More Good Stuff Happening

Sorry for my lack of posts this week, I have been holed up at a focus group facility watching one-on-one interviews with users of our Product. In order to keep the anonymity of the Not-Quite-As-Big Corporation I cannot reveal the identity of the Product but I can say that listening to four people a day talk about it for 90 minutes each can wear on a person. So much so that the person has no energy to blog when they get home.

Be that as it may, I did want to say that now that we are well into President Obama's second week in office, I am continuing to be thrilled with what he is accomplishing already.

This is a picture of the President today as he signed the equal pay legislation called the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Ms. Ledbetter, whom the Supreme Court had ruled against in her suit regarding inequality of pay, is standing next to the President. (Picture courtesy of the NY Times)

From the Times:

“'It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness,” the president said.

He said was signing the bill not only in honor of Ms. Ledbetter — who stood behind him, shaking her head and clasping her hands in seeming disbelief — but in honor of his own grandmother, 'who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up again' and for his daughters, 'because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams.'”

President Obama also did not hesitate today to dress down Wall Street for giving out billions of dollars in bonuses to the very geniuses that helped run their companies into the ground and be forced to ask for billions in government bailouts.

"'That is the height of irresponsibility,' Mr. Obama said angrily. 'It is shameful, and part of what we’re going to need is for folks on Wall Street who are asking for help to show some restraint and show some discipline and show some sense of responsibility.'"

It's good to see a president who actually calls these people on their profligate ways.

Of course, looking at the bonuses as a whole (rather than individually), due to the job losses on Wall Street the total amount of money being given in bonuses is actually 50% lower than last year, dropping to the lowest level since 2002. This does not bode well for New York State and New York City, which depend heavily on this money for tax revenues. Seems you can't win no matter what.

In other good stuff, Former Governor Rod Blagojevich has finally been convicted by the Illinois Senate in his impeachment trial. His last minute whirlwind tour of the talk show circuit, as well as a final "closing argument" at the trial, apparently did not change any minds, since the Senate voted unanimously to remove him from office.

I am not at all positive that the criminal case that is to follow will reach the same conclusions, as it is possible that nothing he actually did was illegal. A person can't be put in jail simply for running his mouth, as DH says. Blago claims his quotes are being taken "out of context." It's certainly possible. I guess we'll find out when that case comes to trial. But in the meantime maybe, just maybe, we won't have to listen to him anymore for awhile? And yes, that would be a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say.

Now if we could just stop hearing about Sarah Palin, life would be really good. But she doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.