Senators Alexander and Frist vote against increasing the Federal minimum wage.
The minimum wage has not been adjusted for inflation in nine years. During that period, Members of Congress have received seven pay raises.
According to this calculation, the Congressional pay-to-minimum-wage ratio (15.7 – 1) has reached a level achieved only once (1994) during the past 60 years. I guess Senators Alexander and Frist are shooting for the record.
Stephen Colbert gave the commencement address at Knox College. A sample:
But you have one thing that may save you, and that is your youth. This is your great strength. It is also why I hate and fear you. Hear me out. It has been said that children are our future. But does that not also mean that we are their past? You are here to replace us. I don’t understand why we’re here helping and honoring them. You do not see union workers holding benefits for robots.
Great stuff.
Three national news channels are devoting live coverage to the announcement. Shock waves being felt by the millions of NCAA lacrosse fans across America.
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki lashed out at the American military on Thursday, denouncing what he characterized as habitual attacks by troops against Iraqi civilians.
As outrage over reports that American marines killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha last year continued to shake the new government, the country’s senior leaders said that they would demand that American officials turn over their investigative files on the killings and that the Iraqi government would conduct its own inquiry.
In his comments, Mr. Maliki said violence against civilians had become a “daily phenomenon” by many troops in the American-led coalition who “do not respect the Iraqi people.”
“They crush them with their vehicles and kill them just on suspicion,” he said. “This is completely unacceptable.” Attacks on civilians will play a role in future decisions on how long to ask American forces to remain in Iraq, the prime minister added.
Sooner or later we may reach a boiling point where Iraq’s so-called sovereignty is tested. You’d think that if a leader of a government truly believes that his fellow citizens are being needlessly killed by an occupier, he’ll want a much stronger response than some sensitivity training.
According to a caption I see, CNN has dubbed itself “Hurricane Headquarters.” Good to know. I now know where to turn for exclusive interviews of the storms.
I wonder, however: if Natalee Holloway is found the same day as a hurricane makes land, which story will lead?
Heaven help us.
Unfortunately, CNN is not alone.
