February 6, 2008
Morning Roundup: Average Wednesday Edition
Good morning, Washington. So how about that Super Tuesday, huh? Honestly, I don't know why we bothered to watch the returns. The polls said it wasn't going to be decisive; the pundits said it wasn't going to be decisive; and then we sat up watching boring coverage anyway only to be told that, surprise surprise, not much has been decided. Well, the Post has the full rundown of what happened here and here for those of you who wisely went to bed.
Council Approves Sick Leave Legislation: Yesterday we mentioned a proposal facing the city council that would grant paid sick leave to all workers in the District. Well, the council voted, and the bill passed 11-2, as the Post reports. The legislation was amended slightly along the way to place more workplaces under the "small business" category, which comes with less onerous requirements. But it wasn't enough to satisfy the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, the president of which expressed disappointment (and vague threats) over the council's decision. The bill still needs final approval next month.
Missing Macaca: Today's Post has an extremely silly article in which a number of prominent area Republicans wax longingly about what a great presidential candidate George Allen would have been — if not for that whole "racial slur" thing. Completely absent from the article: any mention of deer heads in mailboxes, nooses in offices, or the idea that participating in a campaign season can reveal previously unknown negative aspects of a candidate.
Briefly Noted: Fire in Bethesda results in one death... Tuberculosis case at Parkdale High in P.G. County... Lawsuit challenging Montgomery County sex-ed curriculum rejected... Imposter band ban considered in Md. (luckily, the State Theater is in Virginia)... Arrest made in Superbowl Uno's shooting...
This Day In DCist: One year ago we wondered why area radio is so bad and had a chuckle at MPD's expense.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user piet.niederhausen
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That George Allen was alright except for the whole racism thing got me thinking. There was another popular politician in Germany that turned the postwar WW I economy around, brought back national pride, and put their nation a few steps from global domination. And he hated on minorities as well. And his name was...hm. What was his name? Help me out here. Honey, what's the name of that guy who fixed our porch?
Imposter band ban considered in Md.
You can't deny the lobbying force that is Bowzer from Sha Na Na.
i miss reading the word "macaca" on a daily basis. it really brings a smile to my face. is that wrong? come back george, i miss you!
I was wrong in my prediction that the sick leave bill will be tabled. As penance, I will spank my macaca for the remainder of the morning. I hope Monkey doesn't take offense.
Seriously, "macaca" is the greatest word of the 21st century.
No offense, Cranky. But I have to warn you, my cousin macacarotica is waiting outside your window to huck poo at your head. He's the one with the red velvet fez, smoking the Galois from a long jade cigarette holder.
For those that are interested there's an article at SFGate about the one year anniversary of San Francisco's sick leave legislation. Which like most things in SF was actually a voter initiative and passed without hardly a peep. More here.
With his signature cowboy boys and "aw shucks" personality, Allen could have been defined as the candidate most like Bush
His signature what now? Cowboy boys - that's like a Tom of Finland special, isn't it?
So the San Francisco law took 6 months to finally take effect with administrative rules? Oy. The DC bill, I believe, has a 6-month delay for implementation. Plus the 30-legislative day congressional review period, which is also more than 30 calendar days. So if the bill is passed in March, and the Mayor doesn't veto it, it would become law sometime in mid-May, but wouldn't actually be effective until mid-November. And that assumes the city would have administrative rules in place by that time to deal with the new law.
What annoyed me about yesterday's debate was Cheh and Schwartz basically acknowledging they had no idea how this law would actually be implemented, what city agency would be in charge of monitoring compliance and dealing with complaints, or how much it would actually cost small businesses. But the two basically said even though they had no idea what the answers were to these basic questions, they would just kick it to the mayor to figure out and deal with. Nice passing the buck move.
If I were the MD and VA chambers of commerce, I'd be doing an ad campaign about how easier and cheaper it is to do business in those states, rather than in DC.
Yes, but what is George Allen doing now?