Midday Open Thread

• Today, President Bush submitted the first ever $3 Trillion dollar budget.  This budget means a $410 billion dollar deficit this year.  Republicans have shown time ad time again that they cannot be trusted with money.
• Spanish liberals (that is, from the country of Spain) are looking for votes from their citizens abroad for the upcoming March 9 vote. - Kos
• After spending nearly $1 billion dollars a day in Iraq, the public services in Baghdad are dangerously inadequate.
  

  BAGHDAD (AFP) – Baghdad is drowning in sewage, thirsty for water and largely powerless, an Iraqi official said on Sunday in a grim assessment of services in the capital five years after the US-led invasion.

  One of three sewage treatment plants is out of commission, one is working at stuttering capacity while a pipe blockage in the third means sewage is forming a foul lake so large it can be seen “as a big black spot on Google Earth,” said Tahseen Sheikhly, civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security plan.

  A sewage back-up so big it looks like a black lake on Google earth?  That can’t be good.

• Intel announced it would be investing $1 Billion dollars in India to develop lightweight personal computers.
• Layoffs in the US rose an astounding 69% in January compared with December 2007 and up 19% of January 2007.  It seems that every time I turn on the news, another Fortune 500 is laying off people by the hundreds or thousands.
• Beginning May 5th, United Airlines will begin charging if you have more than one bag to check.  Unless, of course, you are a premier frequent flyer — fees will be waived for their “premier” passengers.
• Better late than never, GM will unveil a new line of hybrid trucks this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

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