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"The challenges faced by working Americans has never been greater. Those challenges are exacerbated by an Administration that has no understanding of the needs of working families."

I heard this soundbite on the local radio news, and had to investigate. The challenge has never been greater, Sheets? You're old enough to remember the Great Depression. That's what I call a challenge to working families, at least according to my mother, who lived through it in a poor little West Virginia town.

Sheets has been suckling on the government teat since at least 1958, he brags, so please tell me what the heck he knows about the challenges facing working Americans? His only challenge is figuring out how to take more of their hard-earned money to fund pork barrel projects.

USWA press release:

Contact: Gary Hubbard of the United Steelworkers of America, 202-778-4384 or 202-256-8125

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- USWA President Leo Gerard presented separate 'USWA Wellstone Awards' to U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.V.) and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) during the opening session on Sunday of a 'Legislation for Us' conference with 400 union activists from across the nation at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

In accepting the awards, both Sen. Byrd and Rep. Kaptur described Sen. Wellstone as an authentic advocate who advanced labor and human rights. Sen. Byrd contrasted the late Senator's advocacy by telling union members, "The Bush Administration, which is ever eager to feed at the trough of corporate largesse, does so at the expense of America's working families."

Gerard said, "The USWA created the award to recognize the dedication and accomplishments of public servants that exemplify the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, whose own commitment to public service and the well-being of Steelworkers and their families helped advance labor and human rights at home and around the world."

Sen. Byrd received his award surrounded by USWA delegates from West Virginia, where he was thanked by the USWA president for "your dedication to Steelworkers and their families, and for your unswerving, unshakable defense of our democratic foundations." Sen. Byrd was first elected to represent West Virginia in 1958. He has sponsored many bills supporting working families, and has led the Senate Steel Caucus fights to curb foreign imports and steel dumping, plus rallying opposition to exemptions to the steel tariffs imposed by U.S. Pres. Bush.

Rep. Kaptur was greeted by Steelworkers from northwestern Ohio's ninth Congressional District, where she is serving an eleventh term since first being elected in 1982. She was cited by USWA President Gerard "as one of the strongest voices in Congress against trade agreements that trade away jobs and a tireless advocate for the rights of workers everywhere." The USWA president said she has never forgotten her roots of activism that began with employment in an auto parts plant. Kaptur is the senior democratic woman on the congressional appropriations committee who is a fighter in the Wellstone tradition.

The USWA Wellstone Award was established following the Oct. 25, 2002 death of U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, daughter Marcia and three campaign aides in a plane crash in northern Minnesota -- only ten days from an election he was on his way to winning a third term. The award is handcrafted in metal by USWA artisans at August Wendell Forge in Pennsylvania, featuring a Sen. Wellstone quote: "Politics is what we create by what we do, what we hope for and what we dare to imagine."

"-- only ten days from an election he was on his way to winning a third term."

Hmmmmmm...being from MN, and closely watching the race between Wellstone and Norm Coleman, I seem to recall it was a statistical dead heat, with the polls starting to sway towards Mr Coleman.

As a former West Virginian and visited there during the holidays, I can testify that there aren't any new industries or an increase in employment except in the state government. All other industries, what's left that is, reported decreased employment figures. Could it be that the state has depleted things and places to name after Sheets Byrd that in order for him to be awarded anything it has to come outside the state?

Sheets Byrd's home state has several things named after him, including:

The Robert C. Byrd Highway; the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam; the Robert C. Byrd Institute; the Robert C. Byrd Life Long Learning Center; the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program; the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope; the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing; the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse; the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center; the Robert C. Byrd Academic and Technology Center; the Robert C. Byrd United Technical Center; the Robert C. Byrd Federal Building; the Robert C. Byrd Drive; the Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex; the Robert C. Byrd Library; the Robert C. Byrd Learning Resource Center; and the Robert C. Byrd Rural Health Center.

Sort of reminds you of all the statues, pictures and images of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, doesn't it?

It is interesting that a story line in a show called "In the line of fire" covered an old Senator who had witnessed the lynching of a black man on his property when he was younger and it prompted him to make it his life's work to make things better for black people to atone for his actions.... You almost feel like they were talking about a real person or something....