Crummiest thing your boss ever did?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
15 million workers in this country say they have a bad boss. A new survey also shows that 36 percent say they feel pressure to stay with said bad boss because of the shaky economy.
So if you have a crummy boss, but the economy is in the toilet, what do you do? Nothing, because a job with a bad boss… is better than no job at all. That's not to say having to deal with some jerk 8 hours a day, 5 days a week is any fun, but unfortunately these days a lot of people are trapped.
In recognizing these workers' plight, an outfit called "Working America," which is part of the AFL-CIO, is running an annual contest to see who has the worst boss in America.
The contest runs through August 19th but they've already heard from plenty of people with horror stories. The group says one of the biggest complaints reported by more than one-third of those surveyed is getting time off for illnesses, deaths in the family or other issues.
One guy says his boss made him stay at work when he had an awful stomach bug – so the boss could leave early to play golf. He ended up keeping a trash can next to him so he didn't have to run to the bathroom when he got sick and could answer the phones. Other complaints include lazy bosses, mean bosses and clueless bosses. You tend to find many of these latter ones in Washington D.C.
But we're pretty sure they haven't heard about all the bad bosses. It's Friday, and that's where you come in.
Here’s my question to you: What’s the crummiest thing your boss ever did to you?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Gore’s call for carbon-free electricity in 10 years “ridiculous”?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Al Gore says it will be like the challenge of landing a man on the moon.
He's calling on the United States to switch all of this country's electricity production to wind, solar and other carbon-free sources within 10 years.
Gore says our dependence on carbon-based fuels is at the core of our economic, environmental and national security crises. Here's how Gore sums up our dilemma. "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has to change."
The former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner says the most important policy change will be to tax carbon dioxide pollution. Gore's bipartisan group estimates the 30-year cost of his plan is between $1.5 and $3 trillion.
But some energy experts say Gore's plan moves way too fast, that the country won't be able to go "cold turkey" and get off fossil fuels in a decade.
Others are even more critical. Republican Senator George Voinovich says it's "ridiculous" to think the nation could go carbon-free in 10 years. He says "We could take and put wind mills from the Atlantic to the Pacific and yes, it will increase the amount of carbon-free energy production, but the fact of the matter is, it's not going to get the job done."
Coal supplies about half of the nation's electricity. It's also responsible for more than a third of the country's carbon dioxide pollution, which is most often blamed for global warming.
Here’s my question to you: Is Al Gore’s call for carbon-free electricity in 10 years doable or “ridiculous”?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What would be a successful trip overseas for Obama?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Barack Obama's trip to Europe and the Middle East could be a game-changer in this election. The pollsters at Gallup say his highly publicized international trip could "have the potential to change the structure of the race."
Experts agree that the stakes are very high. The trip has been planned to put Barack Obama into settings where we usually see presidents – things like formal meetings with foreign leaders, public speeches and visits to historical sites.
While Obama has been highly critical of the Bush administration here at home, one analyst says he'll have to tread lightly overseas, "Criticizing foreign policy in Washington is one thing. Criticizing it in Berlin is another.”
Obama leads Republican John McCain in the polls, but he still needs to convince a lot of Americans that he has the foreign policy chops to fill the role of commander-in-chief. One recent poll shows 48% of voters say Obama would make a good commander-in-chief, compared to 72% who feel that way about McCain. And you can bet the Republicans will be looking to pounce on any errors.
Obama will get intensive media coverage – the kind usually reserved for heads of state. And it's expected he'll get rock-star-like receptions from crowds wherever he goes. People overseas have been fascinated with Obama almost from the beginning. If he makes a good impression over there, it will likely do him a world of good over here.
After eight years of the cowboy diplomacy of President Bush, more than 70% of Americans think the U.S. is less respected in the world than it used to be. Barack Obama could begin to fix that.
Here’s my question to you: What would constitute a successful trip overseas for Barack Obama?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Energy crisis or terrorism a bigger threat?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/17/art.five.dollar.gas.gi.jpg caption="Regular unleaded gasoline remains at its record high price of $4.12 a gallon, according to AAA."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
This country's energy crisis is "more important and threatening to America's future than terrorism"
So says Republican Congressman John Peterson. He's one of the lawmakers heading up the bipartisan "energy working group" in the House, which is trying to bring back stalled energy legislation.
