Anyone who has worked in a large organization — or, for that matter, reads the comic strip “Dilbert” — is familiar with the “org chart” strategy. To hide their lack of any actual ideas about what to do, managers sometimes make a big show of rearranging the boxes and lines that say who reports to whom.
You now understand the principle behind the Bush administration’s new proposal for financial reform, which will be formally announced today: it’s all about creating the appearance of responding to the current crisis, without actually doing anything substantive.
…So the Treasury has, with great fanfare, announced — you know what’s coming — its support for a rearrangement of the boxes on the org chart. OCC, OTS, and CFTC are out; PFRA and CBRA are in. Whatever.
Will rearranging these boxes make any difference? I’ve been disappointed to see some news outlets report as fact the administration’s cover story — the claim that lack of coordination among regulatory agencies was an important factor in our current problems.
A white paritioner at Trinity offers some context to Rev. Wright’s ministry.
I do have a bit of personal context. About 26 years ago, I became engaged to my wife, an African-American. She was at that time and remains a member of Trinity. Somewhere between the ring and the altar, my wife had second thoughts and broke off the engagement. Her decision was grounded in race: So committed to black causes, the daughter of parents subjected to unthinkable prejudice over the years, an “up-and-coming” leader in the young black community, how could she marry a white man?
Rev. Wright, whom I had met only in passing at the time and who was equally if not more outspoken about “black” issues than he is today, somehow found out about my wife’s decision. He called and asked her to “drop everything” and meet with him at Trinity. He spent four hours explaining his reaction to her decision. Racial divisions were unacceptable, he said, no matter how great or prolonged the pain that caused them. God would not want us to assess or make decisions about people based on race. The world could make progress on issues of race only if people were prepared to break down barriers that were much easier to let stand.
Rev. Wright was pretty persuasive; he presided over our wedding a few months later. In the years since, I have watched in utter awe as Wright has overseen and constructed a support system for thousands in need on the South Side that is far more impressive and effective than any governmental program possibly could approach. And never in my life have I been welcomed more warmly and sincerely than at Trinity. Never.
US Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has endorsed Barack Obama to become the party’s presidential nominee, adding new pressure on trailing rival Hillary Clinton, Obama’s campaign announced Monday.
“My endorsement reflects both Barack’s strong support in my state and my own independent judgment about his abilities,” Klobuchar said.
What are they afraid of? Facts? Reality? Why is this so controversial?
Some version of the Comprehensive Family Life and Sexuality Education Act has been pushed at the Capitol over eight years, only to languish in committees or be stripped from omnibus bills under threat of a veto from Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The bill’s provisions are controversial among politicos but not the public at large, according to a University of Minnesota survey.
It seems a lot of people are esctatic that Bush got booed at the Nationals season opener.
Forgive me if I am contrarian here, but it seems to me all it proves is that there were a lot of assholes in the house that day. The point was baseball, not politics. Tradition has the president throw out the first pitch. It’s the game, not the president or his policies. It’s unfortunate the fans lost sight of that.
Boo Bush all you want, but at the appropriate venue, and better yet, how many of those fans voted in the first place?
A state appeals court upheld sanctions Tuesday against a pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills to a woman and wouldn’t transfer her prescription elsewhere.
The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruled that the punishment the state Pharmacy Examining Board handed down against pharmacist Neil Noesen did not violate his state constitutional rights, specifically his “right of conscience” to religiously oppose birth control.
“Noesen abandoned even the steps necessary to perform in a minimally competent manner under any standard of care,” the three-judge panel said. The decision upheld a ruling by Barron County Circuit Judge James Babler.
Thank heavens. If you have issues with doing your job, you should choose a different career.
Interesting bit where Chelsea Clinton, on the campaign trail for her mom, is hit with a blue dress question.
I agree with her not dignifying the tasteless question with a response, and I really wonder what’s up with these asshats who are stuck in the last decade and just can’t let go of a nice titillating scandal.
