Like budget droppings?—Over a couple of weeks, 10 Chicago public school cafeterias were shut down because of mouse infestations. Inspectors found “signs” of rodents in kitchens, food storage areas, and the offices of cafeteria managers.

Then there are private schools—“West Palm Beach, Florida—About 77 percent of private schools taking vouchers to educate disabled students don’t offer special classes for disabled children. The vouchers…are worth $5,000 to $21,300 based on the severity of a student’s disability. No law requires schools to offer special attention or therapy to students with disabilities.”—News item.

Social Security—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spotlighted the fact that hundreds of disabled people in the Illinois region had essential medical documents trashed—medical verification they needed to get Social Security assistance. A Chicago contractor to SS routinely filled the waste baskets with the key paper work required—perhaps to reduce envelope stuffing and postage. SS ignored the absence of the documents, which saved it work and money.

Union time!—Wal-Mart court records confirmed massive violation of federal labor regulations for minors and older employees. Minors were clocked in on school days, worked late at night, and were denied required break time. Older workers lost lunch and break time. A Wal-Mart spokesperson speculated that perhaps they wanted to leave early to take a child to the doctor zone.

Flat head society—Visitors to the Grand Canyon are generally offered the scientific explanation that the giant gorge in northern Arizona was carved out by the Colorado River some five or six million years ago. But the National Park’s bookstores include a book called: “Grand Canyon, A Different View.” The “view” is that the canyon was created no more than a few thousand years ago by the Old Testament flood survived by Noah’s Ark. Pressed by employee indignation, the book was removed from the natural science section of the bookstores to an “inspirational” section.

A slip of the keyboard?—A clipping from the New Orleans Times Picayune has an item based on a wire service report. It reaffirms that Blacks and low-income whites have a higher than average cancer rate. It reads: “Washington—The Health and Human Services Department has found a higher death rate for cancer among black people and low-income Americans…”

And you think they’re lunatics?—“Vermont—State health officials are encouraging neighbors of the tanked Nuclear Power plant to ask for a pill that prevents radiation injury in the event of an accident at the…nuclear power plant. The department is offering one dose of potassium iodide to each person who works or lives within Yankee’s 10-mile radius ‘emergency planning.’”—USA Today.  
 
 
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