Did you Donate Money?

Red Cross is under suspicion for wasting disaster relief money during the fires.

This wasted money included: 27,317 hotel rooms (some of which went unused) and 1,269 rented cars.

Of course it's frustrating for people who donated money or time or needed the help. But, honestly, have you ever tried to organize thousands of people and coordinate with local agencies and the state government. Right, then you'll know that people can make these kinds of things a little difficult.

Wikintrigue

OMG, the founder of Wiki is accused of hand-in-th-cookie-jar wrongness and his former gf said he dumped her through a blog posting and possibly edited her wiki entry violating the conflict of interest policies at Wikipedia!!!!1!

You should check out the full article on the story most likely to make you shrug with ambivalence today.

Social climbing made easier

Tired of watching snotty La Jolla ladies lugging luxury handbags around and withdrawing from them inadequate tip money to chuck at you while never having made eye contact as you deliver half-cap after half-cap?

Turns out, you can try on the emperor's new handbag as often as you'd like. For mere pennies per week.

I know this service isn't new, but I saw an ad for it in a banner on a news site and had to check it out.

If you can't own the high life, at least lease it for a bit.

Is this communist access to capitalistic consumption? Awesome.

But what does it all mean?

Are we happier that the Democratic nomination process is dragging on far longer than our cynical selves would have ever predicted? Or is there now some comfort in the idea of having known since New Hampshire who we'd be nominating in Denver this summer? Is this good or bad for Democratic interest and turnout in the future.

I heard one commentator tonight say that she thought if both Clinton and Obama would direct their attacks at McCain and try to show which would be the better match in the Fall on the general election ballot. If they go after each other, they risk winning the battle and losing the war: showing the other to be bad for national security doesn't reallllllly help, does it? Yeah, I don't think so either. Then again, at least there's an honest to god choice being made. Like, people get to vote for SOMETHING. That's good, right?

Protesting the Protesters

(I seem to using the same post title construction today. What's up with that? Hmm. Oh well.)

The Sac Bee's political columnist Dan Walters - not really my favorite writer as his columns routinely just end, rather than have an ending (you know, like an SNL sketch) - turns his attention to recent protests at the State Capitol by UC students angry about proposed budget cuts that could result in admissions freezes or tuition hikes. Walters main point is that protesters from all interest groups effected by the proposed cuts are kind of shooting blind when they attempt to bitch about cuts - especially when there are some strong indications that his January 10 slasher budget is a bit of a ruse aimed at building him a trap door to increasing taxes. But the paragraph that confused me was this one, on the UC student activists:

It wasn't exactly a throwback to the tie-dyed 1960s; the female students wore high heels and the men coats and ties as they listened to politicians' expressions of support, including a "freeze the fees" plea from Lt. Gov. John Garamendi. But subdued as it may have been, it symbolized the angst that's developing over the state's whopping budget deficit.

What? Are they less sincere? Are only 60s hippie freaks effective activists? I think it's great these students bothered to look like serious people worthy of serious attention. Of course, I recall also seeing something about many wearing rain ponchos because they are "drowning in debt" but ponchos and suits and ties work better than tie-dye for being taken seriously.

Too bad they had to listend to what was, no doubt, an endless Garamendi speech. Man, that guy can go on and on.

Gifts and Givers

The state's Fair Political Practices Commission is planning to discuss a proposed rule aimed at preventing elected officials from hiding big-ticket trips footed by companies and nonprofits by routing the money through their government employers. But aside from political reporters and campaign consultants, does anyone check electeds' FPPC filings? People get paid a lot of money to produce the reports already required by FPPC rules and California law - not to mention additional reporting requirements at the federal level. But do these reports actually keep people honest? Does anyone look them up except when they need a club to use on an opponent or disfavored politician?

Obama Me

Everyone seems to think they're Barack Obama these days. Aguirre thinks his 'grassroots campaign' is reminiscent of Obama's and then there's this ridiculous op-ed in a newspaper I've never heard of calling Arabo 'San Diego's Obama'.

It's too bad neither of these people even have an inkling of resemblance to an actually talented Democrat with worthwhile policies. Instead, we have a sleazy Aguirre and an even sleazier Arabo pretending to be progressives.