VBVW for January 21, 2007:
The People vs. The Planet

• The Very Best

The Governator proposed universal health care coverage for Californians. It may not gain much traction, but it’s a first step. Had we known what would prompt it, we would have sent someone to break one of Arnold’s legs long ago. At the same time, San Francisco became the first US city to require employers to give workers paid sick leave.

The American Cancer Society announced that there were 3,014 fewer cancer deaths in the U.S. between 2003 and 2004 than in the previous year. It attributes the change to a trend rather than a “blip.” Projections for 2007 are still frightful but may represent continued change in the right direction.

Inflation in the U.S. is up by only 2.5%, the best showing since 2003 when it rose 1.9%. Unemployment claims were the lowest in 11 month, which is good news for all those workers who have to make up for the wages they lost over the past five years.

• The Very Worst

China shot down a satellite 537 miles above the Earth. China didn’t do this for fun. It did this to prove to the world that it could, and the repercussions are chilling. Government-run industries in China make our clothes and our electronics. Next they might be shooting down our communications systems. Maybe it’s just us, but something is really wrong with this picture.

The worst weather in years assaulted the planet, killing more than 70 people in North America and nearly three dozen in Europe. Hundred mile-an-hour winds, ice storms, and relentless rain resulted in power outages, airport shutdowns, remarkable car wrecks and building damage worldwide. Mother Nature has apparently decided enough is enough. Maybe we ought to start listening.

Los Angeles paid $250 million to get washed-up and petulant soccer star David Beckham to move into the neighborhood. An entire section of California now qualifies as the single biggest starf*cker on the planet.