Refresh my memory

Just wondering....

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong (and there's a good chance here...)

But a few years back didn't the Supreme Court declare the line item veto unconstitutional? At least it was when it was going to be in the hands of Bill Clinton. If I recall, it was one of the big items in Newt's Contract On America.

Then why, pray tell, is Congress (and the Wimbecile in the White House) again contemplating such a measure? I believe a version of the bill's already passed the GOP-controlled House. Perhaps it's a more appealing prospect when it's potentially in the hands of a GOP president. One who's already made a few politically-motivated and questionable appointments to the Supreme Court.

If it's unconstitutional in 1998, isn't it unconstitutional in 2006?

Then what's the point?

Just wondering ....

And so it goes.

Who knew?

Turns out sniffin's as bad as puffin.

At least the Bush folks say so:

WASHINGTON - Breathing any amount of someone else's tobacco smoke harms nonsmokers, the surgeon general declared Tuesday -- a strong condemnation of secondhand smoke that is sure to fuel nationwide efforts to ban smoking in public.

"The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona.

More than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are regularly exposed to smokers' fumes -- what Carmona termed "involuntary smoking" -- and tens of thousands die each year as a result, concludes the 670-page study. It cites "overwhelming scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer and a list of other illnesses.

The report calls for completely smoke-free buildings and public places, saying that separate smoking sections and ventilation systems don't fully protect nonsmokers. Seventeen states and more than 400 towns, cities and counties have passed strong no-smoking laws.

What a revelation! Does that mean that we should go smoke-free? If GWB's own surgeon general says so .... how can we argue?

And so it goes.

Still puffin'

Wonder if Mayor Smokey realizes that people are laughing at him concerning his continued reaction to the smoking ban.

Even people who haven't followed the issue closely are finding his actions humorous bordering on delusional.

Da Mare hates to lose so much he refuses to recognize the evidence when it's right in front of him. You lost, Jer. L-O-S-T.

Jer: Ha Ha Ha Ha He He He He Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Get over it and get on with the business of government. If possible.

And so it goes.

27-43

Why is Dusty Baker still employed?

And so it goes.

The times, they are a changin'

Or are they?

Rod Blago is fiscally the worst governor in years and years and years. Right?

Jim Edgar was the best, most monetarily sound governor in years and years and years. Right?

Then how do you explain this from today's Sun-Times?

Under Gov. Edgar, the state's bond rating was downgraded on three separate occasions, and he underfunded the state's pensions in every one of his eight budgets for a total underfunding of $9.7 billion -- the single biggest under-funder in state history. At the same time, Edgar gave away the casino licenses for next to nothing, making a number of Springfield insiders millionaires many times over. That's good fiscal management?

Of course, this is a letter from Roland Burris, hardly an impartial bystander. But the numbers speak for themselves. And if you can find a copy of Tuesday's Sun-Times, there's even a chart comparing the two govs.

Even I was surprised.

Still don't like him, but Blago comes out pretty strong in comparison.

Somehow.

And so it goes.

Next year

If you're a Cubs fan, you're used to 'Wait 'til next year.' It's a way of life.

But this year, next year came a lot sooner than we expected. It's really pretty discouraging.

Dusty's a good manager; a smart manager. He's been a successful manager. But one wonders if Dusty's the right man to manage that team. He has speed but seems to have no clue how to manage it. He has only sporadic power, but seems to want to rely on it. And he seems to want to burn out pitchers' arms at an alarming pace. That is not a good menu for success.

Don't know if anyone could do better than Dusty, but could anyone do worse than 26-40?

Time to run up the white flag (since the W flag's gone into retirement) and start rebuilding a little earlier this year.

Perhaps start at the top? (It'd save on your toothpick budget.)

And so it goes.

Blink, Blink, Blink

This'n'that"

-- Can someone PLEASE explain to me why CU drivers find it so difficult to turn on their turn signals? Does it waste THAT much gas? Does it over-tax the electrical system? Or are CU drivers just stoopid?

-- Speaking of stoopid, will Mayor Smokey ever give up his tilting at the smoke-free windmill? It passed Jerry. You LOST! You don't get to declare overtime just because you're 'da mare.' Get on with governing the city, Jer. And give up those smokes before you drop dead yourself. It really ain't that hard. The Ol' Guy did it.

-- Exactly WHEN will the BOT act of the Cheef? It's coming. We know it. They know it. Even the newly-elected Cheef (another white suburban boy) knows it. Cowardice goes only so far, folks. Wouldn't it have been nice to have seen out all-American tennis players in the NCAA playoffs this year? What about next year's? And don't forget softball and soccer and women's basketball (ha!) and volleyball and all the other minor sports that are now paying the price for the UI's institutional racism.

And so it goes.

Yer darn rights...

...and while we're at it, hassling legitimate businesses and infringing on our precious, Constitutionally-protected property rights, let's start passing a petition to repeal:

-- Ordinances regarding General food handling
-- Ordinances regarding Food storage
-- Ordinances regarding Food containers
-- Ordinances regarding Food handling
-- Ordinances regarding Food Preparation
-- Ordinances regarding Food Removal and Disposal
-- Ordinances regarding Minimum food temperature holding ordinances
-- Ordinances regarding Food Product Thermometer ordinances
-- Ordinances regarding Thawing of potentially hazardous foods
-- Ordinances regarding Displaying frozen foods
-- Ordinances regarding Food Display
-- Ordinances regarding Dispensing Utensils
-- Ordinances regarding Food Transportation by the Retail Food Store
-- Ordinances regarding Employee Health
-- Ordinances regarding Personal emplpoyee cleanliness
-- Ordinances regarding Cleaning Frequency
-- Ordinances regarding Wiping Cloths
-- Ordinances regarding Manual Cleaning and Sanitizing
-- Ordinances regarding Mechanical Cleaning and Sanitizing
-- Ordinances regarding Drying
-- Ordinances regarding Equipment and Utensil Handling
-- Ordinances regarding Equipment and Utensil Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Single-Service Articles Handling and Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Prohibited Storage Areas
-- Ordinances regarding Water Delivery
-- Ordinances regarding Water Under Pressure
-- Ordinances regarding Steam
-- Ordinances regarding Sewage
-- Ordinances regarding Plumbing
-- Ordinances regarding Grease Traps
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage Grinders
-- Ordinances regarding Drains
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Installation
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Design
-- Ordinances regarding Toilet Facility Maintenance
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Facility Installation
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Supplies
-- Ordinances regarding Handwashing Facility Maintenance
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Containers
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Container Storage
-- Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse Disposal
-- Ordinances regarding Insect and Rodent Control

And we especially need a referendum on the health inspection of restaurants and taverns.

They're infringing on a business's personal property rights, too. Aren't they? To quote one of the many bar-orchestrated letters to the editor, "Are business owners not allowed to make decisions for themselves? Can they not choose .... Must government dictate every aspect of our lives? ... Soon Russia will have more freedoms than we do."

Imagine! The affrontery! Coming in and telling ME what to do with MY business! Well I never! There's Communists everywhere! (Probably even in the State Department. Whoops, wrong war...)

There are laws and there are campaigns.

It's all public health. Go wash your hands and put out that cigarette in public.

And get over it.

And so it goes.