Monday, September 15, 2008

Shredded Pork

Suddenly, we're hearing a lot about Congressional "earmarks." I don't see this as an issue that has ever concerned a lot of voters. We all detest wasteful government spending but there's so much more that doesn't fall into that category and is going undiscussed. (Is anyone the least bit interested in the billions of bucks that were supposed to go to fight the Iraq War and which have simply vanished, presumably into someone's pocket?) On some level, I think voters see earmarks as all part of the game. Your state pays a lot of money in federal taxes and if it doesn't get a few earmarks, it forfeits the chance to make sure some of that is put to work in your state.

But now everyone's talking about earmarks, if not as a matter of policy than as of personal integrity. It's a little difficult to sort out the facts but this article in The Wall Street Journal seems to have a grasp on them.

• Posted at 3:24 PM · LINK

This Just In...

Just got one of those phishing/Spam/whatever-they-call-them e-mails telling me my bank account had been compromised and I should click on their link to log in and reactivate it. You must get hundreds of those. They're scams to get info out of you — your password, your account number, personal data, whatever. (I've never fallen for one so I'm not sure what they ask of you.)

What impressed me about this one was that it told me my investment account with Lehman Brothers was being locked down because of the current financial crisis there and that if I didn't log in, I might lose everything. I, of course, do not have any investments or any monetary connection with Lehman Brothers...but you have to admire the timeliness and ingenuity. Most of America has no clue what's going on but the Spammers are up on the financial news.

• Posted at 12:17 PM · LINK

Today's Video Link

Here's a number from a 1982 TV special in which the then-current cast of A Chorus Line performed "What I Did For Love," followed by a bit of "One."

• Posted at 9:59 AM · LINK