It’d a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is finishing it up after giving me a haircut, my shower, putting groceries away and cooking. I’m running way behind. I’ll be in the saddle tomorrow. Hugs to all.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:20 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From NY Times: The top Democrats in Congress on Wednesday endorsed a bipartisan $908 billion stimulus compromise as a baseline for talks, offering a significant concession in an effort to pressure Republicans to revive stalled talks on providing additional relief before the end of the year.
After months of publicly insisting that another stimulus package must provide at least $2 trillion, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, to return to the negotiating table with a bill less than half that size as a starting point.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., whose advisers had pushed privately in recent weeks for lawmakers to make compromises to pass an economic aid agreement as quickly as possible, also offered a blessing of sorts for the effort. In a virtual event with laid-off workers and a small-business owner struggling amid the pandemic, Mr. Biden said the bipartisan package “wouldn’t be the answer, but it would be immediate help for a lot of things, quickly.”
The measure, spearheaded by Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, and Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, would restore lapsed federal jobless benefits, providing $300 a week for 18 weeks; would include $288 billion for struggling small businesses, restaurants and theaters and $160 billion for fiscally strapped cities and states; and would create a temporary liability shield for businesses operating amid the pandemic.
I would happily back it except for one thing. It gives criminal immunity to business owners and managers who knowingly commit crimes while following the directives of the Republican Reich. For example, Tyson foods maintain executive betting pools on how many employees will be infected and on how many will die because of their unsafe working conditions. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Climate change song “The Shadows” by Sandel
The writer/singer calls climate change the greatest threat of our age. This hi her response, and a fine one it is! RESIST!!
47 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!
