SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

ECONOMIC SHOCK – From the Washington Examiner:   All of the employment gains among women since the recession hit in December 2007 have been taken by foreigners, even at a time when the numbers of U.S.-born women surged more than 600,000, according to new federal statistics.  The jobs data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed gains in the "employment level" among "foreign born women" and losses among "native born women."  I certainly have nothing against the foreign born.  Most of us are descended from immigrants.  But the predicament of native-born American women cannot be denied.  Maybe the "women's" organizations will start showing some interest in this.

ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL REST – From the Washington Free Beacon:  President Obama will depart the White House with his family for a vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard Friday afternoon, one day earlier than his original scheduled departure date.  The Associated Press reported that the Obama family moved up the date of departure, extending their summer vacation to 17 days, more than four times the length of the average American vacation. In fact, Obama’s summer break is one day longer than the total amount of vacation time the average American worker is allotted for an entire year.  The first family will reside in the same $12 million mansion in Chilmark that they rented last year. Positioned on 10 acres of land, the 8,100-square-foot home houses seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The estate is enhanced by a dual basketball/tennis court and an infinity pool.  He kind of throws it in our face, doesn't he?  Just another man of the people.

VULGAR – From AP:  HAVANA (AP) — A $3 million yacht left Key West this week with two barbeque grills, 250 channels of satellite TV and a just-in-case plan for rescuing stranded Cuban rafters encountered in the Florida Straits.  After four hours smooth sailing, the Still Water tied up at Havana's Hemingway Marina. The well-heeled passengers breakfasted on smoked salmon and pastries, then boarded an air-conditioned Cuban government bus for a day of touring the city.  The Cold War made the Florida Straits into a stage for nuclear showdown and a graveyard for thousands of Cuban rafters seeking better lives in the United States. Now, normalization of the long-tortured U.S.-Cuba relationship is transforming the 90 miles between the U.S. and Cuba back into a playground for hulking cruise ships and sleek luxury yachts.  I'm sure the Cuban people, who live in a total dictatorship, will benefit enormously from the arrival of the well-dressed American chattering classes.  I can't wait to see the home movies, can you?

August 7, 2015