McDonald's would rather a customer get killed than have an employee intervene.

Fast food giant McDonald's has denied workers compensation benefits to a minimum wage employee who was shot when he ejected a customer who had been beating a woman inside the restaurant.

A representative of the administrator for McDonald's workers compensation plan explained that "we have denied this claim in its entirety as it is our opinion that Mr. Haskett's injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment."

I hope no big-wig from McDonald's is ever in trouble when I am on the clock. Sheesh, completely disgusting.

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US jobless hits 5 million, sets record high

February is shaping up to be another brutal month of job losses: The number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits hit an all-time high of nearly 5 million, and new jobless claims are at levels not seen since the early 1980s.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people receiving regular unemployment benefits rose by 170,000 to 4.99 million for the week ending Feb. 7, marking the fourth straight week continuing claims have hit a record.

And yet, we have Republicans voting against a stimulus package that will help put Americans back to work. Sheesh.

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We got the stimulus in spite of the Republicans!

With just three Republican votes, Congress passed a $787.2 billion stimulus plan that President Obama calls a 'once-in-a generation' chance to act boldly and transform the US economy.

The bill aims to create (or save) 3.5 million jobs and help stressed families pay for food, housing, and health care. At $575 billion in spending and $212 billion in tax breaks, the plan also aims to leverage new economic activity and growth.

The Republicans have always been bad winners, and now that they have lost by a landslide, they are bitter losers. Sheesh, what a sorry bunch.

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GOP Senator Gregg withdraws as commerce nominee

President Obama's choice for commerce secretary, Senator Judd Gregg, withdrew his nomination on Thursday, saying there were "irresolvable conflicts" between him and the administration.

Gregg had agreed to promote the President's agenda, but then decided he wouldn't. Saying one thing, then doing another. Soooo Republican of him.

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We have a deal!

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement today on a stimulus plan with a cost of about $789 billion after scaling down the versions passed by both houses, congressional leaders announced.

"The differences between the Senate and House versions were resolved," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters this afternoon.

He said the final version "creates more jobs than the original Senate bill and spends less than the original House bill." The bill passed by the Senate yesterday totaled $838 billion. The House version approved last week had a price tag of $819 billion.

Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

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Republican Steele's Campaign Spending Questioned

Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors.

Corruption and the Republican party...the RNC will never change.

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Unemployment rises in 98% of cities

In a sign that job losses are felt in every corner of the nation, unemployment rates rose in 98% of metropolitan areas across the country in December, according to a recent government report.

The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that the economy lost another 500,000 jobs, according to a consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The national unemployment rate is expected to rise to 7.5% from its current level of 7.2%, its highest rate since January 1993.

And ther are politicians who are still uncertain we are in recession. Sheesh.

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Finally, a president that cares about children

President Barack Obama sees expansion of government health insurance to millions of lower-income children as a first step of several to come in providing coverage for all Americans.

Ending a two-year effort by Democrats, Obama signed legislation Wednesday that will allow about 7 million children to continue coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program and allow an additional 4 million to sign up.

This is EXACTLY why having a democrat in the oval office is good for America. Good for us.

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Government finally launches criminal probe in peanut recall

Responding to reports of shoddy sanitation practices and inspections, federal health officials have opened a criminal investigation into the Georgia peanut-processing plant at the center of the national salmonella outbreak.

The Obama administration on Friday pledged stricter oversight of food safety to prevent breakdowns in inspections.

Officials say Peanut Corp. of America sold tainted peanut products to food makers. At least 529 people have been sickened as a result of the outbreak, and at least eight may have died because of it. More than 430 products have been recalled.

How bad does it have to get until someone responds. Shesh.

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