Back from summer recess! Fourth Session, 48th Congress

Congress is back in session. The Fourth Session of the 48th Congressus Patriaë (4·XLVIII 2009-10) convened today to begin a session that will adjourn in June 2010, a few days before Inauguration Day. At the top of the Fourth Session's order paper, is of course the battle against the GED (Global Economic Downturn, not a high school equivalency diploma). Congress warns that even if the recession may have "officially" ended, or will end during this session, any recovery will be jobless. With double-digit unemployment (and a jobless rate as high as 35% in Patria's Rust Belt) and anemic consumer spending, notwithstanding the exhortation to go out and buy that was delivered when the Third Session adjourned for the summer recess, it will still feel like a recession for the remainder of this Congress' term of office and could even be GED, Round 2. A double-dip recession in early 2010 is a very real possibility.

Also on the order paper is migrating Patria's web site from the soon-to-be-defunct Geocities to a free server, yet to be determined.

When the Speaker's gavel hit the dais to open the fourth and final session of the 48th Congress, it also marks the de facto official start of the election campaign for the 49th Congress. Patria votes April 17, 2010. As the Jungle Party would say, "Step your game up! Have a campaign trail take and don't suck"!