“Obama breaks promise on ‘sunlight before signing’”

I was going to mention this but PolitiFact beat me to it.

Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29, 2009, keeping a longstanding promise to counter a Supreme Court decision that limited workers’ ability to sue for pay discrimination. We moved the Obameter and gave him a Promise Kept.

But we also had to give him his first Promise Broken for the same signing. As part of his agenda to bring more transparency to government, Obama said he would institute “sunlight before signing” — posting laws to the White House Web site for five days of public comment before he signed off on them. [Ed. - I added the links]

More here.

Wage increases for legislators – Part 2

I’ve written before (OK, not on my blog or in a comment, but in e -mails to Kramer and Kanavas) what I think the Republican party should do on the pay raises for legislatures, but I guess that’s not going to happen.

(Thanks to Spring City Chronicle for the link; it was easier to go there than to go back and look for it from the online editions of the Freeman)

• Mary Lazich – “I’ve returned raises in the past and after I gave them back I saw how the state squandered the money. I don’t want to let it go to waste. I’d rather give it to a charity.” So I’m helping Sen. Lazich be charitable. Great. I don’t suppose she claims it on her income tax. Nah.
• Bill Kramer – “It’s my understanding that it was six years without a pay raise and I didn’t have anything to do with the voting on it. “But I still have to pay taxes on it. And I still have to spend time away from my business so I’ll need to put (the raise) into my business.” Yeah, well we’re all struggling, I guess.
• You’ve hear this one, right? “A state law that says we must accept the raise.”

This from the Freeman,

The Freeman contacted several departments within the Legislature and the state Department of Justice to verify that rule, though no one could confirm if there was such a requirement.[Emphsis mine]

Wigderson Library & Pub: I’ll see that and raise you a legislature

Perhaps even more disappointing than Kramer’s reaction was the mixed reaction from all legislative members of the Republican Party in Madison. It’s not like this pay raise was unexpected yet there was no strategy for dealing with the issue. Instead of being used to partisan advantage, the issue seems to have been rolled under the GOP tent like a live hand grenade. The reaction, sadly predictable, has been every man for himself.

And you would think legislators would at least acknowlege receipt of an e-mail, but maybe that’s asking too much.

24 thus far

We’re seven episodes into season 7 of the popular FOX show 24 and I thought I’d share a couple of observations.

I like the major themes so far. There’s no oddball story line sucking time away from the main story line like last season. Everything appears to tie in or will tie in eventually.

The program, which broke ground with not one, but two African American presidents (Did this pave the way for Obama’s victory?) now has a female president.

Now one thing I haven’t liked:

Yes, Tony is alive! The CTU, although disbanded, still has Buchanon and Chloe to aid Jack in his quests. Renee, the FBI agent, was rescued and resusitated. The presidents husband comes out of a drug-induced paralysis to prevent a plot from being successful. I’m halfway wondering if Michelle and Edgar will appear. Maybe Emerson is not really dead.

But overall things seem to be progressing better than last year. There’s the usual ineptness of the federal government, but not it’s still believable, because the suspense sucks you along.

Challenger disaster anniversary

Ed Morrissey has video at Hot Air about the disaster and President Reagan’s speech on it.

FOX6Now.com – new and improved

The web team of FOX6Now.com has rolled out the new updated site for FOX’s affiliate in Milwaukee. Update your links, if you have them.

New to the blog roll

I only needed to read a couple of posts before I knew I should add John Brodigan.

And with a comment like “Standing athwart history, yelling, ‘I’m not wearing any pants!’ ” under his title, you can see why.