Sen. Kay Hagan

If you call them "Professionals", you don't have to pay them overtime:

It's unclear how many programmers, analysts and web designers would be affected by the proposed legislation, but the goal is to make overtime pay for these kinds of workers an exception, not the norm. "Jobs are my No. 1 priority," she said. "I want to do everything I can to make sure employers have the tools they need to hire North Carolinians and invest in the local economy."

Once again, I have to explain the obvious: If you can work one person for 70 hours a week without paying time-and-a-half, there's no incentive to hire a second person to absorb some of the workload. If you're wondering if this would impact you, read the bill:

What the hell is it about?

... the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has examined several potential job-creation proposal to see what would do the most. Yesterday, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities noted that the proposal that comes in last is Senator Hagan’s ill-conceived giveaway to corporations with foreign income.

Emphasis added

In today's upside down world, Hagan probably thinks this makes her dumb idea a winner. And truth be told, it is a winner ... if you happen to be a billionaire CEO.

TODAY: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011

WHAT: Senator Kay Hagan and NC business leaders to hold press conference on Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act (more tax breaks for business ... with no strings attached)

WHEN: 9:30 a.m., Friday, October 7

WHERE: Quintiles, 4820 Emperor Blvd., Durham

And if you don't already know the difference between the two, you haven't been paying attention:

A bill that would earmark $6.9 billion dollars for disaster relief failed to get enough votes to move forward in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, with Republican North Carolina Senator Richard Burr voting against and Democratic Senator Kay Hagan voting in favor.

The crop losses from Irene are the worst many of our farmers have seen in decades, yet their Senator keeps whining about offsets:

Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone was just on Keith Olbermann's Countdown where he called out Sen. Kay Hagan for wanting to give the big corporations who shelter money offshore a big tax break if they bring their funds home.

Voting against her personal interests in the process:

“It is time for Congress to tighten its belt, like American families must do daily,” Hagan said. “Every year Democrats and Republicans make empty promises about bringing down our deficit, and it's time we started putting our money where our mouth is,” Hagan said in a statement.

“While the bill includes provisions that I support,” Hagan said, “I could not vote in favor of a bill that would give tax cuts to people making over $1 million a year and add $858 billion to our national deficit.”

This should make two things abundantly clear: a) She didn't go to Washington with the goal of enriching herself or her family, and b) Her campaign promises (deficit reduction being one) were neither idle nor transitory, they were true reflections of intent.

Likely Fox News followers applaud nauseating performance art:

"Conversations with Kay" quickly turned into "Confrontation With Kay" when Sen. Kay Hagan visited the Kernersville Senior Enrichment Center.

"My children will suffer because of this health care bill," the concerned woman loudly told Hagan . The woman said she's raising two chronically ill children who have been under anesthesia 50 times in the last 14 years.

"I don't want free health care. Because I will sell everything I own to pay for my children because this is America." the concerned parent said.

Preparing for a lesser future:

The Department of Defense has reopened its program to help military spouses pay for school, but, as expected, fewer people will be eligible, and they'll get less money.

Under the new rules, the program will pay for course work for spouses of service members in lower pay grades only. It will only pay for associate's degrees, licensing and certification programs - no bachelor's or master's degrees.

This is so typical of the DoD. Raise hopes high and then dash them with new rules and cuts.

I received this earlier today via e-mail from a Governor's Focus member:

U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) yesterday cosponsored a bipartisan bill to help service members access mental health care services...

“Our service men and women put their lives on the line for our country, and they now face an unnecessary, administrative hurdle to accessing mental health care,” Hagan said. “As a U.S. Senator from North Carolina and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am focused on ensuring our veterans, active duty military and their families can access the services they need. Mental health care for our returning troops is so critical, and I will work with my colleagues to ensure this important bill is signed into law.”

How to have your cake and do nothing to earn said cake:

Hagan went to the Senate floor asking – again – for votes on the nominees. Once again, she was rebuffed.

The request for unanimous consent was immediately objected to by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell pointed out Democrats routinely blocked judiciary nominations during the Bush administration.

Ah. The "you did it, too!" argument. Very clever. Not.