Another day, another low for the stock market as the Dow Jones opens below 8,000 for the first time since 2003. This should usher in more dire news for NY State, and probably another round of cuts for where I work. We’ve had to absorb three rounds of cuts so far, and, as we’re a public hospital and the last refuge for the sick and poor (not to mention we’re the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region), we get screwed from multiple directions (and not in a good way).

First, we don’t turn anybody away. In fact, other hospitals turn the poor and uninsured folks over to us. So if the Governor cuts Medicaid payments, we have to bite the bullet and treat those people for less money (not that Medicaid was paying a whole hell of a lot to begin with). And as more and more people are out of work or just unable to afford health insurance, they also can’t afford to self-pay when they or their kids get sick or are in a fire or a car accident or whatever.

We’re also a teaching hospital, and part of the State University of NY (SUNY) system. SUNY is another favorite target of the Governor’s, so we’re getting cut to death on the academic side as well. According to our Governor, times are tough, so State employees need to forget about their lawfully negotiated pay raises for a while. Jobs are frozen, but since times are tough, there isn’t the amount of turnover there used to be, so we aren’t saving enough money. While they say no plans are in the works, it’s only a matter of time before the layoffs start. Oh, and with the loss of all the manufacturing jobs over the years, we’ve become the #1 employer in the region, too. So times will get even worse for those businesses that depend on our employees, which means even more people out of work and without health insurance.

In other words, the worse things get, the worse things get.

Now, I understand the Governor inherited a pile of shit from Pataki, but, in lieu of raising taxes, he says cuts need to be made in public services, healthcare, and education. Seems like there ought to be something else to cut, doesn’t there? And, really, if we can bail out Wall St. (and maybe now the auto industry) with billions of taxpayer dollars, can’t we have a buck or two to bail out schools and hospitals?

So I completed the Obama administration employment “long form” yesterday. Now the ball is in their court. They did advise me that they were focusing on senior positions first, and to not exactly hold my breath waiting to hear back. I’m hoping for something that will allow me to be involved in making Federal Telecom policy. Me and every other swingin’ Ethernet cable out there, no doubt.

Pending my appointment, I guess I’ll have to drag my ass out into the cold and go to work. Whoopdie-doo.

Not much in the news this morning. Bush is ‘burrowing’ political appointees into Civil Service positions. Lieberman is likely to keep his chairmanship. The terrorist fist bump bimbo has been cut loose by Fux News. Obama’s DOJ isn’t likely to bother with piddly shit like prosecuting torturers. Bush’s DOJ is blowing off yet another Congressional subpoena. Our governor is about to budget-cut SUNY into oblivion (and he wants to kill the hospital side of where I work with yet another round of Medicaid cuts). Never fear, he’s also going to keep things fair and balanced by cutting money for schools, too. We have an inch or so of snow on the ground here in Syracuse, with another few expected during the day. And I have to force myself off to another mind-numbing day of work (while I still have a job) where I’ll try to keep from snapping and jumping out my ninth floor window. Same old same old.

Now that November is over, things have turned a bit chilly here in the Great White North. There’s quite a but of snow this morning “up north” as we say here (the dreaded “north of the Thruway”) – including 18 inches overnight up in Osceola, which should help to curtail this sort of thing – but, so far, nothing on the ground here. That’s supposed to end later on, as the bands of lake effect snow drift south as the day rolls on, though we’re not really expected to get more than a dusting. Personally, I like to see the snow. It brightens everything up – which is nice, now that it gets dark at 5:00.

Yeah, I know. When you start talking about the weather, it’s pretty much an admission that youhave nothing else to say. Hell, whattya expect, it’s Monday. Bleh.

Today on Press the Meat, Carl Levin and Dick Shelby battle over a potential bailout of the auto industry, and supposdely reformed oilman T. Boone Pickens is on to talk energy independence. Then the topic turns to the economy and the failed Obama administration with Tom “my head is flat” Friedman, BBC America’s Katty Kay, Mrs. Alan Greenspan, Andrea Mitchell & PBS’s Tavis Smiley.

On Faze the Nation, Bob Schieffer trots out Dick Shelby again, along with the always fun Barney Frank, Louisiana’s Republican governer, Bobby Jindal, and Newt “aint this guy dead yet” Gingrich. Why?

At Fux News Sunday, Weaselface Wallace hosts Arizona Senator Krazy Jon Kyl, Byron Dorgan, Gov Tim “asshole” Pawlenty of MN, and the Republican’s token black guy, Michael Steele. Plus the usual fuxheads, of course.

On the Goebbels network, it’s an eggskloosiff, mit der Governator, Ahnuld Schwarzenegger. Plus Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman meets the axis of drivel (Sam :okg: Donaldson, Cokie “the hag” Roberts, George :jerk: Will) at the roundtable.

CNN’s Late Edition probably has guests, too. I just don’t know who they are.

Later, on 60 Minutes, Steve Kroft devotes the whole show to the first post-election interview of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama (and Michelle, too).

Half of November already shot to hell. It’ll be time for the New Year’s Eve Twilight Zone Marathon before you know it.

Have a good Sunday everybody.

Saturday has come again and once again PJ lies dreaming in his bed, the dogs curled submissively nearby. As he dreams of sugarplums (I’m sure that’s what he dreams) the world continues with its dramas large and small.

