Rhhhaaarghhh... I have become intolerant.

US Asst. Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development (the head of the EDA), Sampson, is in the lobby of my lab, along with half-the Florida legislature, giving our lab a $1.5M grant, gloating that he was with Jeb Bush yesterday, in a place where handicapped people could work and be productive instead of taking government help for free.
Their job is to make camouflage uniform for the soldiers in the desert and american flags to drape the coffins!! No kidding! And he is proud of it!
He also seemed proud of his 4-year record for economic development... And they are all patting each other in the back for their good job.
Finally, his punch line: America can only compete as fast as it can compute. For all it is worth.
I can't stand what they stand for.
Does anybody have advice on where to go in Hawaii? My boyfriend is getting his PhD today, and we are leaving on thursday, with no plan!Which island is better? Maui or Big Island?

•  They've always made the uniforms

  Lighthouse for the blind does a lot of manufacturing work for the government.  I've always heard it was a good program.  My desert uniforms were made by them, and I actually thought it was kind of cool.

  by LiberalRakkasan on Tue Oct 26, 2004 at 06:43:15 AM PDT

•  I know what you mean

  It's gotten to the point where my wife runs screaming from the room whenever one of the Bush gang is on TV.  It's only a matter of time before she leaps from the moving car to escape the radio, leaving me in the passenger seat to careen off a bridge.

  I have to say I'm not far behide her.  We stayed away from the debates to avoid seeing the smirking chimp.

  It sucks that Republican behavior has turned us into assholes, and that our party has had to begin to emulate theirs just to get a foot in the door.

  I believe, though, that when Kerry wins, he'll start to put things right.  His basic honesty and windy nuance will blow away the dreck of the past four years, and that goofy smile will be an antidote to the Bush leer.

  by ignatz1138 on Tue Oct 26, 2004 at 06:50:38 AM PDT

•  A week per island

  You have to go to all of the islands!  Their all different.  And you need at least a week per island.  Personally, Kauai was my favorite.  It all depends on what you are looking for.

  by Sanity on Tue Oct 26, 2004 at 06:53:42 AM PDT

•  Florida

  does have a 4 point something unemployment rate, which is very impressive.

  Good luck in your travels.

  by PhillyGal on Tue Oct 26, 2004 at 06:55:03 AM PDT

•  They have a NISH contract, I guess.

  There's nothing wrong with programs that promote employment for the disabled through federal & state contracts-- it's my current field-- but the notion that an uptick in sales is due to the war can be a bit disturbing.  And the fact that it reduces dependence on government supports is perfectly okay, because unemployment in the disabled community is generally 60-70% of a population that overwhelmingly wants to work.  If it were a matter of putting people in Dickensian workhouses (although some people think that sheltered workshops are similar; I recently had a discussion with a guy from the Florida state program on that issue) it would be pretty scary, but I've never heard of anyone being forced into a job just to save the government money, either.  The vast majority of these contracts are with community-based agencies, and with very few exceptions, the management are social-services people first and business types maybe fifth or sixth.

  Wow... this is such an obscure set of programs, I never thought the topic would come up online.
  

  by latts on Tue Oct 26, 2004 at 07:34:53 AM PDT