Democrats and Republicans have spent the year fruitlessly debating who has the better jobs plan.

But no matter which party has controlled Congress or the White House, the federal government itself has remained a reliable job creator for the past ten years. That could change if Republicans succeed in passing a bill that they have put on the House calendar for the New Year.

A House panel approved legislation sponsored by freshman Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) that would achieve budget savings by reducing the size of the federal workforce. Mulvaney’s bill calls for attrition to reduce the federal civilian workforce by 10 percent by fiscal year 2015. And in order to try to ensure that the government doesn’t simply replace workers with contractors, the bill specifies that the amount spent on contract workers should be reduced by the same amount as the savings generated from shrinking the federal workforce.

WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A fire at a chemical plant south of Dallas shot massive plumes of black smoke and bright orange flames into the sky Monday, forcing schoolchildren and residents to evacuate or take cover indoors to avoid possible exposure to dangerous gases.
Flames engulfed what appeared to be several areas of a large complex at a
Magnablend, Inc., facility in Waxahachie, about 30 miles south of
Dallas. Images from local television stations showed the fast-moving
blaze consuming a fire truck at the scene and flames nearing railroad
tracks alongside the property.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican lawmakers reached a deal to end what has become the longest state shutdown in recent U.S. history.

The deal came after a three-hour negotiating session that followed major concessions by Dayton. If details are worked out and approved by state legislators, it would end a two-week shutdown.

The two sides agreed on a proposal that would raise $1.4 billion in new revenue, half by delaying state aid checks to school districts and the other half by selling tobacco payment bonds.

(EW.com) — CBS’ high-profile — and very expensive — attempt to juice up its “Evening News” telecast is expected to come to an official end this week. A well-placed source told EW that Katie Couric, 54, will confirm that she’s decided to leave the telecast to pursue other opportunities. Her contract officially ends in June.

Washington (CNN) — An air traffic control supervisor and the crew of a Southwest Airlines jet have been suspended after the controller asked the Southwest Boeing 737 to fly in the vicinity of a small Cirrus aircraft in an effort to check on the welfare of the pilot, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the action resulted in the planes getting too close to each other, endangering people on both aircraft.

A Virgin Blue flight attendant was fired after an angry mother claimed he locked her toddler son in an overhead bin, the Sunday Herald Sun reports. Natalie Williamson told the newspaper that she, her 17-month-old son, Riley, and her now estranged husband were traveling
on a Virgin flight from Fiji to Sydney, Australia, when the flight
attendant picked up Riley, placed him in the overhead bin and shut the
door.

(CNN) — The Ohio state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would curb the collective bargaining rights of public workers and strip away their power to strike.

Lawmakers approved the measure by a count of 17 to 16, with six Republicans voting in opposition.

The bill, known as Senate Bill 5, is supported by Republican Governor John Kasich. It would curb a 1983 Ohio state law that affords collective bargaining rights to public employees.

Silver Springs, Nevada (CNN) — The helicopter is on the chase. At first, you can only hear it. Then, from behind the hillside, you see a herd of wild horses running for their freedom, with the helicopter close behind.

One escapes the trap, barely. The crowd cheers.

This is the scene at the Lahontan wild horse roundup in Silver Springs, Nevada. The helicopter pilot works for the federal government. The crowd is composed mainly of activists opposed to the roundups.

More and more, the roundups are becoming showdowns between protesters and the Bureau of Land Management.

Carson City, Nevada (CNN) — Just like the men training them, these horses used to be free. The animals were free to roam the land in the West, and the men were free to come and go as they please. Now they are both captive at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center.

If it weren’t for the matching prison blue that the inmates wear, you could mistake this for any working ranch. The prison has a program that uses inmates such as James Redmon to break wild mustangs that have been rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management.

Bob Harkins writes: LAS VEGAS – The stern eyes of the security guard brightened as he saw the thin, gray-haired man hop out of his pickup truck and approach the stock pens. The guard’s no-nonsense demeanor evaporated as he rushed to shake the man’s hand, thanking him for all he had done for the sport of rodeo.

The man, a smile plastered across his face, laughed off the compliment and exchanged pleasantries with his admirer. Such a scene is not uncommon wherever you see this man, an affable and sharp-witted 34-year veteran of the rodeo business named John Growney. It’s just the effect he has on people.

A 62-year-old rodeo stock contractor, Growney has the energy of a 25-year-old and the magnetic personality of a car salesman, only somehow more trustworthy. In fact, he once dreaded he was going to end up in the selling cars, as there was a strong call to join a family business started by his grandfather.