Check out the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame:
http://www.armsdc.org/armsdc-halloffame.htm

9/24/02
No war tax or airline help, says White House
Despite projections that the antiterror war and military action against Iraq could cost up to $200 billion, President Bush is not considering any "war tax," according to his budget director, Mitchell Daniels. The director of the Office of Management and Budget said Tuesday morning that Americans are already taxed too much and that the administration thinks it best to dig a deeper deficit than hit up Americans. "Nobody should be talking about a tax increase," he said in a morning meeting over bacon and eggs with reporters. He didn't rule out a future tax increase but dismissed any suggestion that he or the president is considering one for next year or the future. Instead, he argued that Americans are being taxed now more than ever before. Also, he all but ruled out giving the airlines any more money. He plans to meet with airline execs this week and said, "they're pretty inventive," but not convincing. "At this point, I wouldn't see further direct assistance." In fact, Daniels said that the post-9/11 airline bailout package was enough help from taxpayers.

9/19/02
Next on Oprah! Treasury's O'Neill
You gotta hand it to Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. First he junks his big-dollar job and joins the Bush administration. Then he comes to Washington; says a few things conservatives don't like; gets whacked by the right wing and responds with a shrug. Next, he teams with U2's Bono, of all people, to tour Africa pledging to obtain more money for the continent's countries so long as there is tangible evidence that the cash is actually helping folks get clean water, schooling, and relief from HIV and AIDS. What can top that? You'll see Friday, when he and Bono appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show. That's right, the same show that gave us Dr. Phil will feature the do-gooders talking about their trip to Africa. Aides tell us that the duo taped the show earlier this week.

Oprah's Web site: http://www.oprah.com

O'Neill's Web site: http://www.ustreas.gov/

9/18/02
On to Florida, cheers McAuliffe
Breakfast with Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is always a breathless affair. Today, he didn't even have time to drink his black coffee as the pumped-up chief donkey bragged that his side stood to gain in the fall elections. His list: two more Senate seats to add to the one seat majority; control of the House, now run by the Republicans; gubernatorial wins in the states critical for victory in the 2004 presidential race. So what race is he most interested in? No surprise here–the Florida gubernatorial campaign, where Democrat Bill McBride has a chance to knock off the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush. In fact, he's heading to the state Thursday to open a major operation to get Democrats to the polls and promote McBride, who beat Janet Reno in the primary. "We will deploy thousands of people on Election Day," cheers McAuliffe. "This is as big a priority as we've got." He added: "Having the governor is just as critical to us" as winning the White House in 2004. While he's in Florida, look for McAuliffe to take a few of his trademark verbal shots at Bush. For example, he noted that Bush after the 2000 voting debacle pledged to make the state's voting system a model for the nation. But, says the DNC boss, "he's made it a laughing stock."

9/10/02
Clinton rolls out his new Web site
It has taken a year or so, but former President Clinton is finally rolling out his new Web site. The Clinton Presidential Center updates the older place-holder site by including up-to-date details of his post-presidency activities and even a picture and story about his puppy Seamus. Groupies can also read his old speeches. According to the site, "Over time, the site will continue to grow and evolve, ultimately housing the world's most comprehensive digital collection of archival materials on U.S. domestic issues, foreign relations and political events from the past decade. Added to this will be the work of the post-presidential Clinton Foundation, an international think tank and action center for foreign policy, conflict resolution and policy research on issues confronting our nation and the world." Here it is: http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.com/

9/4/02
Chainsaw Al cut loose
Before Jeff Skilling, Ken Lay, Scott Sullivan, or Dennis Kozlowski, there was "Chainsaw Al." Whispers learned early today that the Securities and Exchange Commission has settled its civil case against Albert Dunlap, the former CEO of Sunbeam Corp., who was charged in 1998 with orchestrating one of the biggest financial frauds before Enron. Two sources close to the case confirmed that the court papers were filed Wednesday morning and a litigation release from the SEC is forthcoming. Nicknamed "Chainsaw Al" for his ruthless downsizing in an attempt to turn around the troubled appliance maker, Dunlap has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle the suit. The commission claimed that Dunlap attempted to inflate Sunbeam's value by falsifying revenues and using a host of other illegal accounting schemes, which eventually resulted in the loss of billions of dollars in shareholder value. In January, Dunlap paid $15 million to settle his portion of a class action suit filed by Sunbeam shareholders. Whispers also learns that Sunbeam's former financial officer Russell Kersh has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle his case with the SEC. Under the terms of the settlement, both men are barred from serving as corporate officers or directors. Three other former Sunbeam officials and an auditor from Arthur Andersen who allegedly helped cook the books are the remaining defendants in the SEC's civil case. –Megan Barnett

See the SEC statement just released:
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr17710.htm

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