By Steve Rhodes
“Facing the worst recession in a generation, U.S. Rep. Phil Hare isn’t sitting around and waiting for the job market to rebound on its own,” Progress Illinois reports.
“On MSNBC’s The Ed Show [Monday] night, he explained the basic outline of the plan he’ll introduce in Congress. As Hare explains, the package includes a public works infrastructure program ‘similar to what Roosevelt had with the CCC’.”
Which is what we were supposed to get the first time around with the stimulus bill. But as has been conclusively shown since, the stimulus bill was not a jobs bill, but a frickin’ Christmas tree for Congress; it didn’t need earmarks because the earmarks were the bill.
And look where that’s gotten us.

Read More

Posted on December 9, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
1. I love the Redwood!
But, yeah.

Read More

Posted on December 8, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
Our very own George Ofman is right: You watched the Bears yesterday just to see if they would actually lose to the Rams.
More Meter Madness
So Abu Dhabi is making money off our parking meters because our own politicians didn’t have the guts to raise rates themselves. Can Chicago buy the meters of some other country with similarly gutless politicians? I’m thinking Luxembourg. Just because.
*
Does Kabul have parking meters? See where I’m going with this?

Read More

Posted on December 7, 2009

By Natasha Julius
We’re pressing ahead despite recent setbacks that aren’t actually setbacks so much as inconveniences and the seeds of possible future conspiracy theories because, dammit, this story needs to be told!
Market Update
Turns out the Civilized World’s plan to consolidate all its debt was just about as stupid as everyone else’s.

Read More

Posted on December 5, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
1. Tweets from Roland Hedley:
Torn between surge and withdrawal, Obama announces both. After speech, confused cadets mill about, seeking clear orders. 1:58 PM Dec 2nd
*
Per @spincharge, POTUS to troops: “Forward, moonwalk!” 2:16 PM Dec 2nd
2. Bill Kurtis should never anchor the news again.

Read More

Posted on December 4, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
1. The website of the Chicago News Cooperative was blank this morning except for this:

hacked!!!! by ……… 🙂

I didn’t do it!

Read More

Posted on December 3, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
“When he took office in January, there were 32,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan,” Lynn Sweet notes. “He raised that to 63,000; then he boosted that by 30,000 in Tuesday night’s speech at West Point.”
A bunch of old Russians are laughing their heads off today.

Read More

Posted on December 2, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
1. Barack Obama was right during the 2008 presidential campaign when he said – like every other Democrat – that we should have dedicated ourselves to the war in Afghanistan instead of getting distracted by Iraq. But by apparently deciding to escalate the war in Afghanistan – something he is expected to announce tonight – he is fighting the last war. You can’t go back and make up for George W. Bush’s mistakes. The circumstances in Afghanistan have changed dramatically – even since the campaign – and the only sensible move to make is to get out. It’s a move that would be politically difficult, one that would demand the courage of a candidate who campaigned on change. But also one that only a person who had ever demonstrated courage in the past could pull off. And that’s not our president.

Read More

Posted on December 1, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
A few interesting additional facts for the Chicago Bears to think about when contemplating how much better the Minnesota Vikings are:
* The Vikings’ Vice President of Player Personnel is Rick Spielman, who was the Bears’ personnel director from 1997 to 1999.
From Wikipedia: “Spielman has overseen three drafts in Minnesota. His most notable draftees include Adrian Peterson in 2007 Tyrell Johnson in 2008 and Percy Harvin in 2009. The draft aside, Spielman is best known for the free agency splash the Vikings made in 2008, when they signed Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams to big contracts and traded a first round and two third round picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for pro-bowl defensive end, Jared Allen, and finally in 2009 when the Vikings came to terms with long time Green Bay Packer Brett Favre.”

Read More

Posted on November 30, 2009

By Steve Rhodes
The Weekend Desk has the holiday weekend off. We’ll all be back on the beat around here come Monday morning.
The [Friday] Papers
Just going to add a few items to yesterday’s column.
* “Let me put the chilling language of bureaucracy in terms you may better understand,” Dennis O’Toole writes in the Tribune: “There are 10.5 million fewer chickens to eat right now than a year ago, and, therefore, 21 million fewer wings. Demand, meanwhile, remains steadfast and unwavering. As a result, chicken breasts are cheaper than wings for the first time in the recorded history of things like this.
“Bars and restaurants all over our once-great nation have responded by booting wings from the menu. Such an act of cowardice is akin to spitting on a bald eagle or putting an American flag in the dishwasher.”

Read More

Posted on November 28, 2009