President Barack Obama on Tuesday said that a budget deal could be reached with the Republicans despite ideological differences between the two sides. “The big question that is going to have to be resolved is: how do we do it?” Obama told students at a community college. “I don’t want to lie to you, there is a big philosophical divide right now.”
Obama is still trying to reach an agreement with Republicans on how to cut the $1.4 trillion deficit and the GOP isn’t hip to the idea of taxing the wealthy. “The president’s plan to increase taxes is a direct assault on job creation and innovation that could throw our economy in reverse,” said Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives.—-
• Reports from Monday suggest that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is planning to declare “financial martial law.” Wisconsin would be following in the footsteps of Michigan, which in March implemented a plan that gave emergency financial managers the power to terminate labor contracts and even dissolve or consolidate cities.
“The Walker legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.”
I think that’s scary enough without any sort of witty interjection.
• A Public Policy Polling survey taken between April 15 and 17 found that 48 percent of GOP voters say they doubted the president’s place of birth, while another 26 percent said they weren’t sure. It’s no wonder Donald Trump is gaining momentum in the Hawkeye state, coming in third behind Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee when the same subjects of the poll were asked which Republican presidential candidate they would vote for in 2012.
• Charlie Sheen was on his way to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the next stop on his tour when he made a pit stop in court to battle his ex-wife Brooke Mueller for custody of his two sons. Details have not been released, but reports suggest Charlie lost and that the custody agreement reached after their divorce would remain in place. The judge’s decision was reportedly influenced by Sheen’s bragging about drug use during his interview with ABC like when talked about “banging 7-gram rocks.”
Sheen’s and Warner Bros. lawyers also debated over the $100 million Sheen believes he’s owed by Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. “Charlie Sheen makes $2 million for a 22 minute episode of television,” and the idea that courts should need to protect Sheen “absurd,” said Warner Bros. Lawyer John Spiegel.
On stage later that night, Sheen opened with “Hope you had a better f—-ing day than I did. That’s all right. My day became perfect thanks to you people,” which was met by catcalls and boos.
• Reports today say that McDonald’s wants a California court to dismiss a class-action lawsuit seeking to stop the company from offering toys with its Happy Meals on the basis that parents ultimately choose whether or not to buy the products.
Monet Parham, a mother of two, filed a lawsuit last December and is represented by the nutrition advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. McDonald’s says “In short, advertising to children any product that a child asks for but the parent does not want to buy would constitute an unfair trade practice” and added, “She [Perham] was not misled by any advertising, nor did she rely on any information from McDonald’s.” And in no way do we make you out to be a bad parent if you don’t buy the Happy Meal.
Here’s a really cute McDonald’s Happy Meal commercial titled “Mom vs. Dad.”
This article appears in Apr 20-26, 2011.