Robert Reich – Robert freakin’ Reich! – comments on LePage now: “A governor destroys history in the name of promoting business.”

Key quote:

Governor, you might be able to erase some of Maine’s memory, but you’ll have a hard time erasing the nation’s memory – even if it’s not in keeping with your pro-business goals.

Personally I hope he names the conference rooms after some other famous Americans: Rockefeller, Carnegie, Astor, Gould, Morgan, Vanderbilt …

Have you seen the new lawsuit that contends their “beef” is actually “taco meat filling” and that their ground beef “seasonings” are really “extenders”?

Check out: “Taco Bell meat? Beef, says firm. Filling, says suit.”

Key quote:

“In reality, a substantial majority of the filling is comprised of substances other than beef,” the lawsuit alleges. And those seasonings?

“Those ingredients are not added for flavor, but rather to increase the volume of the product,” the suit charges. “These ingredients are binders and extenders such as ‘isolated oat product.’ “

For future reference, “taco meat filling”, according to the USDA, must contain at least 40 percent fresh meat.

Gah!

Nope, I don’t feel like going to Taco Bell any time soon.

Key quote:

… the Muslim community center would not be a blight on the neighborhood surrounding the World Trade Center. That neighborhood has two of New York’s most architecturally-important churches. One is Trinity Church, a classic example of 19th-century Gothic revival. The other is St. Paul’s Chapel, the city’s oldest surviving church and its finest model of Georgian architecture (it was modeled after St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields in London). George Washington worshipped there and it became a refuge for rescue workers after 9/11.

But the World Trade Center neighborhood is also filled with eyesores. When I walked from Park Place on the north side of the World Trade Center to Rector Street on the south side, what I encountered were a string of bars, betting parlors, and fast-food restaurants. And within this cluster of buildings, especially noticeable were two strip clubs, the New York Dolls Gentleman’s Club and the Pussycat Lounge, plus Thunder Lingerie and More, a sex shop with a peep show.

This whole topic makes me ill.

Sigh:

2. Permatemp, n. The condition of being permanently employed as a temporary worker.

This could be due to lack of motivation to seek permanent employment, inability to find permanent employment, or the permatemp’s belief that a company will eventually hire him/her for the job s/he is currently doing for lower pay and without benefits.

Sample sentence: “Wake up, Joe. You’ve been here for six months, your cubicle is decorated better than your living room, and the hiring manager still doesn’t know your name. You’re officially a permatemp, my friend.”

Next week? My twenty-sixth in this job.

You do the math.