START moves a step closser to approval

With 67 senators voting, they stepped closer to approving the START treaty on Tuesday. The bill needed 60 votes to move forward, a procedural vote for the GOP. The final ratification will require 2/3 of the senators present. Many Republicans announced their intention to ratify the treaty who were in question of which side they were going to vote. Present for the vote was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden. Around Tuesday or Wednesday, the final vote is expected.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/21/5690778-start-moves-a-step-closer-to-approval-

The START treaty is a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia. The treaty builds on a previous agreement that expired in December. It cuts nuclear weapons held by both countries by a third. (Source)

I think that it is a good idea to build on the previous agreements from the other treaty, START I. If we have already had an agreement in order and it worked out very well, it just makes sense to create another one after it expires. I hope that they get closer to ratifying the treaty.

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Dem. leader says Senate could finish Saturday

Senate Democratic leader says that lawmakers could complete, by Saturday, an agenda of a nuclear arms treaty, a spending bill and a repeal of the ban on gays in the military. Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said on the Senate floor that the path is clear to finishing. Ried needs Republicans to sign on to wrapping up pieces of legislation. He scuttled a $1.3 trillion catch all spending bill in favor of a smaller measure to keep the government running into next year. He also set votes for Saturday on the repeal of the "don't ask - don't tell" policy. he vowed to finish a arms control treaty with Russia. The Senate needs to deal with a bill to aid people who were sick after exposure to dust from the Sept. 11 collapse of the World Trade Center.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40717468/ns/politics/

I think that it is great that the government is trying to complete these bills. I haven't really gained an opinion on the treaty with Russia. I guess I need to get a little bit more information on the subject. As for the "don't ask - don't tell" policy and gays being allowed into the military, I think that if it is something that that particular person want to do they should be able to go into the military. I also think that we should come up will a bill that will aid the people who were near the World Trade Center because if they had known that the World Trade Center was going to be attacked, I am pretty sure that they wouldn't go anywhere near there. So I believe that they should create a bill to aid people who were sick.

Jobless rate jumps to a seven-month high

Hiring slowed sharply as unemployment rate climbed to 9.8% in November. Retailers, factories, construction companies, financial firms and the government all cut jobs. Paul Dales, U.S. economist for Capital Economies, said that they economy is going nowhere when companies are not willing to boost hiring. This marks the 19th straight month that they jobless rate has been above 9%. Mark Zandi expects the nation's unemployment rate to move above 10%. Analysts say that the economy would need to add 200,000 to 300,000 a month to make a dent in the unemployment rate. Economists say the the economy is flashing signs of stronger growth in the final months of the year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40489052/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

In the article it said that there were some 15.1 million people that were unemployed last month. I find that to be crazy. They were talking about the jobs that were created this month were lower then last month. They talked of how that was crazy. I don't see how it can be. If they added a lot of jobs in October, not as many jobs in the factories and companies are available to create more jobs for those that don't have work. I agree with Zandi in the fact that unemployment rate will continue to rise in the next few months. I think that we need to start small and work our way up to adding around 250,000 jobs a month. If we try to do it all at once, I think that it will really hurt our economy.

School bus-driving mayor hurt in LA wreck

A tractor-trailer hit a school bus that had its lights flashing and stop signs extended, critically injuring 3 kids and hurting the other 18 and both drivers. The bus driver, also the town mayor, and the trucker have minor injures. Most of the kids had minor to moderate injuries. The crash happened in the morning on a straight, clear stretch between Port Barre and Opelousas. Eric Thibodeaux, supervisor for Acadian Ambulance Service, said that the back bumper was pushed in almost to the rear wheels of the bus. A seat had to be cut to free a trapped child. The Port Barre Mayor Gil Savoy was working as a substitute driving the bus. David Cox, the truck driver, said that bus was starting to leave the stop with its warning lights flashing and stop signs extended. The Mayor told the children to brace themselves when he saw the truck coming. The truck stopped and Mayor Savoy stopped the bus a few hundred feet down the highway. The kids ages range from 5 to 17. The medics worked swiftly and patients were quickly routed to hospitals.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40493932/ns/us_news/

The article said that they road was clear and straight. From that I guess that there was no ice on the road and that the weather was clear. So I don't understand why an incident like this would happen. My dad is a bus driver and I have been driving on the roads for a couple of years, so I know not to move my car until the lights have stopped flashing and the stop sign is no longer out. I don't see why the truck driver didn't just stop his truck. Also how would the truck get so close to the bus when the bus was just stopped and it takes a second or two to start going again. It is hard to understand what all happened in this situation. I hope that everyone involved in the accident are doing well and back to their version of normal very soon.