Chris Estes

Image source CNN.com and White House

I am sorry to announce that the Socks the Former First Pet has did at age 20. The black and white feline had managed to be in on some of the world famous meeting of state. He did have a care in the world as you can see him pose on the the very same podium that President Bill Clinton spoke.

First animals have a way of working their way into the hustles buss of the White House Staffers and people around the world.  Socks recently came together with K-9 friend Buddy Bush to write a book about letters to first pets.

The CNN.com Article below talks in more detail of the lives of the first pet and how Socks Went.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Socks, the cat who won international fame during his years in the Clinton White House, was euthanized Friday after months of treatment for cancer. Socks was adopted by Chelsea Clinton when her father was governor of Arkansas.

Socks, who was born in 1989, was put to sleep about 10 a.m. at Three Notch Veterinary Clinic in Hollywood, Maryland, said veterinary assistant Rae Dera. Veterinarians say he was probably either 19 or 20 years old.

The cat had been losing weight since November and had been treated at the clinic, Dera said. He had been suffering from a cancer in his mouth and jaw.

Since the Clintons left the White House in 2001, Socks had lived with Betty Currie, former President Bill Clinton’s secretary. The Clintons were known to have visited Socks, and Currie, when in Washington.

He had been a stray and was adopted by Chelsea Clinton, the Clintons’ daughter, when Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas.

“Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere,” Bill and Hillary Clinton said in a joint statement released by the William J. Clinton Foundation. “We’re grateful for those memories, and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years.”

The black-and-white feline was a fixture at the White House during the Clintons’ eight-year run. He was often photographed on the president’s shoulder and was given free rein of the presidential residence — showing up in photos in the Oval Office and White House press briefing room.

He had his own online fan club, appeared at animal charity events and was one of the subjects of now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s book, “Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets.”

As President Barack Obama gets ready for his first night in the White House the Honeymoon is ending. Wednesday begins his first full day as President.  Obama’s Presidency begins in a time of Economic Turmoil and trying times internationally.  It is unlikely that he will get a long honeymoon that has been extended to presidents past.

Pres. Obama inherits a two front war in the Middle East.  A weakened economy full of scandal and turmoil that directly effects the falling employment rates.  Many people from around the world will be  looking to the Leader of The Free World for guidance.

So to spare you the obvious problems that face America lets take a look at days gone by with information from the United Steelworkers Rapid Response.  Only history will tell the legacy of Former George W. Bush today’s stats are dim and perhaps indicative of how history will be written.

The Legacy of George W. Bush

Printable format

	When Bush Took Office	Today
Unemployment Rate	4.2%	7.2%
National Debt	$5.7 trillion	$10.6 trillion
Manufacturing Jobs	17.2 million	13.0 million
Americans without Health Care Coverage	40 million	46 million
Employers Offering Some Type of Insurance Coverage	69%	63%
Annual Premium Cost for Family Coverage	$6,230	$12,680
Americans in Poverty	31.6 million	37.3 million
U.S. Trade Deficit	$362 billion	$688 billion
Cost of College6 Public Private	$3,766 $17,377	$6,585 $25,143

1. U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics Survey, Manufacturing Employment, 2000 & 2008.
2. Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits, 2008 Annual Survey.
3. Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits Surveys.
4. U.S. Census Bureau, most recent available data is for 2007.
5. U.S. Census Bureau, data is from a 12-month period of December-November for both timeframes.
6. College Board, Trends in College Pricing, data is for tuition and fees only.

Image from Counton2.com
Statistics eblast original source for USW.org

Just when you thought an era of Kennedy’s and Clinton’s was coming to an end it is being Reported that Caroline Kennedy is to take Senator Hiliary Clinton’s New York Senate seat.

NY Governor David Paterson has the task of appointing Clinton’s replacement.  If you remember Gov. Paterson replaced the embattled Elliot Spitzer after the prostitution scandal.

Read about Speculation about Caroline Kennedy’s appointment to the US Senate.  It isn’t so far fetched as ABC, the Boston Channel, and CNN are all buzzing about the News.

Do you have a Political Yard Sign in your lawn?  Many cities and communities have strict rules about them.  But what about when someone steals or mangles your right to free speech?

This Austin Texas voter took things into her own hands:

I wonder if she used environmentally safe spray paint?

The article “Woman paints lawn after sign is stolen“:

Woman paints lawn after sign is stolen

No Obama sign? One woman spraypainted her lawn

AUSTIN (KXAN) – After the Barack Obama sign was stolen from her front yard, Shannon Bennett painted a more permanent one with 12 cans of spray-paint and her front lawn as the canvas. “I just wanted to be able to say who I support, without being censored, which is how I felt when my sign was taken,” said Bennett.

She painted a large, red, white, and blue symbol in the front yard, using her old Obama sign as an inspiration. “The signs cost money and it’s coming into my front yard and taking away my freedom of expression,” said Bennett. She said she has not received any complaints from neighbors and the makeshift sign has been in the yard for a week. In an election year, sometimes driveways and sidewalks become battle lines, but not in Bennett’s Northwest Austin neighborhood.

“I looked out and I was surprised to see it one morning,” said neighbor Elaine Goessling. “And I am a Republican, but I was really impressed with how pretty is it.”

Bennett said the Obama signs have been stolen from the yards of her neighbors, as well. “They might think it’s extreme, but I think it’s extreme to come into my yard and take something that belongs to me, so I wanted to express myself.”