SharedThought

Brad DeLong posted yesterday on the need to raise the minimum wage, noting that it has now been 10 years since the minimum wage was last increased. I’ve posted on this before (here, here and here), and agree that raising the minimum wage makes more sense now than ever. DeLong points out that President Bush expressed support for an increase in the minimum wage in the third Presidential debate. This could be a real issue in November if the Democrats somehow managed to get a vote on this in either the House or Senate.

Google, LEXIS-NEXIS, and other online search databases can be used to find information about CIA agents and operations. Pretty amazing that you can find this stuff so easily.

read more | digg story

I feel bad about this. I really do. Every time I see Olympic speedskater Shani Davis with his skating hood on I think of Frozone, the ice-throwing superhero from the Incredibles. See for yourself.

I’ve posted about Eugene Carriere’s Mother’s Kiss before. I saw it in Atlanta as part of a traveling exhibition of the Pushkin Museum’s collection. After seeing it in the show I was disappointed that I couldn’t find an image of it anywhere on the web. Eventually I found and posted a picture of the painting taken by someone who saw the Pushkin show in Houston. Several years later, after a bit more searching, I’ve found that prints of the image are now available for purchase at art.com. So there you have it.

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

The Bush administration spent at least $1.6 billion on public relations and advertising campaigns over 30 months, according to a report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

The report, requested by congressional Democrats, shows that government agencies are relying on outside consultants to help pitch their messages to the public .

The GAO report did not single out any project for special attention but, in a separate study a year ago, the agency said the Bush administration had illegally engaged in covert propaganda for paying conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to praise the No Child Left Behind Act, the 2002 education law, in newspaper columns and on television.

Absolutely amazing. This guy could have won. The full story is here: Newsvine – With Hackett Departure, Old Politics Win. (invite or registration required). Here’s an excerpt:

With a shove from party leaders, Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett abruptly quit a key Senate race in Ohio and further exposed a disconnect between the Democratic establishment and Internet-fueled challengers.

The political novice withdrew under intense pressure from party leaders in Washington, clearing the field for Rep. Sherrod Brown—a 30-year veteran of Democratic politics with more than $2.5 million in the bank.

Via Newsvine (invite required – post a comment if you want one): Newsvine – Cheney Cited for Breaking Hunting Law

President Bush was told about Cheney’s involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday—about an hour after it occurred—but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions.

Facing a press corps upset that news had been withheld, press secretary Scott McClellan said, “I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job.”

Armstrong said she told Cheney on Sunday morning that she was going to inform the local paper, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She said he agreed, and the newspaper was the first to report the incident on its Web site Sunday afternoon.

Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said that about an hour after Cheney shot Whittington, the head of the Secret Service’s local office called the Kenedy County sheriff to report the accident. “They made arrangements at the sheriff’s request to have deputies come out and interview the vice president the following morning at 8 a.m. and that indeed did happen,” Zahren said.

At least one deputy showed up at the ranch’s front gate Saturday evening and asked to speak to Cheney but was turned away by the Secret Service, Zahren said. There was some miscommunication that arrangements already had been made to interview Cheney the next morning, he said.

From the article
What has happened to America’s Jesus?:

I remember when Jesus Christ was about religion.
That goes back to when he was caring and compassionate all the time, not just during the political campaign season.

He used to bring people together and give them hope. He wouldn’t have his people get in your face and tell you to fight gay rights or you’ll burn in hell. That’s not what he was about. That’s not the Jesus who made folks such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson rich and famous. He was a different guy from the 21st-century American Jesus Christ.

The CEO of lawn equipment maker Snapper went to Wal-Mart and explained that selling his product at Wal-Mart was bad for his business. I’ve seen this type of thing referenced before, but not with a company the size of Snapper.

read more | digg story

This AP story details the growing outrage in the Middle East over cartoons published last Fall in a Danish newspaper. I’ve got a few of the controversial images posted here courtesy of FrontPage magazine.com.