Miss Me Yet?

It seems that out on I-35 near Wyoming, Minnesota there is a billboard that is well, in my words, "just damn funny!" No-- it's not the one pictured on the left, but one very similar with George W. Bush and the question: "Miss Me Yet?"

I don't know about you but I found this to be pretty funny. When I first heard about it (and saw it online), I thought it was just a picture that someone had photoshop-ed and put online as a joke. But then MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) did a story on the billboard in an effort to see who created it as well as who paid to put it up.

Half of the mystery was solved within a day. Schubert & Hoey Outdoor Advertising put the billboard up. But who paid them? An anonymous group of small business owners who "feel like Washington is against them" according to Mary Teske, General Manager.

What is amazing to me is that the NPR blog had 767 comments that got fairly entertaining until the NPR staff Associate Producer, Eyder Peralta wrote:

"We've closed this thread down, because even after a warning, the personal attacks and name calling - on both sides - have continued and we try our hardest to keep the conversation on NPR.org civilized."

Fox News calls "Bush Billboard a Sign of Hope and Change."

and to keep things fair: The Huffington Post reads, "We don't miss him, we miss making fun of him." They also have a "make your own George W. Bush billboard" photoshop contest going. Over 160 entries so far...

For what it's worth, I do miss George W. Bush. God Bless America.

Unions Still Claim Confidence In EFCA Passing

Many people have speculated that EFCA is as good as dead for 2010 as Scott Brown became the 41st Republican, giving the GOP enough votes to filibuster any legislation should they all vote together (once he is seated). There also appears to be little sentiment on Capitol Hill- especially among Democrats in difficult re-election battles- to deal with controversial measures such as the Employee Free Choice Act.

Clearly, incumbents would much rather have issues like a jobs bill or tax cuts to run on rather than something like EFCA. But, that does not mean labor will just sit back and accept what appears to be political reality.

Over the weekend, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka predicted that the EFCA will pass this year. Trumka argued that the bill will be good for the economy by raising wages, therefore giving Americans more disposable income. Trumka’s comments may be more wishful thinking than insider knowledge.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), who heads the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and has been a longtime supporter of the bill, said that the future of the bill is uncertain. He said talks for a compromise are ongoing (and have been for the past year), but that he doesn’t know if a vote will take place after the Massachusetts special election.

Harkin said that he still believes something needs to be done, and a bill may come up “this spring” or “before summer” but that is “just a possibility.” The Senator, however, could not commit to anything and didn’t offer any predictions as bold as Trumka’s.