This week, a veritable plethora of political profundities.
Census
Last week I wrote about how I thought the way the 2010 census was being handled was a little weird.
Well, one of the census workers called me. After she identified herself as a census worker, I figured she was going to chastise me for my column. (I get that a lot, you know.)
But no.
She said she thought it was weird, too. She told me that part of her instructions included the GPS mapping of things like uninhabited houses, campgrounds and campsites, jails, schools and military installations.
"I thought this was about counting people, but nobody lives in those places," she told me.
Guns
Montana lawmakers fired a shot over the bow of the federal government and may trigger a battle over state's rights.
(Was there enough gun metaphors in that paragraph?)
In a bill passed this month, Montana says that guns manufactured in Montana and sold in Montana to people who intend to keep the guns in Montana are exempt from federal gun registration, background check and dealer-licensing rules because no state lines are crossed.
Of course, the law isn't going to have some huge effect because the state is home to just a few specialty gun manufactures.
Seems to me the issue isn't really guns, here, it's state's rights. It looks like Montana's gearing up for a showdown over how much regulatory authority the federal government is afforded.
I like it when a state exerts its sovereignty. And I'd like to see a 10th Amendment case go before the Supreme Court.
Employment
I remember when President Obama called for "shared sacrifice" among all Americans to pull us though these tough economic times.
Well, that "shared sacrifice" apparently doesn't apply to his administration.
While the nation's unemployment rate is inching toward double digits and a record 6.35 million people are drawing unemployment, the government is on a hiring spree.
Yes, it's a good time to work for the federal government.
According to the Associated Press, executive branch employment - 1.98 million in 2009, excluding the Postal Service and the Defense Department - is set to increase by 15.6 percent for the 2010 fiscal year.
Most of that is thanks to the Census Bureau hiring 102,000 temporary workers, but not counting them still yields a net increase of 2 percent in one year.
And when it comes to compensation, there's no evidence of belt-tightening. Counting benefits, the average pay per federal worker will leap from $72,800 in 2008 to $75,419 next year.
Private sector workers are struggling to keep their jobs. Their earnings are stagnating and some are suffering through pay and hour cuts.
Not civilian government employees. They are set to enjoy a 2-percent raise.
Do I need to remind you, gentle readers, who is paying for all these employees and their raises? I didn't think so.
Cheerios®
And what, pray tell, are all these government employees doing to earn their keep?
Taking on Cheerios®, apparently.
See, General Mills® advertises that eating Cheerios® can help lower cholesterol.
CBS News quotes a certified dietetic nutritionist, Keri Glassman. She often recommends foods high in soluble fiber for patients looking to lower their cholesterol.
"Because of the oats, because of the soluble fiber in Cheerios®, it may help you reduce cholesterol ...," Glassman said.
OK, so Cheerios® can help reduce cholesterol. And they're yummy and fun to eat, too!
But according to a letter from the federal Food and Drug Administration, General Mills®' advertising violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
The FDA said General Mills®' claims that Cheerios® ingredients can lower cholesterol ... while providing cancer-fighting and heart-healthy benefits, essentially makes Cheerios® "a drug" by their definition.
And no drug in this country can be legally marketed without an approved new drug application.
Hmm. Your tax dollars at work, people.
Cars, Banks
A few weeks ago Barack Obama said he has a lot of important issues to deal with right now and, "I don't want to run banks and I don't want to run car companies."
Fair enough.
But here's a headline from AdAge.com:
Obama Halves Chrysler's Planned Marketing Budget
Task Force Agrees Automaker Needs Advertising - Just Not $134 Million Worth
The AdAge.com story notes that Chrysler wanted to spend $134 million in advertising over the nine weeks it's expected to be in bankruptcy, but the U.S. Treasury's auto-industry task force gave it half that.
Transcripts from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern District of New York, where the Chrysler case is being heard, show a Chrysler marketing exec's pitch for the advertising dollars:
"Advertising and marketing dollars are critical to make sure the right message is out there about Chrysler, what's happening to Chrysler during this interim period and why Chrysler will be a brand going forward that is one that a consumer should continue to look at as one of their purchase opportunities."
The government basically said, yeah, sure, it's critical, but only half as critical as the Chrysler marketing guys think. Honestly, what do those marketing guys know?
And the banks?
Well it seems some of the banks that took bailout money from the government want to pay it back and let the taxpayers off the hook.
They don't like the government telling them how much to pay their executives and generally how to do business.
One would think the government would happily take them up on the offer to repay.
One would be wrong.
Not so fast, says the Obama administration. Before you can pay us back, you must pass our little "stress test."
Another interesting development.
Up until now, the government investment in banks was in preferred stock. It's kind of like buying a bond from the bank or loaning the bank money. Now it seems the government wants to convert that preferred stock to common stock.
That would give the government voting rights as a stockholder.
For a guy who doesn't want to run banks or car companies, President Obama certainly is doing a pretty fair job of it.
That's enough for now. This stuff is starting to bum me out.
