Pink Slips in a Hurricane

Roughtly 80,000 Americans lost their jobs in March. That sent the unemployment rate up to 5.1%. The housing crisis is turning into a Category 5 economic storm. From the Associated Press:

The unemployment rate was the highest since September 2005, when significant job losses followed the devastating blows of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Blame the housing, credit and financial sectors for the bulk of the layoffs.

Jackson's Photos Deleted

Hounsing Secreretary Alphonso Jackson will apparently take his elaborate photo display of himself with him when he vacates HUD.

ThinkProgress says the pictures -- some as big as 2-by-3 feet and many showing Mr Jackson posing with President Bush -- will be removed now that Sec Jackson has resigned. The cult of personality display was the first thing visitors to HUD saw when they came through the front door.

Pig Book

First Tee is an outfit that strives to help disadvantaged youths by teaching them golf.

Noble cause.

It's headed up by some heavy hitting corporate types who should be pretty good at raising money through charitible donations.

Instead, Uncle Sam is shelling out $3 million a year for golf lessons thanks to Rep James Clyburn (D-SC) who gave First Tee the cash in an earmark.

"You know, when you're at war, and you know you got a war on two fronts, the first thing you think of is golf, isn't it?" Leslie Paige, vice president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

It's just one of the examples of pork barrel spending highlighted in this year's Pig Book. Citizens Against Government Waste publishes the annual list of pork, They released the latest edition today. It came up with $17.2 billion in pork. (CBS)

Army Holds Annual 'Bring Your Daughter To War' Day

From "The Onion:"


Army Holds Annual 'Bring Your Daughter To War' Day

Housing Secretary Evicted

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson has resigned amid growing scandal at HUD.

The FBI and Justice Department have spent two years investigating claims including favoritism toward politically friendly contractors and outright cronyism.

Quite the distraction for a Housing Secretary amid the housing crisis hammering the economy. (WaPo)