What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, so feel free to share.

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I guess there’s some big speech tonight or something. The President wants to remind us that he is still “focused like a laser” on jobs. Again. No, really, he means it this time.

Just for fun, let’s count how many times he says “I, me, police, first responders, and teachers”. You know, govt jobs, his favorite kind.

So here’s some interesting facts on his jobs record to date. From ZeroHedge

“While hardly presented by the mainstream media with the same panache dedicated to the monthly ARIMA-X-12 seasonally-adjusted, climate-affected, goal-seek devised non-farm payroll data, the three month delayed Foodstamp number is according to many a far greater attestation to the “effectiveness” of the Obama administration to turn the economy around. And far greater it is: since his inauguration, the US has generated just 841,000 jobs through November 2012, a number is more than dwarfed by the 17.3 million new foodstamps and disability recipients added to the rolls in the past 4 years. And since the start of the depression in December 2007, America has seen those on foodstamps and disability increase by 21.8 million, while losing 3.6 million jobs. End result: total number of foodstamp recipients as of November: 47.7 million, an increase of 141,000 from the prior month, and reversing the brief downturn in October, while total US households on foodstamps just hit an all time record of 23,017,768, an increase of 73,952 from the prior
month.”

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Also, my prediction? Here comes the student loan bailouts, because everyone should have a college degree, even if it’s useless, won’t get you a job, and they can’t afford it.

So to quote InButNotOf from yesterday,

“So…a dog show or a dog AND pony show?”

🙂 🙂 🙂

Something tells me the real Dog Show will be more enjoyable. Although I will miss Bobble-head Joe Biden and Spring-loaded Nancy Pelosi. Every applause line, Joe’s head will bobble, and Nancy will fly from her seat. They’re like applauding puppets.

Here’s the link to watch some of the judging live streamed from the WestminsterDogShow.

But if you’re into it, you can catch the President on any network TV channel, or here from CSPAN

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And in case you hadn’t heard 🙄 the Pope has stepped down. I can respect his decision, although I’m not Catholic. If he feels he can longer meet the requirements of the position, then stepping aside is the honorable thing to do. A good leader knows this, and acts accordingly.

From TheWallSt.Journal

“Pope Benedict XVI will become the first pontiff in six centuries to resign, marking the end of a transitional papacy that focused more on theological and internal renewal and less on the broader challenges that face the Roman Catholic church at the start of its 21st century of existence.

The pope’s surprise announcement paves the way for a successor who will confront anew the task of rebuilding the church’s foundations in an increasingly secular and skeptical West while continuing to spread its roots in the rapidly growing emerging world.

The 85-year-old pope, who before his 2005 election was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, announced the decision to step down in a speech in Latin Monday to a small group of cardinals, saying he no longer had the vitality to perform his duties. Only two top Vatican cardinals were informed beforehand about the historic announcement, which quickly ricocheted around the world.”

The Left of course took to Twitter, where all twits go to spread their vileness. Yes, it’s as bad as you think it would be.

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As usual, President Obama wanted to make sure that even this be about him, in some small and pathetic way. He wants to remind you how he worked with the Pope on important matters. You know, like the contraceptive mandate. 😯

From CNSNews

“President Barack Obama–whose administration is being sued by multiple Roman Catholic dioceses and organizations for violating their free exercise of religion–issued a statement today about retiring Pope Benedict XVI, boasting of his “work together” with the pontiff.

“On behalf of Americans everywhere, Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting with the Holy Father in 2009, and I have appreciated our work together over these last four years,” Obama said. “The Church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s successor.”

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Tonight, when it’s all about him, he’ll explain why he has to act like a tyrant to get around that pesky Congress. It’s for the good of the country or something.

From Bloomberg

“When President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, the biggest question he’ll face will be how to get an ambitious second-term agenda through a divided Congress.

The answer: Go around it.

On climate change, gun control, gay rights, and even immigration, the White House has signaled a willingness to circumvent lawmakers through the use of presidential power. Already, plans are being laid to unleash new executive orders, regulations, signing statements and memorandums designed to push Obama’s programs forward and cement his legacy, according to administration aides and allies.”

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Here’s some more on the new decrees from The Emperor.

From TheWashingtonPost

“President Obama is considering a series of new executive actions aimed at working around a recalcitrant Congress, including policies that could allow struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages, provide new protections for gays and lesbians, make buildings more energy-efficient and toughen regulations for coal-fired power plants, according to people outside the White House involved in discussions on the issues.

One of the first orders is expected this week, when the Obama administration will call for the creation of new standards on what critical private-sector companies should do to protect their computer systems from hackers.

The moves underscore Obama’s increasingly aggressive use of executive authority, including 23 administrative actions on gun violence last month and previous orders that delayed deportations of young illegal immigrants and will lower student loan payments.

These and other potential actions suggest that Obama is likely to rely heavily on executive powers to set domestic policy in his second term. One White House official said that while the president does not see the actions as substitutes for more substantial legislation, he also wants to move forward on top priorities.”

Once again, the so-called constitutional scholar seems completely clueless about what it says, and wants you to think he’s justified in his unconstitutional actions.

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One thing you won’t hear him mention is this. (Although he will mention guns and have victims to use as props to push his gun control agenda.) Just like his friends in the network media, he’ll skip this part. Shhhh……. It’s a secret.

From Mediaite

“Alleged Los Angeles shooter Christopher Jordan Dorner, influenced by left-leaning media coverage of gun crime in the wake of the Newtown shootings, has virtually paralyzed the City of Angels. Floyd Lee Corkins, a gunman incensed by anti-gay marriage bias after reading articles by the liberal advocacy group Southern Poverty Law Center, took a firearm into the Family Research Council’s headquarters with the intention of killing “as many as possible.” He hoped to smash Chick-fil-A sandwiches in the faces of as many corpses as he could. These shooters were clearly moved by left-wing media, and we should thank every benevolent force in the universe that they were. Had either shooter possessed even a tenuous link to a conservative group, a media-driven hysteria about the malevolent influence of right-wing broadcasters and commentators would be gripping the nation today. Fortunately, when a crazed shooter’s ideology is explicitly and demonstrably left-wing, the media displays admirable restraint about linking a gunman’s politics to their acts of violence.”

“When the facts make it impossible to indulge the instinct to link a violent extremist to the right – in Dorner and Corkins’ cases for example – the media displays appropriate caution about assigning political motives to their actions.”

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