News of the Day: Labor Day 2011

Labor Day is the official end of summer and the beginning of fall. Weather and politics have dominated the news this past week. Hurricane Irene caused major destruction along the East Coast of the U.S., with most of the damage caused by flooding in New England. Tropical Storm Lee drenched the Gulf Coast States with 10-20 inches of rain. In Texas, wildfires raged uncontrollably. Texas is experiencing its worst drought in decades.Labor Day is also when presidential politics take another step up in intensity. With the Iowa Caucuses currently four months out (the date is open to change), the GOP race is still wide open. Newcomer Rick Perry is quickly gaining the edge in many polls, while Sarah Palin continues to hover around the edge. Palin is like a Category 3 hurricane out in the Atlantic. Hurricane watchers and the media are paying close attention, but it is still too early to tell if she will make landfall. President Obama continues to struggle with finding a voice in the on-going uproar over jobs and the economy. In many ways he looks more and more like Herbert Hoover trying desperately to overcome the economic tsunami that continues to pound the global community. So many factors are simply out of his control.