Ending the Electoral College Gaining Traction

Efforts Across the country to move away from the electoral college model, and allow the popular vote only to elect the president are moving forward. The National Popular Vote Plan passed the New Jersey State Assembly on Monday, and actions are also going forward in Illinois according to the Hill and local New Jersey news.

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Small Victories: Deadbeat Dad Gets Nothing

The New York Daily News is reporting that Leon Caldwell, a deadbeat dad who tried to profit from his sons death in the 9/11 attacks will get nothing. Thankfully. Mr. Caldwell argued that he was entitled to half of the $2.9 Million payout for his son Kenneth’s death in the 9/11 attacks, despite failing to pay child support or even feigning an interest in his son for most of his life.

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Ok sure, keep cutting research

The BBC is running a story about the spread of bird flu strain H5N1 in Suffolk. The US website PandemicFlu.gov tells us we’re seeking public comment on the first draft of a flu vaccine plan. Color us, nonplussed.

Further:
Pandemicflu.gov
Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus
World Health Organization- Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza
Is H5N1 bird flu endemic in Europe?

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When Corporate Reign Goes Too Far

As Yahoo! Chief Executive Jerry Yang went before congress to apologize for Yahoo! China’s role in the jailing of a Chinese dissident, the ironic theater of this whole event aside, we thought of other recent news items. ATT & Verizon helping in the domestic wiretapping of Americans without being asked,the sub-prime crisis, the private security debacle, etc.

By virtue of their size, resources, and ability, corporations have always been and likely will always be on the chopping block for their sins. They make easy targets, they tend to be in the wrong, and their primary responsibility is to their shareholders and not say, their customers, the general public or the common good. Given the amount of these types of appearances recently, its hard to feel sympathy for them.

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Out of Touch

It’s election season, well… its not really a season since we’re nearly in year two of this election madness with how early it all started, but at any rate the candidates are on their whistle-stop tours of hither and yon talking to “real people” about “real issues”. Hillary Clinton, specifically, is on such a tour at the moment.

In her continuing quest to look more likable and folksy, she’s mingling with the great unwashed, and not surprisingly causing problems. As NPR noted, Anita Esterday, was her waitress at Maid-Rite in Iowa, and is also a member of a key demographic: single working mothers. She got her picture taken, tried to explain what life is like for people who actually work, didn’t get tipped, and ended up almost losing her second job. Go team Hillary. Hillary used this encounter as fodder for the rest of her tour, typical.

What struck us most about this story, was the fact that Anita Esterday nearly lost her job, for basically spontaneously getting her picture taken with Hillary, and how so totally out of touch Hillary was with the whole situation.  Anita’s other boss, who is not a fan of Hillary- drastically cut her hours after seeing the picture in the paper. Have we gotten to a place as a country that someone who has the random chance occurrence of being in photograph with the wrong public figure who picked that place for lunch, is now black listed? Further, even though these types of visits are common on the campaign trail, she could’ve done better than stare blankly when someone says to her that they’ve never worked less than two jobs. A situation which is totally common to a huge swath of Americans.

This is Hillary’s over arching problem. She’s so far out of touch with Americans she might as well be a martian. As much as many on the left want to smash this square peg in, and despite all the money she’s raised – she’s the new Al Gore. She might be funny in small groups but she’s not likable broadly. Her policy plans are stale, and she’s patently an establishment candidate. That won’t stop her from forcing her way in come hell or high water, in which case she better start at least pretending to understand what life is like outside Westchester.

Further:
When Real Lives Get Swept Into Campaign Rhetoric

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