Petraeus Saga Boosts GDP

Is anyone else repulsed?  Foreign governments ensnared, lead and supporting actors retaining mega-bucks advisors–who hire yet others–even Florida’s DMV may get on stage. Never mind the media resources being expended.  Could not a few homeless families be housed with the millions being wasted on this lint-obsessed navel-gazing?

Wrong Spot to Park Trains

One or more investigations will ultimately get to the bottom of why a third of New Jersey Transit’s rail fleet was in harm’s way when Sandy struck.  A similar fate struck busses in New Orleans, suggesting it’s high time that an equipment evacuation template be both available–which I suspect is the case–and used–which was not the case here. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/18/us-storm-sandy-newjersey-railway-idUSBRE8AG0K220121118

Petraeus Tragedy

Maureen Dowd captures the Petraeus mess–sad, tragic, even comic, yet real-world, an affair fueled by the same hubris so often center-stage in Washington’s policy games.  Oh, and talk about a crush, I’m ready to pin up Dowd’s writing on my wall.  I don’t always agree with her but passages such as “His fall started with Sophocles . . .” make my knees weak.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/opinion/dowd-reputation-reputation-reputation.html?smid=pl-share

Horse Breeder–Civil Servant

So to fund her horse-breeding activities, among other things, this woman stole $53 million from the 16,000 citizens of Dixon, Illinois, where she was comptroller. This equals $3300 from every man, woman and child–some probably distant relatives of Ronald Reagan, a Dixon native.  “What’s wrong with small town financial controls?” you ask.  Better question is “What financial controls?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/us/former-official-pleads-guilty-to-defrauding-illinois-town-of-53-million.html?smid=pl-share