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DECEMBER 27,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:38 P.M. ET: 

OH MY, HOW WICKEDLY EMBARRASSING – FROM FOX:  The Justice Department scolded the Obama administration on Wednesday following a report on how sexual harassment of all kinds was improperly handled at the department for years.  The Washington Post reported that the DOJ’s inspector general had found “systemic” problems with how complaints were addressed, with offending officials often being let off the hook or even rewarded. The article cited investigative reports on a lawyer who allegedly groped two female attorneys and a top U.S. Marshals official who had sex with “approximately” nine women in his office.  Though complaints have been filed as recently as August, the IG said some of the worst alleged offenses happened several years ago in the department’s Civil Division.  Ian Prior, a spokesman in the Trump Justice Department, would not comment in detail about the allegations but described the problems as largely contained to the prior administration.   Your tax dollars at work.  The hypocrisy of the Democrats on this issue is world class.

THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:   The top paychecks of federal workers are set to grow again next year to a six-figure number that rivals the $174,000 salaries of America’s 535 House and Senate members.  Under a new federal order, salaries for most bureaucrats in the General Service will rise next year when the cap on top pay hits $164,000.  And for the upper reaches of the government, senior executive service employees will be allowed to earn a maximum of $189,600.  The Washington area, where the bulk of federal workers are employed, will get the biggest pay raise under the order signed by President Trump before Christmas. There, the increase for General Service workers will be 2.29 percent.  The average federal worker in 2016 earned $86,365. With benefits, the total compensation was $123,160.  The average nonfederal pay in the nation was $58,726, with total compensation at $69,901.  When government pays more than the private sector, we're in trouble.

BREAKTHROUGH – FROM AFP:  Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese researcher has developed -- by accident-- a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks.  The discovery opens the way for super-durable glass that could triple the lifespan of everyday products like car windows, construction materials, fish tanks and even toilet seats.  Yu Yanagisawa, a chemistry researcher at the University of Tokyo, made the breakthrough by chance while investigating adhesives that can be used on wet surfaces.  The Democrats will undoubtedly claim that this was secretly developed at American expense to repair the windows in Trump hotels.  And CNN will believe that.

December 27, 2017       Permalink

WE'VE BEEN THERE – AT 12:28 P.M. ET:  Have you ever felt a chill when some people find out you're conservative, or even moderate, or even a thoughtful liberal rather than the usual kind?

We've all been there.  We can feel ourselves being cut from e-mail lists.  And invitation lists.  Even the PTA might not let us know when the next meeting is.

Alan Dershowitz, the legendary law professor from Harvard, and a committed liberal, is going through the process, and he writes about it.  I think many readers will recognize his ordeal.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz says he’s feeling the heat from family and friends over his defense of President Trump amid special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

“It’s caused me to lose seven pounds,” Dershowitz told Politico. “My liberal friends don’t invite me to dinner anymore.”

Dershowitz often appears on Fox News to argue against Mueller bringing an obstruction of justice charge against Trump, saying it would send the country into a constitutional crisis. He has also defended Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

“My really, really close friends say, ‘You’re 100 percent right in your analysis, but can’t you just shut the hell up and not talk at all,’” he said. “They tell me, ‘This is a time for selective silence.’

My nephew thinks I’m helping keep in office one of the greatest dangers in American history. I tell him I’m just standing up for principle. He tells me that I don’t have to stand up so loud.”

Dershowitz added that his family is no longer proud to be associated with him.

“I was a source of pride to my kids, my grandkids,” he said. “Now it’s ‘Oy, he’s related to Alan Dershowitz.’ That hurts me a little bit.”

Yet Dershowitz said he’s “happy with the role I’m playing.”

“I think I’ve changed the debate on the subject of obstruction of justice,” he said.

COMMENT:  And that's what great lawyers do. 

