Eating Away and Kicking Ass

Two items from today's American Progress Report:

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) made headlines last month after complaining about Congress' new schedule that requires members to work five days a week: "Keeping us up here eats away at families," Kingston told the Washington Post. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says." Yet on Wednesday, Kingston offered this advice to Americans living in poverty: work longer hours. During House debate over the minimum wage, Kingston said raising the minimum wage would do nothing for poor Americans. Instead, if people marry and work longer hours, "they would be out of poverty," he said. "It's an economic fact." (Watch the video.) Kingston is wrong. The annual salary for full-time workers earning the federal minimum wage "still leaves a family of three about $6,000 short of the poverty threshold."

That's the kind of good, clear thinking we need to drag this country kicking and screaming into the future. Maybe this is better:

And finally: "The White House labeled as 'ridiculous'" a story that Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) told constituents about his interaction with Bush officials a week after the November election. Kagen, who self-funded much of his campaign, claims he trapped Karl Rove in a White House bathroom and said, "You recognize me? My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass."