Delmar, NY -- Overpaying For Katrina Reconstruction
First day of October, and it was already quite chilly waking up in the house this morning. We should probably start getting used to that, given what it's going to cost us to heat our homes this winter. It's a good thing we're too lazy to do anything about it, unlike those uppity Indonesians.
In another sign that things are looking bad for the Bush administration, the GAO has pronounced that the administration's purchase of favorable newscasts (remember "Karen Ryan?") to be illegal.
We're overpaying for the reconstruction in the Gulf (not just in the Persian one!):
In normal circumstances, Lowery said, his company would charge $300 to tarp a 2000-square-foot roof in Austin. For that same size job, the government is paying $2,980 to $3,500, or about 10 times as much, plus additional administrative fees that can't be readily calculated.
"It sounds to me like these people are probably making a stinking killing," Lowery said. "It's hard to imagine somebody asking that kind of money. ... It sure seems to me like somebody is getting taken advantage."
The government doesn't pay contractors per roof, but for every square foot of blue tarp its workers tack down, according to copies of the three contracts for the New Orleans area obtained by Knight Ridder.
The Shaw Group [Jason's note: a Joe Allbaugh-lobbied company] is getting paid the most for installing the tarps, $1.75 per square foot. Simon Roofing's contract calls for $1.72 per square foot and LJC Construction gets $1.49 per square foot.
The sheriff's office in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana is reporting that one-third of evacuees staying in a shelter there have criminal histories. According to CableMonkey, who lives there, "First, the Red Cross refused the sheriff's order. The sheriff then tried to sue the Red Cross for the names. Next thing I heard was that the state asked the sheriff to drop his pursuit for the names. Finally, the Red Cross settled on giving the names."
Here's one of the greatest speeches I've read in a while. It was made by a Senator named Margaret Chase Smith in 1950 to denounce the rampant McCarthyism. So many of her words resonate with me today:
Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism:
The right to criticize;
The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
The right to protest;
The right of independent thought.
The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.
Albany, NY -- Bennett: Ahhh! Blacks! Abort! Abort!
Ahhhh... back home again. I spoke to an old friend today who basically insinuated that this blog was verbose and boring... well, maybe it is, but it's mine, so that makes it cool, right? ;)
I was supposed to see Our Lady Peace upon getting back from DC tonight, but the show was sold out. Bummer.
Bill Bennett, former Reagan Education Secretary and Bush drug czar... we love you -- always good for some stupidity:
Bennett, on his radio show, "Morning in America," was answering a caller's question when he took issue with the hypothesis put forth in a recent book that one reason crime is down is that abortion is up.
"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues."
He went on to call that "an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."
Very nice, Mr. Bennett.
Filmstrip International has a new political lesson up, "Asshole, v2." Check it out -- it's really funny, and informative, too!The Republican Party has been in hot water lately: Delay, Frist, Katrina, Scooter Libby, Iraq, Rove, and on and on... but what do the Democrats do to take advantage? Nothing! I spent a lot of time today thinking about how a third party could reasonably be established over time (say, two decades), without giving the Republicans a crazy amount of power. Over the next couple of weeks, I expect to write a bit about it. Stay tuned!
Gaithersburg, MD -- Blunt Over Dreier
Following up on the podcast I did a few weeks ago about gas prices, here's a Slate story about why calls for conservation don't help much.
The Washington Post did an analysis of evolution theory; no surprises here but more support evidence.
As I predicted to my boss yesterday, Roy Blunt (R-MO) was selected as Tom Delay's replacement as House Majority Leader. The media had predicted David Dreier (R-CA), and it seems he had been the frontrunner:
Several officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an aide to Hastert contacted California Rep. David Dreier (news, bio, voting record) on Monday about assuming the majority leader's duties in the event DeLay was indicted. Several lawmakers said such a change would have made it easier for the Texan to eventually regain his post.
Perhaps this website's accusations that Dreier is a closeted homosexual had something to do with it?
Gaithersburg, MD -- DeLay Indicted!
YES YES YES YES YES! Got 'im! Tom Delay has been indicted on conspiracy charges in Texas!
Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...
Gaithersburg, MD -- Conservatives on Clinton's Wars
Thanks to Alighieri (great name), here's a roll call of conservatives about Clinton's military incursions in the former Yugoslavia. A couple of my favorites:
Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is.-Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)
Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?-Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
I admittedly hadn't a clue what was going on in the Balkans in those days, and really still don't (I should get on it), but man, what are those guys saying now about Iraq? As by buddy Terk points out, "...except the funny thing is, that mission actually succeeded!"
Gaithersburg, MD -- Brownie's Back!
In another one of the stories that would make me laugh if it weren't true,
CBS News reports on its blog: "CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger reports that Michael Brown, who recently resigned as the head of the FEMA, has been rehired by the agency as a consultant to evaluate its response following Hurricane Katrina." This all just keeps going downhill, doesn't it? Brownie, you're doing a fine job!
Gaithersburg, MD -- Evolution, Schmevolution
The NYTimes gives us
an update on Scopes Monkey Trial II: "Parents in Dover appear to be evenly split on the issue." How the hell can that be? Half a town doesn't believe in evolution? Oh wait, half the fucking COUNTRY doesn't believe in it!
David Pogue on the
iPod Nano's escalating dominance: "Want to know what happens when you pit other players against the Nano, mano a mano? You give up, because no other flash player on the market offers anything close to the Nano's concept or capacity."
Rockville, MD -- Meeting Off
Rats... my meeting with Ira Forman has been postponed for the time being. :(
Haven't had a Cindy Sheehan update in a while, but she's been arrested in DC for protesting. Scary. Thanks to her for her sacrifice in getting attention drawn to her cause.
Surprise surprise, there are some issues with the contractors hired to rebuild the Gulf.
Albany, NY -- Blog SOS
I almost lost my precious Nano today -- I left it on the seat of my car with my sunroof open this morning during a thunderstorm. The Nano somehow survived, though my steering column pours water out onto my shoes every time I take a sharp left turn...
Here's a neat site that
tracks gas prices all over the country. $2.99 here today. After getting to spend a good long time at home, I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling over the next two weeks, starting Saturday. That'll cost me/my company. But maybe
not as much as health care.
And
Brownie, you've done a heckuva job (RealPlayer)...
By the way, can someone help me? Sites such as Google's Blog Tracker and Technorati aren't picking up my blog, probably because I'm not using blog software. Can anybody thing of a way to "trick" them? If you can, PLEASE
e-mail me.
Gaithersburg, MD -- Meeting with Ira Forman Tomorrow
Boy, the Giants got spanked tonight. Eli looked great at times, not so hot at others. Meanwhile, San Diego looked phenomenal on both sides of the ball -- where was that the last two weeks?
Tomorrow is my meeting with Ira Forman. I'll keep y'all posted as to how that goes.
