Presidential transition/Inauguration 2009 and beyond/CLOSED

[brokebacktom]

Pay raises for Judges is hidden in this the bail out for the big Auto 3. Same old, Same old. Even with the D's. Both parties have got to go. What are they doing handing the election in 2010 to the GOP. I 'm sick of it, don't the D's listen to their base, NOT!!!!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/pay-raise-for-judges-tuck_n_150158.html

[brokebacktom]

Obama's Economic planners believes that the Economy will get much worst. GREAT, thank you Bush.

Without going into details, the sense I get from them is that they are very worried that the economy will get a lot worse before it gets better. Not just worse... a lot worse. As in -- double digit unemployment without the wiggle factors. Huge declines in aggregate demand. Significant, persistent deficits. That's one reason why the Obama administration seems to be open to listening to every economist with an idea and is stocking the staff with the leading lights of the field


http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/12/its_quite_unsettling_to_talk.php

[BayCityJohn]

Ledger one of most searched on Google

The tragic death of Australian actor Heath Ledger has been reflected in this years most popular internet searches.

Google has revealed the Brokeback Mountain star was among the most searched subjects worldwide this year, even ahead of whitehouse winner Barack Obama.

In a list of Google's 'fastest-rising' searches, Heath came in at number five, one spot ahead of the US president-elect.

http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=286104

[brokebacktom]

Ledger one of most searched on Google

The tragic death of Australian actor Heath Ledger has been reflected in this years most popular internet searches.

Google has revealed the Brokeback Mountain star was among the most searched subjects worldwide this year, even ahead of whitehouse winner Barack Obama.

In a list of Google's 'fastest-rising' searches, Heath came in at number five, one spot ahead of the US president-elect.

http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=286104

It was sad that it took his death to get people to notice his talent. Still cry once in a while over him.

[garyd]

Pay raises for Judges is hidden in this the bail out for the big Auto 3. Same old, Same old. Even with the D's. Both parties have got to go. What are they doing handing the election in 2010 to the GOP. I 'm sick of it, don't the D's listen to their base, NOT!!!!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/pay-raise-for-judges-tuck_n_150158.html

Oh come on, it was a combination of political maneuvering (on Pelosi's part this time but it could just as easily have been from the R side if they had leadership control) and just plain old housekeeping.  The judges are going to get a COLA anyway, just like the legislature, except now, just like the legislature, they will get it on time.  Pelosi did not want a stand alone vote which is fine I suppose but it would have been on the consent calendar of the next session of Congress anyway.

[brokebacktom]

Pay raises for Judges is hidden in this the bail out for the big Auto 3. Same old, Same old. Even with the D's. Both parties have got to go. What are they doing handing the election in 2010 to the GOP. I 'm sick of it, don't the D's listen to their base, NOT!!!!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/pay-raise-for-judges-tuck_n_150158.html

Oh come on, it was a combination of political maneuvering (on Pelosi's part this time but it could just as easily have been from the R side if they had leadership control) and just plain old housekeeping.  The judges are going to get a COLA anyway, just like the legislature, except now, just like the legislature, they will get it on time.  Pelosi did not want a stand alone vote which is fine I suppose but it would have been on the consent calendar of the next session of Congress anyway.

Sorry with everyone losing their jobs, getting pay cuts or no increases then why should they. They are already making over $169,000 per year. Sorry I don't buy it!!!

[Rosewood]

How to improve MEET THE PRESS. Get rid of David Gregory to start with.

Jeez, I am beginning to think that you guys would bitch if you were hanged with a new rope. 

I mean, what in the world is wrong with David Gregory?

He is biased, arrogant and dull. I think of a wooden stick when I think of him.

I agree completely.
And posted so a few days back.

But I remain willing to be disabused of my little prejudice.
Only time will tell.

[Ellen (tellyouwhat)]

Pay raises for Judges is hidden in this the bail out for the big Auto 3. Same old, Same old. Even with the D's. Both parties have got to go. What are they doing handing the election in 2010 to the GOP. I 'm sick of it, don't the D's listen to their base, NOT!!!!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/pay-raise-for-judges-tuck_n_150158.html

Oh come on, it was a combination of political maneuvering (on Pelosi's part this time but it could just as easily have been from the R side if they had leadership control) and just plain old housekeeping.  The judges are going to get a COLA anyway, just like the legislature, except now, just like the legislature, they will get it on time.  Pelosi did not want a stand alone vote which is fine I suppose but it would have been on the consent calendar of the next session of Congress anyway.

