England’s Economy is Getting Better; Why NJ Gov. Christie’s Bridgegate Helps Him and Catching Up on the Less Important News

It Being Too Cold for the More Important News

While this author can withstand severe cold and withstand periodic electrical outages he cannot withstand them at the same time.  So the shivering brought on these insipid thoughts.

1. England’s economy is slowly recovering which the Conservative government will hail as a success.  The truth is that all economies eventually recover and the Conservative policy delayed rather than accelerated the British recovery.  For Conservatives to claim success is like a weather person predicting rain in Death Valley each day for 287 consecutive days, and then when it rains on the 288^th day claiming to be a weather genius.

2. In New Jersey it appears certain that aides to Republican Gov. Chris Christie deliberately caused a massive traffic jams on the Jersey side of the GW bridge to intimidate a local mayor who did not endorse the Governor for re-election.  National political pundits are saying this will hurt Mr. Christie severely if he pursues the GOP Presidential nomination.  The truth is that this will help him, the Republican primary electorate being of mind that hates New Yorkers in general and will be ecstatic that they suffered in a deliberate traffic jam.  Mean, petty and vindictive behavior is the hallmark of the modern Tea Party conservative.

3. Former Secretary of Defense William Gates has written book accusing each and everyone in the nation’s capital of working against Mr. Gates, of being ignorant and self defeating and of being generally incompetent.  The truth is that other than the charge of working against Mr. Gates, the rest of it is pretty much on target.

4. The refusal of the Republicans to extend unemployment benefits has led to the charge that this will hurt them in 2014.  The truth of the matter is that most voters think people who are unemployed are lazy takers and don’t deserve help.  So this issue will not resonate in the 2014 midterm elections.

5. The Supreme Court allowed a stay pending appeal on the Utah court ruling allowing gay marriage in that state, but did not allow a stay pending appeal on a Texas law that forced many abortion providers to close.  The truth of the matter is yes, the Court votes its political and social preferences, not the law.

6. To paraphrase Lewis Black, listening to Rush Limbaugh on climate changes means that either he is nuts or we are nuts.  And in this instance we don’t think it is us.

Well that sums up the cold weather thinking here.