Radioactive red tape - Nine cartons of "mildly" radioactive smoke detector parts were to have been shipped abroad, but the deal fell through. Neither the shipper nor Colorado officials want to spend $40,000 to get it to a waste dump. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Energy Dept. and the EPA have each told them to try the other guy. The stuff has been sitting in the trucker's parking lot since 1983.
The march of civilization - The new $70,000 Mercedes- Benz includes a sensitive stereo control that raises the volume when you speed up and lowers it when you slow down. And, neatest of all, a retractable trunk handle that pops out so your fingers won't get soiled.
Capitalism: It fouls things up - About 37 percent of U.S. lakes and estuaries and 36 percent of rivers are polluted to the point that makes them "not clean enough to meet basic uses," reports the Environmental Protection (?) Agency.
`Their' company? - "In today's competitive world, most employees seem to accept the fact that they have to work harder for their company to succeed. But they don't really believe their employers are willing to pay them adequately for that hard work." - Washington Post
The silver lining-"Accountants pour over fiscal ledgers at $325 an hour. Lawyers toil into the night... at $385 an hour. Financial advisors... labor for the taxpayers at $150,000 a month." - News report from bankrupt Orange County, where 1,600 municipal workers have been fired and social services chopped.
For the one who has everything- The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace is offering a variety of stocking- stuffers. For instance, the American Leadership video speeches. Great oratorical moments from speeches by Tricky Dick, Bob Dole, and New Jersey Guv Christine Todd Whitman.
There's a real conspiracy - The children of the late Jim Garrison are suing Warner Brothers and other studios for their method of calculating "net profits." Oliver Stone's film JFK was based on Garrison's book promoting his conspiracy theory on the presidential assassination. The film grossed a reported $150 million worldwide. But Garrison's estate has yet to receive a dime.
Really-"Unfortunately, bankruptcy is expensive." - Orange County CEO Jan Mittermeier.
Merry Marxmas and a revolutionary New Year - Holiday greetings to all, a warm thanks to clipping contributors, and a reminder: Send clippings to Great Society, Pathfinder Bookstore, 2546 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90027.