While the US stagnates.

From the CBC: Ottawa bridge gets fix with ‘sexy engineering’

A portion of the Queensway in Ottawa’s west end will be closed overnight Saturday to allow for the replacement of the Carling Avenue eastbound bridge, in a switch so quick that officials have set up bleachers so engineering fans can watch the action.

The $11.5-million bridge replacement will take less than 24 hours, but Ottawa’s main highway will be shut down starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the area around the Carling overpass.
…

Island Park and Clyde Avenue bridges have been replaced with the same method in the past three years.

Engineer Ken Polson said the relatively new technology will allow work crews to have a smaller impact on the Queensway than would have been required in the past.

“Ten years ago it would have taken two years,” he said.

They have set up bleachers and made a web cam available to watch the process. This is what happens when people actually do things – a lot of other people want to watch. In the US we don’t even paint bridges, much less replace them.

Congress has become a circus, so where’s our ‘bread’? Hell, we can’t even get that right.

The Top Story under CNN’s World heading is: Are the Smurfs crypto-fascists?

I knew an officer in a neighboring jurisdiction who was called “Smurf” by street people because ‘he was short, blue, and fuzzy.” That was highly evolved humor for a group of people who had long ago chemically fried their synapses.

Has anyone told the CNN editors that Smurfs are cartoon characters? Are they so impressed that someone can translate a story from a foreign language into English, that they want to feature it?

Can we just stop pretending the media is worth watching or listening to. Most bloggers have higher editorial standards, even on the right.

So, because 59 Senators, including some Republicans, thought that Boehner’s bill was a non-starter, the House rejected the Senate bill, after requiring that it receive a two-thirds majority to pass.

Boehner is claiming that he ‘stuck his neck out’ to get a bill passed, but doesn’t explain exactly what he was risking. He might not get to be Speaker again? Is that the dire fate he risked? Democrats don’t compromise? Democrats didn’t walk out on the talks.

Mr. Boehner asks where is the President’s plan? According to the US Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Paragraph 1: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives …” It’s your job as Speaker of House to make the plans. Why don’t you do your job?

The only reason for not having a vote on a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling is the desire by many to create a crisis and use the crisis to pass unpopular legislation. This is pretty much an example of extortion – “Do what I tell you or the economy gets it!”

Update: Steve Bates in comments isn’t the only one to see the similarity: On YouTube GOP Debt Ceiling Negotiation.

Update 2: For those who think the Federal budget is just like a family’s budget, here’s what Suze Orman, a guru of personal finance, thinks about the process: Congress’ mishandling of debt ceiling and deficit is surreal. Her solution is: JOBS!

The Washington Post tells us that Obama, White House seek to reassure base on debt ceiling talks.

Well, no one is buying the lies. BET reports that Conyers Has “Had It” With Obama

Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit) is fed up with both President Obama, in part because of his alleged willingness during debt ceiling negotiations to make entitlement cuts, and Congress, because of what he calls its inaction on job creation. The 24-term lawmaker on Wednesday called for a protest in front of the White House.

“We’ve got to educate the American people at the same time we educate the president of the United States. The Republicans, Speaker Boehner or Majority Leader Cantor, did not call for Social Security cuts in the budget deal. The president of the United States called for that,” Conyers said at a news conference held by the Out of Poverty Caucus, which he co-chairs. “And my response to him is to mass thousands of people in front of the White House to protest this,” Conyers said.

Apparently Zero is attempting to get more support from ‘independents’ with his sell-outs. David Atkins at Digby’s wonders How’s That Working Out for You? The answer is that Zero is dropping like a rock with independents and the base aren’t buying it.

Jobs should have been the number one priority, but Zero would rather have support from Wall Street, than Main Street. Of course, Wall Street is now panicking too, so things are really looking up for ‘generic Republican candidate’.