Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Afternoon

Investment guru Warren Buffet says he’s making “an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” Buffet’s investment fund will pay $26 billion to buy the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. That will only pay off if there are a lot of goods being manufactured, sold and shipped by rail, so let’s hope he’s right. Even for Warren Buffet, $26 billion is a lot to pay just to get a train set for Christmas.

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We’re learning more every day about how important sleep is to maintaining our health. So ironically, here’s some sleep news that might keep you awake at night. The CDC reports that nearly 70 percent of American adults have at least one day a month when they don’t get proper rest. And 11 percent say they NEVER get enough sleep.

You know, maybe that’s one way the 1,990-page House health care bill really could improve Americans’ health. Just start reading it, and you’ll finally get some deep sleep.

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If you’re wondering how the estimates of job creation by the stimulus bill got so overinflated, ask Bob Bray of Blooming Grove, Texas. He got a $26,000 federal contract to fix up some public apartments. So he hired five roofers and a building inspector, and reported to Washington that he’d created six jobs. They said that wasn’t right; they needed to know how many hours his employees worked. So he told them, “450.” Next thing he knew, the government report came out, and it said he’d created 450 jobs. Bob says the money was great, but he’s been fighting for a month and a half to try to get the numbers corrected. Welcome to government accounting, Bob.

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Finally, if you love city living, why not just stay there? Rangers in America’s national parks say city slickers who’ve never hiked or camped before think that all they have to do is use their cellular technology to call for help. They call these calls “Yuppie 911,” and they’re putting rescuers in danger and wasting time and tax money. The Arizona Daily Sun reports that one group of hikers at the Grand Canyon recently called for three dangerous helicopter rescue missions in three days. One of their emergencies: their water “tasted salty.”