Sorry with everyone losing their jobs, getting pay cuts or no increases then why should they. They are already making over $169,000 per year. Sorry I don't buy it!!!

I don't like the idea of this being attached to any bailout legislation, Tom, but I agree with garyd's point that if it is not a new, larger pay raise, then it isn't as bad as it seems on first hearing about it as part of the bill.

Back in the seventies Nixon froze pay raises.  It wasn't my favorite moment in history, although I didn't have a job yet.  My dad was mad, though.

[Ellen (tellyouwhat)]

^^^^

PS -- I can see how someone can be worth $169,000 a year,

it's when salaries get above $1 million that I think, maybe, they could get by without their bonuses.

[fritzkep]

Pay raises for Judges is hidden in this the bail out for the big Auto 3. Same old, Same old. Even with the D's. Both parties have got to go. What are they doing handing the election in 2010 to the GOP. I 'm sick of it, don't the D's listen to their base, NOT!!!!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/11/pay-raise-for-judges-tuck_n_150158.html

Oh come on, it was a combination of political maneuvering (on Pelosi's part this time but it could just as easily have been from the R side if they had leadership control) and just plain old housekeeping.  The judges are going to get a COLA anyway, just like the legislature, except now, just like the legislature, they will get it on time.  Pelosi did not want a stand alone vote which is fine I suppose but it would have been on the consent calendar of the next session of Congress anyway.

Sorry with everyone losing their jobs, getting pay cuts or no increases then why should they. They are already making over $169,000 per year. Sorry I don't buy it!!!

I don't like the idea of this being attached to any bailout legislation, Tom, but I agree with garyd's point that if it is not a new, larger pay raise, then it isn't as bad as it seems on first hearing about it as part of the bill.

Back in the seventies Nixon froze pay raises.  It wasn't my favorite moment in history, although I didn't have a job yet.  My dad was mad, though.

I remember that pay freeze. I was making $250 per month as an Army Spec 4. I was really looking forward to the pay raise. I was quite mad myself.

[garyd]

Price freeze as well.
Both were unmitigated failures though received by a large segment of the population as an act of
true "statesmanship" on the part of Nixon.

Government officials were now in the business of setting prices and wages. This time, however, it was apparent that the control system was not working. Ranchers stopped shipping their cattle to the market, farmers drowned their chickens, and consumers emptied the shelves of supermarkets.

Ironically,  some would call the Nixon presidency the "last liberal administration." This was not only because of the imposition of economic controls. It also carried out a great expansion of regulation into new areas, launching affirmative action and establishing the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to some, especially Herbert Stein, I think, more new regulation was imposed on the economy during the Nixon administration than in any other presidency since the New Deal. 

[Rosewood]

^^^^

PS -- I can see how someone can be worth $169,000 a year,

it's when salaries get above $1 million that I think, maybe, they could get by without their bonuses.

Well, the pitcher C.C. Sabathia has just been signed by the Yankees for $160 million over a seven
year period, guaranteed.

It's what the particular market will bear I suppose.
Though all these types of salaries have the ring of obscenity to them.

[Ellen (tellyouwhat)]

Will his pay be performance based?

I mean, I know he's got a contract -- presumably for one season.

of course, that ought to be enough to last him quite a while

[alma]

Watch this video. Its great. Stewart and Huckabee discuss gay-marriage.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/10/jon-stewart-mike-huckabee_n_149906.html

I thought Stewart was in rare genius form (I do think he's genius much of the time). My favorite comment: Religion is more of a choice than being gay and we protect religious rights!

Excellent point. Huck floundered repeatedly, I felt.

[garyd]

Will his pay be performance based?

I mean, I know he's got a contract -- presumably for one season.

of course, that ought to be enough to last him quite a while

I don't know the specifics of this particular contract but it is for seven years.
The contracts typically specify a base salary in addition to performance bonus'.
The performance section can, and usually is, based upon personal performance,
(number of home runs, bases stolen, RBI's, ....whatever the specific speciality of the player
which also, supposedly, draws attention to the player and the team and therefore ticket sales and
TV and other broadcast revenue splits),
along with team performance objectives, i.e. playoffs, division titles, national titles. etc.

He could live off less, and he, undoubtedly, could spend even more.

Should baseball ever go to Congress requesting a bail out then I suppose
we should develop a government office to regulate player compensation.

Or we could avoid the whole free market untidy mess and just legislate that all
jobs/professions are equally important to the health and well-being of society and
have government mandate that everyone be paid exactly the same.