Hearings this week. (Eat your broccoli hearings.)

[TayTay]

Seriously. These are not the most exciting hearings of the year. But sometimes you have to talk about the money and where it's going and how it's being allocated and zzzzzzzzzzzz! What! Oh yeah, budget hearings.

[TayTay]

1. Senate Finance: 2/6 Sec of Treasury (2:45 pm)

The President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal

February 6, at 2:45 p.m. in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Member Statements:
Max Baucus, MT
Charles Grassley, IA


Witness Statements:


The Honorable Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

******************8

80% of the money spent by the US Federal Government is under the jurisdiction of this committee. So, eat your broccoli already. Paulson, not the most interesting man in the world, will talk about how much money must be cut for things like Medicaid and social programs. Sigh!

[TayTay]

2. Senate Finance: Sec of HHS 2/7 10:00 am

The President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal

February 7, at 10:00 a.m. in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Member Statements:
Max Baucus, MT
Charles Grassley, IA

Witness Statements:

The Honorable Mike Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

*********************

Oh boy, Leavitt gets to talk about how poor people are gonna get it in the neck from the Bush Admin. We don't need no stinkin' Medicaid. If God had meant for poor people to have social programs, He would have made them rich Republicans. So there.

More broccoli please. This stuff is important. Try and get the summary on this.

[TayTay]

3. Commerce: Climate Change hearing 2/7 10 AM

Climate Change Research and Scientific Integrity
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
10:00 AM
SR - 253

Witnesses

No Witnesses Scheduled At This Time

********************

No witnesses eh? All those climate change scientists are just now being let out of the witness protection program so that they can come and tell the truth about what is happening.

Ah, this could get good. (Or you could watch Mike Leavitt talk about how we need to cut the poor loose in that Finance hearing, but this will probably be more interesting.)

[TayTay]

4. Commerce: Public Safety Communications 2/8 10 AM

The Present and Future of Public Safety Communications
Thursday, February 8, 2007
10:00 AM
SR - 253

Witnesses

Opening Remarks
Mr. Charles Werner
Fire Chief
Charlottesville Fire Department / International Association of Fire Chiefs

Mr. Harlin R. McEwen
Chairman
Communications and Technology Committee, International Association of Chiefs of Police

Mr. Morgan O'Brien
Chairman
Cyren Call

Mr. Steve Largent
President and Chief Executive Officer
CTIA - The Wireless Association

Mr. David Billstrom
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
National Interop

Mr. Matt Desch
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Iridium Satellite LLC

*****************

Gee, I wonder if the topic of those PASS devices that don't actually work will come up? It might happen, particularly with the firefighter giving testimony.

[TayTay]

5. SFRC: Condi returns. 2/8

The President’s Foreign Affairs Budget
HEARING
before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Time: 9:00 AM 9:15 AM
Place: 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Biden


Witness:
+The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Washington, DC

***********************

Due to overwhelming demand from her last appearance at SFRC in Jan, Condi schedules another stop in the Senate. See Condi evade questions about where the money goes. See Condi ahem a lot when Senators ask why we are spending more money on Iraq than we spent on Vietnam. See Condi arch her eyebrows and attempt to shoot death beams from her eyes at Dem Senators who dare to question her in public.

Sigh! Condi testilies before Congress on the President's Foreign Affairs budget. Can you imagine how long her nose would be if she was like Pinnochio and it grew a bit with each lie. Damn.

[wisteria]

6. She should be forced to make an appearance at least once a month. n/t