Here, in NYC, Mayor Mike Bloomberg has decided that the City cannot do without him in this fiscal crisis, and so he and the city council have decided to change a term limit law that was enacted by referenda, twice. The Council thought it was a great plan because each of them will get to run for a third term too, and Ronald Lauder, who bankrolled the term limits campaigns, agreed to NOT fund a third referendum because HE thinks we need Bloomberg. (He was also promised a seat on the next charter commission so he can reinstate term limits after Bloomberg leaves.)

So, we’ve got the rich Rethug deciding who can and cannot run for that third term. Very democratic!

This also happened to Giuliani, who decided that only he could run the City after 9/11 and wanted the Council to simply extend his term, sans election. Fortunately, by the time Rudy had been in office for 8 years, he was so hated that he could not muster any popular support and the plan quietly died.

But, now the state legislature is about to consider a bill that will force the term limit question to once again be put to a public vote. Sounds like fun.

Of course the election goes on with 3 senate sets still undecided. Obama continues to choose his cabinet. (I hope he doesn’t clear the senate of all the strong Dems he’s going to need to push his plans.) Don Siegelman will get his day in court and maybe, this time, the prosecution will not be in cahoots with a love struck juror.

I think PJ earns his weekly respite from writing the opening post for this blog but it would be a lot more interesting if someone else would write next week’s Saturday rant.

Have a good one.

Much as Bush (and Congress) are in a lame duck period, we’re in a lame duck news cycle. Not that there aren’t important things going on, people still getting blown up in Iraq, the economy in the toilet, and all that stuff, but that’s all old news we’re pretty much numb to (and apparently there aren’t any missing blonde chicks at the moment). Let’s face it, it’ll be a while before we get anything as big as ‘America Elects Black Guy’ again.

So, we’re stuck with people obsessing about how Obama isn’t progressive enough and how he’s got too many Clinton people on his transition team, and lots of obsessive speculation on who he’ll appoint to his cabinet (today the big thing is Hillary for Secretary of State, which she’d probably be pretty good at). It’s all designed to get us prepared for the declaration of this as the ‘Failed Obama Presidency’ as soon as possible.

Does anybody have any doubts about how the traditional media – which spent the last eight years cowering on its collective knees before the likes of Bush and Cheney – will suddenly emerge as relentless pit pulls on or about January 20th? Or that, from the Republican minority, a deafening wailing sound is about to emerge over those mean old ‘do-nothing’ partisan Democrats not listening to them (while they filibuster every initiative the Democrats put forth). The very serious Joe Lieberman – with his chairmanship still in tact – will shake his head and be very disappointed by Obama while he suddenly discovers his oversight obligations and subpoena power. And of course the Democrats will shrug their shoulders, write stern letters, and say there’s nothing they can do, because they ‘don’t have the numbers.’

Of course, there is one bit of news that’s pretty exciting and – like the Obama election – is something I never thought I’d be writing: The New York Jets are all alone in first place in the AFC East! A darn shame the way that old man Brett Favre is embarrassing himself by not retiring, isn’t it? Eat that, cheeseheads.

So, it looks like Ted Stevens is going down (and not in a Mark Foley kinda way). Now if Al Franken can pull his election out, things will really be looking good (I have my doubts about the GA runoff going the right way, but we can always hope). Sadly, it’s really starting to look like Joe Lieberman will not only stay in the Democratic caucus, but will get to keep his chairmanship as well. And he’ll have Barack Obama to thank for it. I don’t know if Obama figures he’ll owe him one or not (how you can trust a traitor is beyond me; watch your back, Barack, because the DHS committee also has oversight of you, and once that slimy little bastard is installed, you won’t be able to get rid of him).

Oh well, at least it’s almost Friday.

It looks like the full Democratic Senate caucus will get to vote on whether or not sad sack traitor Joe Lieberman gets to keep his plumb Homeland Security committee chairmanship. Chris Bowers has a look at how the vote may go, and it looks pretty good (to him, anyway) that Joe will get the boot (not from the caucus, but from his chairmanship). No doubt he’ll still be able to get a lesser assignment, but that’s not good enough for poor Joey.

As we all know, the little crybaby has threatened to caucus with the Republicans, but, if he does, he isn’t likely to get anything at all, since the number of committee assignments for Republicans is about to be reduced, and there aren’t any sitting members that will step aside for him (hey, he’s a rat; they’ll take his vote, but they’ll never trust the slimy little creep). So, you take it or leave it, Joe; it’s the best deal you’re gonna get, and I have a feeling (hope, anyway) that CT voters aren’t stupid enough to reelect you when the time comes.

Supposedly, the Clintons haven’t been making any calls on Lieberman’s behalf, and Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin want Joe stripped of his chairmanship as well.

Some people are a little pissed off that Obama said he doesn’t hold any grudges against our pal Joey, and that he wouldn’t be sticking his nose in, but I think that’s a pretty good tack to take. Makes him look conciliatory, while letting the other Democratic Senators do the right thing. If only they had a record of doing the right thing, I’d be more confident.

If you’d like to encourage Democrats in the Senate to do what’s right, here’s a good place to start.

Happy VD to all the Vets (and their families) out there. The ones that are safely home, those who have had their lives shattered physically and emotionally, and those who never made it back. And for those folks currently deployed, we hope to see you safely home soon; it’s time we stopped ignoring you.

To honor vets this morning, the Today Show will be featuring an interview with Sarah Palin in Alaska (why are they treating this Christofascist twit as if she’s actually a legitimate candidate for anything more than Ted Steven’s cell mate?), and a 56 year old woman who gave birth to her own grandchildren (triplets, even).

Oy.