Yes they did and we aim to please. Lots of duplication in this portion of the inbox which goes through early December but lots of good stuff too. Enjoy. I think we’ll be rolling out some Byron Lee next.
sop
Day: December 16, 2010
Jim Brown
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
IN WASHINGTON AND BATON ROUGE, THEY’RE SPENDING LIKE DRUNKIN’ SAILORS!
It’s the holiday season, and we always talk a good bit about watching our weight and curtailing our appetite. We just cannot pass up all the tempting finger food at holiday parties, washed down with too much to drink and desserts galore. Wait till the New Year, right? That’s the message we received from Democrats and Republicans alike in the final days of the 111th congress. Both parties are supporting a second stimulus package that will blow another $1 trillion hole in the budget. Forget the ever growing deficit. It’s just not the right time.
What a well worn phrase. It never seems to be the right time in Washington. After all, we are continually told, the economy is fragile and the recovery is halting. But when is the “right time?” It wasn’t that long ago when the economy was churning. So instead of planning a reduction of the deficit, both parties joined the fray by adding massive entitlement programs, cutting taxes, and entering two wars that cost several trillion dollars. Who cares about the debt? The mantra to follow is Mark Twain’s — “never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
It should be obvious to Republicans in congress that the president was wrong to believe that the United States could fight a war, cut taxes and increase federal spending all at once. Yet here they are, embracing Keynesian economic arguments they have denounced for years. Continue reading “Jim Brown”
The Times Picayune weighs in on the River Birch suit
When we began Slabbed I viewed myself as a fair to middlin’ stock market basher with some decent pumping skills. Along those lines I was surprised when certain members of the media began calling me an investigative journalist, a title I accept reluctantly as I have no formal training in the field of journalism. And what I didn’t know about the field was stunning and some of that ignorance shows on these pages. In reality the fact is I’m just the writer whose work is made possible by a community of bloggers and especially our researcher, whose presence on the team makes a difference in the quality and quantity of material I am able to present to our readers.
So while we are not formally organized at this point it does not change the fact there is some serious journalism on these pages. Having our work ripped off was nothing new, but after my partner in blog Nowdy was ripped off ad nauseum on Judge Martin Feldman’s blatant conflict of interest on the drill moratorium case, I made my mind up I would henceforth be a bit more militant about demanding our work be properly attributed. I mean heck, if our blogging on Feldman was good enough to be used for research by every major network out of New York then I figured the least they could do was give proper credit for that work.
I say all this because while we like seeing our work “cross over” we just don’t get the warm fuzzies anymore unless it is attributed. The pay for what we do here is nonexistent and in fact I figure Nowdy and I are out-of-pocket 5 figures easily for PACER since beginning Slabbed. We’re just citizen bloggers trying to make a positive difference for this region.
So along those lines we were gratified to see Paul Rioux at the Times Picayune give us the Hat Tip in his report in today’s paper on the River Birch lawsuit. The “blog” article is not yet online at NOLA but a reader sent me the “formal” link to today’s print story, where we learn the much talked about “audit” of the River Birch contract by the Parish has seemingly been delayed until next month among other things. For those interested in everything River Birch this article is a must read.
sop
Thursday Music: RUT ROH!!!!!
It’s the two state shuffle folks.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FmPhJkdTwU]
The good word is that Mr Letten is interested in Public Belt……
That’s right folks, sources are telling Slabbed that Mr Letten’s office has issued a subpoena to the Public Belt Railroad for their financial records, no doubt prompted by the excellent reporting on the scandal by the Times Picayune. For those wanting to catch up here is a great place to start.
sop