What’s interesting in the news today?
1. The WSJ has a piece on the differences between Christie and Obama when it comes to dealing with scandals.
From TheWallStJournal ” Governor Chris Christie apologized to New Jersey on Thursday for aides who closed traffic lanes in order to punish a Democratic mayor, and he fired a deputy chief of staff. We mention the IRS because Mr. Christie’s contrition contrasts so sharply with President Obama’s handling of the tax agency’s abuse of political opponents and his reluctance to fire anyone other than a military general for anything.”
“Which brings us to the Obama Administration, which quickly leaked to the media that the U.S. Attorney is investigating the lane closures as a criminal matter. Well, that sure was fast, and nice of Eric Holder‘s Justice Department to show its typical discretion when investigating political opponents.
This is the same Administration that won’t tell Congress what resources it is devoting to the IRS probe, and appears to be slow-rolling it. It has also doubled down by expanding the political vetting of 501(c)(4) groups seeking tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who ran the IRS tax-exempt shop and took the Fifth before Congress, was allowed to “retire,” presumably with a pension. Acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller resigned under pressure but no other heads have rolled. Yet compared to using the IRS against political opponents during an election campaign, closing traffic lanes for four days is jaywalking.
We raise this mostly because our media friends have been complicit in dismissing the IRS abuses, and for that matter every other legal abuse during the Obama years. The exception is the Edward Snowden theft of National Security Agency documents, which so far have exposed not a single example of law-breaking.”
Yet the media sure is all over this bridge thing, like good little lap dogs.
________________________________________
2. The Youth Misery Index has hit an all-time high. (I didn’t even know there was one)
All I can say is sorry kids, but elections really do have consequences. You helped cause this. Now what are you going to do about it?
From TheCollegeFix “A Youth Misery Index that measures young Americans’ woes has skyrocketed under President Barack Obama and hit an all-time high.
The index, released Wednesday, was calculated by adding youth unemployment and average college loan debt figures with each person’s share of the national debt. While it has steadily grown over the decades, under Obama the figure has shot up dramatically, from 83.5 in 2009 to 98.6 in 2013.
The index has increased by 18.1 percent since Obama took office, the highest increase under any president, making Obama the worst president for youth economic opportunity, according to the nonprofit that released the figure.
“Young people are suffering under this economy,” said Ashley Pratte, program officer for Young America’s Foundation, which developed the index and calculates it annually using federal statistics. “They’re still living in their parent’s basements, unable to find full-time jobs that pay them what they need in order to pay back their debt.”
________________________________________
3. We just had a story on the overbearing regulations from the Obama admin during his terms. Now we get an idea on what some of that over-regulation is costing the economy.
From TheWashingtonExaminer “New federal regulations cost the economy $112 billion in 2013, according to a newly released tally of government figures from the American Action Forum.
Led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and health care agencies, the federal government added 157.9 million hours of paperwork for U.S. workers.
American Action Forum, a right-of-center Washington think tank, found in an analysis of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and Federal Register data released Wednesday that regulators have published $494 billion in net costs in final rules from 2009 through 2013.”
“The largest new burden in terms of paperwork came from an “obscure” rule relating to affirmative action and nondiscrimination for contractors. It would add 9.9 million hours of paperwork.”
Gee, why is that last part not shocking? 🙄
________________________________________
4. Here’s an update on the story from yesterday about the DoJ crying racism (shocking right?) in school discipline.
From CNSNews “particularly in the case of minority students and other federally protected groups.
“Racial discrimination in school discipline is a real problem today,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who joined Attorney General Eric Holder in speaking about the new guidance. Holder said “students of color and those with disabilities” often receive “different and more severe punishment than their peers.”
While the nation’s schools are under local control, they must follow federal civil rights and disability laws. And the new guidance for the nation’s schools could subject more of those schools to federal discrimination lawsuits. In fact, the crackdown already is happening, as CNSNews.com previously reported.
While the guidance is “voluntary,” it encourages schools to set up a “recordkeeping system” that tracks demographic information on misbehaving students, including their “race, sex, disability, age and English-learner status” along with the infraction, the discipline imposed, who imposed it, etc.”
________________________________________
5. Once again the DoJ sticks it’s nose where it’s not needed. Now Lehigh University will be investigated for racism. Not because of any request from the victims, but an alumni in Connecticut who graduated in 1977. Any excuse to cry racism I guess. Doesn’t the DoJ, and this woman, have more important things to worry about than this?
From LehighValleyLive “The federal government is launching an investigation into allegations that Lehigh University has failed to properly address incidents of racial harassment on campus and created a racially hostile environment, a spokesman said.
Spokesman David Thomas said the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has decided to investigate the complaint lodged in November by Lehigh University alumna Susan Magaziner.
