“…As a scholar of the Great Depression – and I’ve written books about the Depression and been very interested in this since I was in graduate school – there’s no comparison… we didn’t have the social safety net that we have today.”
–Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke
Daily Outrage
Underwater view
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Who: Alton, IL
What: Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., announced that the city plans to use a $200,000 federal Scenic Byway grant to build a memorial plaza, complete with a fountain and benches, to commemorate major Mississippi River floods that have inundated the city, which Alton residents would most likely rather forget.
Why it’s an outrage: The site of the flood memorial is often underwater when the nearby river overtops its banks.
Where to vent: www.alton-il.com
Dim Bulb
Who: United Nations
What: More than 10,000 environmentalists registered to attend the UN’s Climate Change Conference, which is currently being held in Poznan, Poland.
Why it’s dim: Attendees at the conference will discuss a new global treaty on climate change that will replace the Kyoto Protocol. But their presence at the conference, including travel to and from their own countries, will add about 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Cure: Stop talking and go home.
