Saving $$$, White House Honesty, Brawling Legislature?, Steinbrenner,

The weather last week put my office building on a forced conservation plan. We had lights turned off, elevators shut down, and constant reminders to keep our temperature a degree or two above normal, and to have our electronics go into sleep mode sooner. You know what, we lived. It begs the question why we as a society can't do this all of the time. It would likely save businesses and the government billions of dollars a year.

Shocker of the Week: White House Press Secretary speaks the truth by saying the Democrats could lose control of the House. Less than shocking: House Democratic leadership is aggravated by the truth. Note to Democrats: if your faithful do not believe you seriously could lose if they don't show up in November, you are going to lose the House.

State Senator Mike Doherty almost came to blows with a fellow State Senator over his assertions during a speech on education funding. From the NJ Herald:

A debate over education funding nearly turned into a scuffle on the Senate floor Thursday when two state senators had to be physically separated.

Sen. Dick Codey -- one-time governor and former Senate president -- played referee to Sens. Ray Lesniak, a Democrat, and Republican Mike Doherty. Codey said he jumped in once he heard Lesniak tell Doherty he would "punch his nose down his throat."

As the level of discourse at all political levels becomes more and more polarized, it may only be a matter of time before we start seeing fights like they have in Taiwan on a semi-regular basis.

One has to wonder if the passing of George Steinbrenner will rank as a "where were you when you heard" moment for those in the New York area. I was walking into the PATH. I was more upset about Bob Sheppard myself, because he seemed like a nice person with that beloved voice. Steinbrenner was who he was, and as a Mets fan I wasn't emotionally invested in loving or hating him, but he was without a doubt larger than life.