Peterson insists that energy legislation should be the top priority for Congress, even though there's no sense of urgency in Washington about energy prices. He says that leaders will have a hard time refusing to address this issue adding "This is the issue of the year. This is the issue of the decade."
The Pennsylvania Congressman says the energy crisis is destroying the middle class that made this country strong, and even calls for a "war on energy” – much like our war on terror.
He says that expanding offshore drilling is the most important thing Congress can do to boost domestic supply, something many Democrats have opposed. But Peterson also calls for conservation, tax breaks and tax credits for people to get rid of their old cars, and more funding for renewable energy sources.
There's also a bipartisan group working in the Senate on an energy bill. It's believed eventual compromises would include new domestic drilling to satisfy Republicans, while promoting conservation and alternative energy sources to make Democrats happy.
Here’s my question to you: Is the energy crisis a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Why does Obama get more news coverage than McCain?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When Barack Obama travels overseas to Europe and the Middle East, he won't be alone.
Obama's trip is becoming a media extravaganza. All three network anchors will join him – broadcasting their nightly newscasts from stops along his route. Also along to record Obama's every move, top political reporters from major newspapers and magazines. 200 journalists have asked to join Obama on the trip, although the campaign will only be able to accommodate about 20% of them.
Meanwhile, Republican John McCain has taken 3 foreign trips in the last 4 months, and not a single network anchor has gone on any of them. It's causing some concern among Republicans that the news media aren't giving balanced coverage.
They may have a point. The three broadcast network newscasts, which have 20 million viewers combined, spent about 114 minutes covering Obama since June, compared to 48 minutes for McCain. Obama has been on the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines 12 times in the last 3 years, compared with 5 for McCain. And in the last few weeks, Obama has also landed on the cover of Rolling Stone and US Weekly, along with interview of his family by "Access Hollywood."
The TV executives have lots of reasons for why this Obama trip is such a big deal: it's his first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive nominee, he's a fresh face in politics, the historic nature of Obama's campaign, and the overwhelming interest in him overseas. Those are all valid. But that doesn't mean McCain has to like it.
Here’s my question to you: Why does Barack Obama get more news coverage than John McCain?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Congress giving Pres. Bush a free pass?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Americans are fed up with Congress. Why wouldn't they be? A new Gallup poll shows Congress' approval rating at 14%, the lowest in 30 years.
One of the reasons has got to be the legislative branch's refusal to exercise any sort of oversight on the executive branch of government, something they are specifically charged in our Constitution with doing.
In fact, President Bush has learned he can simply thumb his nose at Congress, because they won't do anything about it. So he does… over and over and over again.
Yesterday President Bush claimed executive privilege – yet again – in refusing to hand over the transcript of the FBI interview with Vice President Dick Cheney about the CIA leak case. Congressman Henry Waxman stomped his feet and said he'll move forward with a contempt citation against Attorney General Michael Mukasey. But, so what? Haven't we been here before?
Multiple White House staffers have ignored subpoenas in the last several years, including Karl Rove, former counsel Harriet Miers, Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. And nothing was done to any of them.
Meanwhile, Congress bowed to King George's demands and passed that new FISA surveillance bill, without ever doing anything about the breaking of the law with the old one. They continue to approve more money for the war in Iraq – most recently another $162 billion, no strings attached – despite promising to cut off funding for the war back in 2006.
A new book titled "The Dark Side" by New Yorker writer Jane Mayer suggests top administration officials including President Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others may be guilty of war crimes, but Congress has chosen to simply look the other way. A good lawyer might be able to make the case Congress has been criminally negligent.
Here’s my question to you: Why does Congress continue to allow President Bush to get away with so much?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
A 2nd stimulus package the answer to economic woes?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Democrats think it might be time for a second round of rebates to taxpayers, in order to help millions of Americans deal with rising energy prices and unemployment, declining home prices and tight credit.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says they'll be working on another stimulus package and hopes it will be a bipartisan effort again.
Democrats say such a package might be about more than just rebate checks, probably including more spending for roads and infrastructure, additional unemployment benefits, help for low-income families to heat their homes and aid for states struggling with deficits.
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers calls our current economic situation "serious" and says the government is "in much more danger of responding inefficiently than in responding excessively."
But the Republicans are saying not so fast. President Bush says we should let the first stimulus package run its course. And Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke agrees. Republicans say the best way to boost the economy is to pass legislation to limit home foreclosures and increase production of domestic oil. They would likely push for more tax cuts for businesses if they agree to another stimulus package.
