Obama Pitches His Health Plan

President Obama, speaking in Glenside, Pennsylvania, made a plea for passage of healthcare reform. He spoke to voters and students as leaders continue to work on legislation they hope can pass congress.


Pitching The Plan

As congress keeps debating
Health care for the masses,
The president keeps calling
For a health bill congress passes.

Providers of insurance,
He says, make all the rules,
Based on who’s sick and healthy
Treating us like fools.

He called on those he spoke to
For help, if they’re so prone,
In building public backing
By picking up the phone.

Calling out to voters,
He had a lot to say;
Including wider coverage
Must finally have its day.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

Woman Accused Of Stealing TV Set - Again

Police in Fairbanks, Alaska, accuse a woman of trying to steal a television set. According to authorities, the woman left the store without paying for the set and tried to get away in a taxi.


Hey Taxi

With a TV set right there to grab
She decided to go take a stab.
So she scooped up the set,
And thought her best bet
Was to run out and flag down a cab.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

Singapore Keeps Ban On Chewing Gum

Government leaders in Singapore say they'll retain their ban on chewing gum. Parliament's secretary of national development, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, says the ban has reduced incidents of vandalism and litter. He adds that, before the ban, commuter delays were caused
when vandals prevented subway doors from closing with what he described as gobs of gum.


A Sticking Point

Some citizens of Singapore
Are joining forces to implore
The government to think anew,
And start permitting folks to chew.
The years-long ban on chewing gum
Is making islanders quite glum.
But leaders there, all thinking green,
Who want to keep the island clean,
Say subway trains would run quite late
When gum and doors conglutinate.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

Starbucks Won't Ban Weapons

Starbucks Corp. says it'll allow customers to carry guns where it's legal. The chain refuses to get into debate over gun-control. Gun control advocates plan to carry a petition, with thousands of signatures, to Starbucks headquarters, demanding that firearms be banned in its shops.


Shooting The Breeze

Service deluxe,
At your favorite Starbucks
Includes packing heat
When you go there to eat.
Some folks seem irate,
But where OK'd by the State,
The powers that be
Allow you and me
To carry our guns
With our coffee and buns.
But those for control
Have as their goal
That Starbucks decree
Their shops be gun-free.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

Tiger Playing Golf

Tiger Woods is home from Arizona and is hitting golf balls again.
As he began working out at the Isleworth driving range, colleagues
voiced hope that he'll be back in action in time for the Masters.


Up To Par

Golfing fans from all around,
From Orlando to Nantucket,
All wait as Tiger gets in shape,
Hitting golf balls by the bucket.

His colleagues, too, all hope he's back
In time to join the Masters.
This depends, in part, of course,
On his avoiding more disasters.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

TLC Says It Won't Renew Miss America

Miss America will no longer take her walk for the cameras of TLC. Pageant chairman Sam Haskell says the cable channel had offered to renew the show for less money. Haskell adds that other broadcasters have indicated interest in airing the pageant.


Where'd She Go, Miss America

TLC has bid the show
A sad but firm goodbye.
Although the contest has its fans,
The price tag was too high.

The man who heads the pageant now
Plans to re-ignite the sparks;
And again delight all those who watch,
As in the days of host Bert Parks.

© 2010 Jim Gordon

Democrats Confident On Health Care Reform

House speaker Nancy Pelosi says Barack Obama has the
votes he needs to get his health care reform bill through
congress. Some Republicans, meantime, warn of voter
backlash if the president uses reconciliation to pass his
bill.


If Push Comes To Shove

The time is up, Pelosi says.
The votes have been compiled.
She says the Prez has what he needs
To see health care reconciled.

© 2010 Jim Gordon