Magaziner, of Connecticut, submitted the complaint on behalf of students after a Nov. 6 incident on campus where the multicultural dorm known as the Umoja House was vandalized with eggs and graffiti that included racial slurs. The crime remains unsolved, but Lehigh University police Chief Edward Shupp said the investigation is ongoing.
The vandalism followed the formation on campus of FBR, or From Beneath the Rug, in response to an off-campus fight involving a Lehigh University football player that members say was sparked by racial comments.”
________________________________________
6. More glitches in the ObamaCare website. You might’ve thought you signed up, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting a policy.
From ABCNews “Record-keeping snags could complicate the start of insurance coverage this month as people begin using policies they purchased under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Insurance companies are still trying to sort out cases of so-called health insurance orphans, customers for whom the government has a record that they enrolled, but the insurer does not.
Government officials say the problem is real but under control, with orphan records being among the roughly 13,000 problem cases they are trying to resolve with insurers. But insurance companies are worried the process will grow more cumbersome as they deal with the flood of new customers who signed up in December as enrollment deadlines neared.
More than 1 million people have signed up through the federal insurance market that serves 36 states. Officials contend the error rate for new signups is close to zero.”
And the one million number is bogus. Just opening up an account and putting a policy in your shopping cart doesn’t mean you “signed up.” But since not many have actual policies, they had to do something to make the numbers look good. Fuzzy math is all that number is.
________________________________________
Wandering Views 
Christie’s handled it well — and unless something comes out that links him directly in ordering his aides to do what they did, he’ll survive it. And he obviously has responded much better than Obama to what is a much lesser scandal than Obama’s been tied to.
But if Christie runs for president, it leave’s a mark highlighting what I think is one of his biggest negatives (and, ironically, what has been one of his most appealing traits) — a “shoot-from-the-hip” way of dealing with those who oppose him.
I still remember seeing a video clip — maybe from 2 years ago? — of Christie looking like he was about to take a swing and deck a constituent who approached him apparently with some criticism at an outdoor fair of some kind. Christie’s aides appeared to be almost having to physically pull him back from the guy.
LikeLike
I’m speaking in jumbled English this morning, sorry.
Now I’m off to my job as a writer. 🙄
LikeLike
The press is giving Christie the GOP frontrunner treatment. They’re so predictable. It’s the same tactic they used last time around. Santorum got it, then Perry, and right on down the list. They knock off the top guy and move to the next in line. Pants suit must be protected, and her possible opponents must be knocked down. But remember, as always, the media is un-biased or something.
LikeLike
Nope, no bias here….
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2014/01/09/there-s-already-17-times-more-coverage-christie-scandal-last-six-mon
“In less than 24 hours, the big three networks have devoted 17 times more coverage to a traffic scandal involving Chris Christie than they’ve allowed in the last six months to Barack Obama’s Internal Revenue Service controversy. Since the story broke on Wednesday that aides to the New Jersey governor punished a local mayor’s lack of endorsement with a massive traffic jam, ABC, CBS and NBC have responded with 34 minutes and 28 seconds of coverage. Since July 1, these same networks managed a scant two minutes and eight seconds for the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups.
In contrast, journalists such as Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos pounced on the developing Christie story. The GMA host opened the program on Thursday by announcing, “Chris Christie in crisis. Calls at this hour for the feds to step in, investigate the explosive e-mails.” [See a video montage below.”
“Since Wednesday night, NBC included six reports over 14 minutes and 14 seconds. CBS devoted five reports over 12 minutes and 27 seconds. ABC managed 4 stories over seven minutes and 47 seconds.
As a comparison over the last six months, NBC featured a scant five seconds on updating the IRS story. CBS responded with a minute and 41 seconds. ABC produced a meager 22 seconds.”
LikeLike
Christie will survive it, but they will drag this back out in 2016. I heard someone say this will be his “dog on the car roof” issue.
LikeLike
A more accurate comparison would be between the 24 hour period after the IRS story broke and 24 hours after the Christie story broke. It would be interesting to see FOX news on its coverage in this matter. An other interesting comparison would be Fox’s coverage of Benghazi and Christie.
LikeLike
If not for Fox, we wouldn’t know what is going on in the world.
I do search Drudge, but it’s hard to sort ot the pertinent stuff.
And I take The Washington Times onve a week. By then, it isn’t news. But I see things there I woudn’t see anywhere else.
LikeLike
FOX. That’s like *one* network.
LikeLike
Some Christie analysis:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/01/crisp-christie.php
LikeLike
Chris Christie has no business being president. Any Christian considering voting for him should the eventuality occur needs to think hard before doing so.
LikeLike