Tuesday, March 31, 2009

'Toontime Extra: "Excuse Me, My Blackberry is Ringing..."

Wackydoodle asks: "Is that an O for Oscar or the size of your retirement account?"*

Economist Marshall Auerback usefully observes: "[Roosevelt's] government hired about 60% of the unemployed in public works and conservation projects that planted a billion trees, saved the whooping crane, electrified rural America, and built such diverse projects as the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, the Montana state capitol, much of the Chicago lakefront, New York's Lincoln Tunnel and Triborough bridge complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Yorktown.  It also built or renovated 2,500 hospitals, 45,000 schools, 13,000 parks and playgrounds, 7,800 bridges, 700,000 miles of roads, and a thousand airfields".  You can bank on that, friend.

*Deposed General Motors Chairman, Richard "Hummer" Wagoner will receive a $20.2 million retirement benefit.  During his tenure GM lost billions and cut thousands of jobs.  Way to go Rick!