Both HP and American Express announced additional job cuts this past week- HP is planning to lay off another 6400 heads while AMEX is chopping off 4K heads. UPS and a few others have also taken out the knives.
But all is not lost. According to a WSJ story, "Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee have taken a novel step to head off Republican efforts to slow action this week on a sweeping climate bill: Hiring a speed reader.
Committee Republicans, who largely oppose the measure, have said they may force the reading of the entire 946-page bill, as well as major amendments totaling several hundred pages. So far, Republicans have decided not to use the procedural maneuver, but Chairman Henry Waxman of California is prepared.
The bill aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% over the next half-century, and is a top priority of President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats.
A committee spokeswoman said the young man, who’s doing door duty at the hearing as he awaits his possible call to the microphone, was hired to help career staff. After years of practice, the panel’s clerks can certainly read rapidly, but she says the speed reader is a lot faster.
“Judging by the size of the amendments, I can read a page about every 34 seconds,” said the newly hired “staff assistant” who declined to give his name. Based on that count, it would take around nine hours to read the entire bill."
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