During President Obama’s first presidential physical exam last month, the navy physicians recommended among other things that the President reduce his fat intake and cholesterol by modifying his diet. The doctors also encouraged the President to completely stop smoking and moderate his alcohol consumption. (That last recommendation oddly enough, failed to make it into any U.S. media reports.) The week after his physical, while in Savannah, Georgia the President stopped for lunch at "Mrs. Wilke’s Dining Room". Before he began dining on fried chicken, bowls of beans, sweet potatoes, greens and macaroni and cheese, the President told reporters he didn't want to hear any lectures about his cholesterol. "And above all," the President said, "don't tell Michelle about this."
Mr. President, now you know how all of us feel about you and your buddies nagging us about everything we eat or drink!
I truly do not care how much the President smokes or eats. If the President decides to gorge himself on pastry or fried foods, fine. Just don’t tell me what I can or can’t eat. (I am however a tad concerned that we may have another problem drinker in the White House, it’s those darn nuclear bomb firing codes.)
Mr. President, Ralph Nader, members of Congress, esteemed Senators and other elected officials far and wide; leave my peanuts, MSG, popcorn popped in coconut oil, trans fats, soft drinks, caffeine, salt and everything else alone!
You and whole lot of folks just like you obviously have way too much free time on your hands.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently succeeded in outlawing the use of trans fats in New York City restaurants. Salt is apparently the next target. A bill recently introduced by New York State Assemblyman, Felix Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat states in part, ""No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food for consumption by customers of such restaurant, including food prepared to be consumed on the premises of such restaurant or off of such premises,"
The bill hasn’t been debated or passed as I’m writing this, but right now there’s a 2,700+ page monstrosity of a health care reform bill in the US House of Representatives. I haven’t read the entire bill, but I’ll bet there are some similar surprises in that bill just waiting to be discovered.
Do you remember that annoying kid in third grade, the one who’d come up with such classics as, "Mrs. Anderson, you forgot about our spelling quiz?" When did we start to elect people like that to office?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Chicago on the Potomac
At the outset of today’s column I must categorically state that Scott Matheson’s legal resume’ is very impressive. I believe that Mr. Matheson will and should be confirmed by the US Senate. However, the announcement last week regarding Mr. Matheson’s appointment to the Tenth US Circuit Court of Appeals was totally bungled. The White House’s timing was, to put it mildly, flawed. It was quite natural that local and national political writers would question the propriety of such an appointment. Considering the President’s political roots, Representative Matheson’s scolding of local and national media is laughable.
Jim, wake up and smell the coffee!
With the possible exception of Louisiana and New Jersey, nothing quite says corrupt, political machine like Chicago. I won’t bore you with the past history of Mayor Richard Daley Sr. and the 1960 Presidential election; let’s just keep it within the last ten years or so. The President was a part of Illinois machine politics for years. Tony Rezko, convicted on several counts of racketeering and bribery, arranged a sweetheart real estate deal for the President’s Chicago home. Convicted Viet Nam era terrorist William Ayers mentored the President’s political career; a career launched in Ayer’s Chicago home. The impeached and convicted governor of Illinois tried to sell the President’s former Senate seat. The President’s wife was given a "no need to show up" $300,000 a year job. Mrs. Obama was not replaced when she stepped down in 2007 to campaign with the President. The position was eliminated shortly thereafter.
Healthcare reform is the President’s signature issue. His press secretary has promised, "Whatever it takes" to get healthcare reform passed. In the Senate we’ve been treated to the "Louisiana Purchase" and "The Cornhusker Kickback" to name the two largest taxpayer funded bribes to date. When congressional leaders are willing to spend BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to buy votes, why wouldn’t we be suspicious of the odd judgeship or political appointment. It’s the Chicago way!
In an email to Mr. Matheson the day after his brother was nominated, I told the congressman I did not envy his position. It seems to me that the President has put the congressman in a "can’t win" situation. After voting against healthcare reform twice, changing his vote now would be political suicide with the voters in Utah’s Second Congressional District. I believe that a vote for the Senate bill currently before the House would almost certainly mean defeat in the fall. On the omnipresent other hand, a vote against the Senate bill will almost certainly incur the wrath of both Speaker Pelosi and the President. Maybe Representative Matheson should just pull an Obama and cast a principled vote of "Present". Now that’s the Chicago way.
Jim, wake up and smell the coffee!
With the possible exception of Louisiana and New Jersey, nothing quite says corrupt, political machine like Chicago. I won’t bore you with the past history of Mayor Richard Daley Sr. and the 1960 Presidential election; let’s just keep it within the last ten years or so. The President was a part of Illinois machine politics for years. Tony Rezko, convicted on several counts of racketeering and bribery, arranged a sweetheart real estate deal for the President’s Chicago home. Convicted Viet Nam era terrorist William Ayers mentored the President’s political career; a career launched in Ayer’s Chicago home. The impeached and convicted governor of Illinois tried to sell the President’s former Senate seat. The President’s wife was given a "no need to show up" $300,000 a year job. Mrs. Obama was not replaced when she stepped down in 2007 to campaign with the President. The position was eliminated shortly thereafter.
Healthcare reform is the President’s signature issue. His press secretary has promised, "Whatever it takes" to get healthcare reform passed. In the Senate we’ve been treated to the "Louisiana Purchase" and "The Cornhusker Kickback" to name the two largest taxpayer funded bribes to date. When congressional leaders are willing to spend BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to buy votes, why wouldn’t we be suspicious of the odd judgeship or political appointment. It’s the Chicago way!
In an email to Mr. Matheson the day after his brother was nominated, I told the congressman I did not envy his position. It seems to me that the President has put the congressman in a "can’t win" situation. After voting against healthcare reform twice, changing his vote now would be political suicide with the voters in Utah’s Second Congressional District. I believe that a vote for the Senate bill currently before the House would almost certainly mean defeat in the fall. On the omnipresent other hand, a vote against the Senate bill will almost certainly incur the wrath of both Speaker Pelosi and the President. Maybe Representative Matheson should just pull an Obama and cast a principled vote of "Present". Now that’s the Chicago way.
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