Bless the Shorties

Wishful thinking for those of you up North:
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Tama Gets Promoted: Tama, Japan’s most famous train stationmaster-cat, is now an operating officer with the company. Hopefully this post comes with a generous allowance of maguro and catnip.

Political Beliefs Don’t Justify Murder: The ACLU asked the courts in Kansas not to allow the person who murdered Dr. George Tiller to use as his defense that he “honestly, but mistakenly, believed the circumstances justified the use of deadly force.” I love the fact that they are citing Kansas legal precedent to do it, but I wish they had gone one step further and pointed out that killing for political beliefs can be considered terrorism.

It must be nice: New CEO of Bank of America gets a 19% pay raise.

Obligatory Health Insurance Reform Stuff: Senate admits that a bill full of gifts to insurance companies and drug companies without an equal or greater number of gifts to voters is a dead idea. Howard Dean on how to do it right.

Jingle Mail: sending the keys back to the mortgage company and telling them it’s all theirs. It’s not just for homeowners anymore. The world’s most expensive apartment complex has been given back to the bank. At least banks (sort of) know how to run an apartment complex (they hire a management company!).

Starship Troopers: Hold it right there, consumer! Are you really a citizen? Can we really fix the economy without fixing our democracy?

Speaking of the economy: There may be more trouble among small business owners than currently dreamed. That means either we are not having a recovery anytime soon, or we are about to be even more owned by the nation’s biggest businesses.

She works hard for the money, so you better treat her right: Well, assuming she has a job at all (thanks, Jukkou!). Those that do have jobs are “working twice as hard for half the money“. Poverty is moving to the suburbs — there goes the neighborhood! And those who do have a job must deal with a workplace that fits the needs of the 1960s workforce, and the stress of work-family conflicts that increasingly tear the fabric of our communities.

Sorry, not going to say much about the State of the Union. In a few days, all the important things will be spun until you can’t recognize them anyway.