The initial $168 billion package included rebates sent to more than 100 million households, with checks of up to $600 dollars for individuals and $1,200 for couples.
Economists say some stores have seen more business as a result of those checks, but it hasn't meant more hiring by companies or more lending by banks. Some say the only way to solve the financial crisis is by injecting banks with a lot of money.
Here’s my question to you: Is another economic stimulus package the answer to our shaky economy?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Would McCain or Obama more likely capture bin Laden?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
John McCain says he knows "how to win wars" and if elected, he will "get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice." Remind you of anybody? Bring 'em on. Dead or alive... you get the picture.
McCain's comments come as he and Barack Obama are focusing on the so-called "forgotten war" in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have staged a comeback. Nine U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. And in the last two months, more American and allied troops have died there than in Iraq. McCain insists that the strategy of increasing troops in Iraq has worked, and the same thing should be done in Afghanistan.
He says the U.S. should send three more brigades there along with a presidential envoy. He says Obama's call for withdrawal from Iraq would mean defeat.
Obama is also speaking out on Afghanistan, saying that Iraq has been a distraction from the fight against terrorism. Obama insists as president he would quickly end the war in Iraq, which he says hasn't made the U.S. any safer and was never the central front in the war on terror to begin with. Obama has been saying for a year now that more troops should be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan. As for John McCain, yesterday was the first time he suggested such a move.
Both men also talk about military assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan, nonmilitary aid to foster goodwill in the region and building alliances to fight terrorism.
Meanwhile, McCain – who touts his foreign policy credentials – has made the same blunder twice in two days: he has referred to events on the ground in "Czechoslovakia", a country that ceased to exist 15 years ago – in January 1993.
Here’s my question to you: Who would do a better job of capturing Osama bin Laden: Barack Obama or John McCain?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Obama in danger of taking himself too seriously?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
One of the jobs of American presidents, whether they realize it or not, is to make us laugh.
You need look no farther than George W. Bush. But if you want to look farther, there's a gold mine of yucks. Whether it's Bill Clinton with his blue dresses and cigars, Al Gore with his robotic seriousness, Ronald Reagan sleeping through cabinet meetings, or Dan Quayle trying to spell potato. And of course, President Bush's dad meeting a grocery store scanner for the first time was priceless – as was President Carter's tale of being attacked in a rowboat by a rabbit.
But what about Barack Obama? The writers for the late night television shows admit they're having a tough time coming up with jokes about the presidential front-runner. Letterman and Leno lampoon John McCain on a regular basis, but not Barack.
Maureen Dowd wonders in her column in the New York Times this morning why not. When the New Yorker magazine cover came out, people didn't laugh. Even though it was a cartoon, they got mad. Dowd suggests with the rather dark mood of the country these days it wouldn't hurt Barack Obama to lighten up a little, because if he does, the rest of us will feel freer to have a giggle at his expense. And that's good for everyone.
Here’s my question to you: Is Barack Obama in danger of taking himself too seriously?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Lifting the ban on offshore drilling?
Discoverer Deep Seas drillship off the coast of Louisiana drills for oil in the Gulf of Mexico for Chevron.(PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Bush says Congress is the only thing standing between Americans and offshore drilling.
With gas averaging more than $4 a gallon, the president lifted an executive order yesterday that bans offshore drilling. But it was pretty much an empty gesture – not unlike a good deal of the rest of the Bush administration.
Offshore drilling has been against the law since 1981, and Congress would need to repeal that law before any drilling can take place. The president says Democrats should match his action to show that "they finally heard the frustrations of the American people."
Republicans in Congress are joining President Bush in laying the blame at the feet of the Democrats. Seven years without a coherent energy policy, and suddenly $4 gas is the Democrats' fault. Can you tell it's an election year?
The Democrats are pushing back. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says expanding offshore drilling would do little to lower gas prices in the near future. She says President Bush should release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move he has resisted.
And it's not just Democrats who are against offshore drilling. California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says it's not the answer, and instead we should work toward alternative energy sources.
The whole debate is pretty silly when you think about it. The oil companies currently have 68 million acres under offshore lease that are not being developed. Also, the U.S. has a shortage of refinery capacity, so even if we started drilling for more oil, there would be an issue of where to refine it.
Here’s my question to you: Should Congress go along with President Bush's call to lift the ban on offshore drilling?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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