A.M. Links: Federal Employees Sue Government for Late Pay, Maine Police Chief Says No to Legal Marijuana, $15 Minimum Wage Initiative Wins in Seattle Suburb

Federal employees who worked
during the government shutdown
are suing the government for damages because they weren’t paid
on time. It would be so satisfying to watch the government fight
itself if it weren’t taxpayer dollars it was fighting over.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
acknowledged that enrollment figures for Obamacare for
October
will be “very low.” Only six people signed up on the first
day of enrollment. The government’s top healthcare IT official,

meanwhile, has stepped down and is headed to the private
sector.
Al Gore slammed the NSA’s surveillance program and predicted
it will be reined in. Let’s hope that’s more accurate than his
weather predictions.
Despite the ordinance legalizing marijuana, the police chief of
Portland, Maine says officers will
still issue citations for possession. On the bright side,
he also said reprimandning pot smokers is a low priority.
Backers have declared an initiative for a
$15 hourly minimum wage at Seattle’s Sea-Tac International
Airport to be victorious.
Twitter Inc
could face volatile trade in its debut Thursday on the New York
Stock Exchange, but analysts remain enthusiastic after the
money-losing social media company priced its IPO above the expected
range.
Syrian troops have retaken a
key rebel-held town south of Damascus, according to state-run
media.