What Does Congressman Sali Have Against Geologists?
My regular readers will remember that I wasn't very enamored of the Republican nominee for Congress in my district last year, Bill Sali. He ended up winning the race with just under 50% of the vote, and is now in D.C. -- "standing up to the Democrats" by being on the losing end of every contested vote (frequently by large margins).
He made the news last week for getting up on the House floor to introduce a "symbolic" bill to reduce gravity; he intended to make the point that his proposal was as "unnatural" as increasing (or even having) a federally-mandated minimum wage. I suppose if he wants to waste his staff's time coming up with "humorous" bills like that, it's his right. But now, he's posted a draft copy of the "bill" on his website, and now that I've read it, I've got a bone to pick with him.
Check out this paragraph in the "Obesity Reduction and Health Promotion Act of 2007":
(7) The combination of caloric intake, busy schedule, sedimentary profession, and lack of exercise combine to result in an increase in weight in many Americans, including Members of Congress, expanding waistlines and bulges of various sizes and shapes.Emphasis mine. Now, what evidence does Congressman Sali have that those in sedimentary professions are more subject to weight gain than other Americans? Don't rock-hunters spend more time outdoors than many others? Why does he pick on geologists, instead of lawyers or some other profession?
Seriously, I've complained before about Mr. Sali's staff not picking up typos on his campaign web site, but this is a little more serious. Shouldn't we expect someone who ran on a platform of (among other things) making English the country's official language be expected to use correct spelling in bills he submits to the U.S. House of Representatives? Couldn't we expect that a professional Congressional staff be able to recognize the difference between "sedentary" and "sedimentary"? (And I didn't even mention the badly written clause at the end of the sentence.)
posted by Bubblehead at 9:05 PM
9 Comments:
Intoxication (aka being "stoned") is an occupational hazard for the geologist, and what comes next? That's right - the munchies. This is clearly an issue of safety in the workplace.
1/21/2007 10:36 PM
I've seen some middle aged men who appear to have had everything above the waist suddenly settle down below.
Maybe Sali is referring to "Carpenter's Disease"?
:)
Best,
Dale
(yes, major Sali supporter)
1/22/2007 7:18 AM
dear B.H.
1) did you vote for Mr. Sali? and, why(or why not)?
2) have you ever contact Mr. Sali or his Congressional office?
earlier, you wrote a very, very thoughtful post about Mr. Sali plan to change the payroll tax.
3) why have you departed from the more imporant issues of tax, S.S., etc. to the trivia of Sali's "spell-check"?
4) even though Sali is in the minority, what has he proposed and what are your thoughts concerning his proposals?
~ theDdoubleSstandard
1/22/2007 9:07 AM
hahahahahhahahhhahhaaaahhhaaaaaa
giggle
Sorry, anonymous' question "Did you vote for Mr. Sali?" just strikes me as gut-busting funny.
Nice catch, Bubblehead. Keep 'em coming.
1/22/2007 1:34 PM
tdDsS: If you go to the upper left corner of this web page, type in "Bill Sali", and hit the "Search this blog" button, you'll find about 20 posts that answer your questions in some detail. Short answers: No, I didn't vote for Mr. Sali, I E-mailed him twice during the campaign with no substantive response, he just made his D.C. E-mail address available in the last couple of days, and he hasn't made any reasonable proposals, and I doubt he will in the next 23 months. He'll be an ineffective, marginalized minority party bomb-thrower, just as those of us who supported his opponent said he would be.
1/22/2007 10:10 PM
Did anyone else catch American Idol tonight? One contestant, in the pre-audition interview, said she had "confidentiality". My sister and I laughed, as did my mom when it was rewound on the DVR. That wasn't her only grammatical fauz pas, either...
1/23/2007 10:07 PM
nice sleuthing bubblehead! kudos.
with many eyes on sali, and good recordkeeping of his crap, the man will stand no chance of re-election.
and, because he's so ineffective (and i expect that he will continue to be so) that there is very little "danger" to his little stints out there in the big house . . . i look it as great entertainment for us in the blog-o-sphere!
1/24/2007 1:57 PM
In my 26 years of practice in economic geology, my observations are thus:
- most igneous geos are slim and svelte - having to interpret those quartz-rich norites of the Sudbury Igenous Complex at a single glance while quickly eyeing the ore grade, before being sucked into the mill; having to endure the wrath of metal prices and shareholders whims.
- sedimentary geos tend to wear clothes like J.R. Ewing or Boss Hogg, and drive the company Cadillac to the well site; then they go to an evening gala (same clothes) with their wife and mistress to meet George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.
- metamorphic geos, they are anorexic, having everything basically squeezed out them.
- now those dirt (Quaternary) geos, they have it made, what with Al Gore and (not a doctor)David Suzuki; throw in a tsunami or two, an earthquake, Mount St. Helens, and a Catholic, and the four horse-men cometh.... CNN and Anderson Cooper...go nuts!!! You are now in the real economic geology field ($$$$$$$)!
Who / what is a Sali....sounds like an aeolian salt lick
12/21/2007 4:44 PM
The problem seems to be that all his staff received their education in government run schools.
Perhaps I should re-write that so they can understand...
"Hey youse guys. Duntja no dat wehns ya spel wrung, peepel make fun uf yu?"
Ciao,
Rog M
3/25/2008 4:27 PM
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