News: July 2013 Archives
The nonsense surrounding Anthony Weiner highlights the lengths that Democrats were willing to go in the 1990s to protect Bill Clinton from his own philandering. It was irrational at the time, and is even more absurd now that Weiner and his wife Huma are being abandoned. What's the difference between Hillary and Huma?
What accounts for the contrast between the disparagement of Huma and the reverence for Hillary? It won't do to say that Mrs. Clinton is more accomplished now than Mrs. Weiner, for Huma's now-critics treated Hillary no less kindly back then. No, the only possible explanation is the one the Washington Post's Erik Wemple puts forth:The distinction may have more to do with political gifts than marital particulars. Despite his high media profile, Weiner is a former House member who was the the lead sponsor of only one bill that actually became law. Clinton was a successful two-term president of the United States, and he went on to be the head of a global philanthropic enterprise.So Hillary is admired and Huma maligned because Hillary married better. Isn't feminism wonderful?
A better reason to be in the news... George Zimmerman rescues family from burning vehicle:
George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue a family who was trapped in an overturned vehicle, police said today.Zimmerman was one of two men who came to the aid of a family of four -- two parents and two children -- trapped inside a blue Ford Explorer SUV that had rolled over after traveling off the highway in Sanford, Fla. at approximately 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The crash occurred at the intersection of I-4 and route Route 46, police said. The crash site is less than a mile from where Zimmerman shot Martin.
By the time police arrived, two people - including Zimmerman - had already helped the family get out of the overturned car, the sheriff's office said. No one was reported to be injured.
Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after speaking with the deputy, police said.
The US Treasury has been holding the country right at the legal debt limit for the past 56 days using "extraordinary measures" and expects to be able to continue until Labor Day. Just remember: hitting the limit doesn't mean we'll default on our debts because debt repayment takes priority over other spending. If the extraordinary measures are exhausted and we hit the debt limit for real, we'll keep making payments on our debt but have to immediately cut spending in other areas. There is no way that America can default on its debt payments at this time, whether the debt limit is raised or not.
On May 18, the day after the debt began its long stay at $16,699,396,000,000.00, Treasury Secretary Lew sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. In the letter, Lew said the Treasury would begin implementing what he called "the standard set of extraordinary measures" that allows the Treasury to continue to borrow and spend money even after it has hit the legal debt limit.How many days did Lew think he could keep the debt just under the debt limit while the Treasury continued to borrow money?
"The effective duration of the extraordinary measures is subject to considerable uncertainty due to a variety of factors, including the unpredictability of tax receipts, changes in expenditure flows under the sequester, and the normal challenges of forecasting the payments and receipts of the U.S. government months into the future."
Lew went on to say, however, that "it is now clear that the measures will not be exhausted until after Labor Day."
