24, the Stimulus, And Backwards Corporate Logic

24
I am somewhat disappointed in what was once my favorite show on TV, 24. Seasons 1-5 were great (I own all 5), but last year's seasons was mediocre, and this year's season has some elements that I need to take issue with. Specifically, the plot line involving the President's husband requires, for me, an extraordinary suspension of disbelief, and I'll explain why (warning, spoilers do follow):

First, a few episodes ago, the First Gentleman had a private meeting with a person of interest on the banks of the tidal basin in Washington, DC, in plain sight of everyone, with the Jefferson Memorial in the background. This would never happen in real life, as there is massive security and press anywhere the First Lady goes. But that isn't my main complaint, it's this...

In the episode on February 2, the First Gentleman was out of contact for over any hour. He wasn't answering his phone, and the one agent that he was with was not answering his radio. The response to not being able to find the First Gentleman? The Secret Service put out an APB. What? That's absurd. If Michelle Obama's whereabouts were unknown for an hour, I wouldn't be able to leave my house. The country would be shut down, especially DC, where this season takes place. How great a twist would it have been for Jack Bauer (who is working off-books) to have to chase a terrorist through a Washington, DC, that is being quickly and systematically shut down by the Secret Service? It would be very great. But I don't work on the writing staff of 24, so instead they rehash old story-lines with new characters. Which brings me to...

The Stimulus
Everything would be so much easier if Nancy Pelosi were not Speaker of the House. I think that she is noticeably hurting President Obama's attempts at bipartisanship, as she has a shove-it-in-your-face attitude. Yes, you won, but you don't have to be so mean spirited about it. Is this bill perfect? No. Could it be made perfect? I don't know -- perfection varies in everyone eyes. But I wish they would make the bill solely about stimulating the economy and not about simply funding ideas and programs that couldn't get support under George Bush.

I think one of the provisions in the stimulus should be money for 24 to hire new writers. Let's face it, while seasons 1-5 were extraordinary television, I think that the writing team may have reached it's full potential with the 5th season. Its time for some new blood, and more money to pay out will attract the best writers available. A better storyline would mean more viewers, leading to higher ad-spot costs, leading to higher pay for 24 and Fox employees, leading to higher spending by those employees, and it's quickly apparent how my plan will save the US economy. How about a storyline where Jack Bauer has to infiltrate and destroy...

Wells Fargo
Anyone who watches the news may have heard about this already, but I will thrown in my 2 cents:

In short, the CEO of Wells Fargo took out a full page ad in numerous high profile newspapers claiming that the money it received from the federal government was not used to pay for corporate junkets or getaways -- those, he claimed, were paid for out of profits. What? You can't claim to need money, take the money, spend it on a party, then claim that you didn't use the borrowed money to pay for it. Money doesn't work that way. Idiot. It seems to me that Wells Fargo is trying to scam the government, and Jack Bauer needs to make things right.