too can contact Roskam here:

UPDATE: Roskam doesn't accept e-mail from outside the distrrict, so snail-mail it is.

You can also write other members of the House Financial Services Committee to let them know what I think of their showboating. It's a long list, so hopefully one of them represents you.

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