December 27, 2017       Permalink

BYE-BYE – AT 11:22 A.M. ET:  Why is it that states that are so zealous in their liberalism are losing the greatest number of people?  Will someone finally get the message?  From Daily Caller:   

Three Democratic-leaning states hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands of people in 2016 and 2017 as crime, high taxes and, in some cases, crummy weather had residents seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

The exodus of residents was most pronounced in New York, which saw about 190,000 people leave the state between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.

New York’s domestic out-migration during that time period was about the same as it was in the same time 2015 and 2016. Since 2010, the state’s outflow of just over 1 million residents has exceeded that of every other state, both in absolute terms and as a share of population, according to the free-market think tank Empire Center.

Not surprising to us here in New York.  High costs, high taxes, the ridiculously expensive city of New York run by a Marxist mayor.  What's left to like?

Long-beset by twin budget and pension crises and the erosion of its tax base, Illinois lost so many residents that it dropped from the fifth to the sixth-most populous state in 2017, losing its previous spot to Pennsylvania.

Just under 115,000 Illinois residents decamped for other states between July 2016 and July 2017. Since 2010, the Land of Lincoln has lost about 650,000 residents to other states on net, equal to the combined population of the state’s four largest cities other than Chicago, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

Barack Obama's home state.  He's certainly done much to help.

California was the third deep blue state to experience significant domestic out-migration between July 2016 and July 2017, and it couldn’t blame the outflow on retirees searching for a more agreeable climate. About 138,000 residents left the state during that time period, second only to New York.

However, because California was the top receiving state for international migrants, its net migration was actually 27,000. Add to that number a “natural increase” of 214,000 people, and California’s population grew by about just over 240,000, according to the Census Bureau.

And...

According to the Tax Foundation, New York, Illinois and California had three of the five highest tax rates expressed as a percentage of per capita income, with residents paying 12.7 percent, 11 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

COMMENT:  Liberals should be getting awards from moving companies.  The liberals are making their day, and days.

December 27, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP RISING – AT 10:37 A.M. ET:  Were watching President Trump's poll numbers, as we approach the end of his first year in office.  Polls, of course, can differ dramatically, depending on the methodology, but we like the Rasmussen poll here because it has a sound history, and is a rolling poll that publishes results every weekday.  The president is making steady, incremental gains.  From Rasmussen this morning: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.
The latest figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 44% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15.

COMMENT:  That is not a bad number.  Other polls show Trump lower, and CNN will always pick the worst numbers to use.  But Trump regularly underpolls, and I would guess, based on his polling history, that he's somewhere in the low- to mid-forties.  Obama spent a good part of his administration in the mid-forties, but it's unlikely you'll be told that by the mainstream media. 

Mr. Trump will have a harder time rising, despite his accomplishments, because the hatred toward him in the press is so great.  There's a point where it's very difficult to overcome fanatical negativity.  But he is building.  That can't be denied, but will be.

December 27,  2017    Permalink

DECEMBER 26,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

BANDWAGON – FROM BREITBART:   Sinclair Broadcasting Group, America’s largest television station owner, announced that they will join a slew of other large U.S. companies in using the savings from the just-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to give employees bonuses.  Almost 9,000 Sinclair employees will get $1000 bonuses, according to an accompanying press release.  “We are grateful to our President and legislature for passing the landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and are excited about the benefits it will provide for our country’s economy, our Company, and our employees,” Sinclair Broadcasting President and CEO Chris Ripley said in the press release. “We recognize that our employees are our most valuable resource, truly appreciate their combined achievements for our Company and look forward to a very bright future.”  Good.  I want to see a long list of corporations doing this.  Everyone gains, except the Democrats.

CONFUSED VALUES – FROM FOX:   A Florida man was arrested Friday after he reportedly punched an ATM because it “was giving him too much money” during an incident in November.  Michael Joseph Oleksik, 23, was charged with criminal mischief after Wells Fargo requested Cocoa Police press charges against the man.  Law enforcement told Florida Today that Oleksik was seen on surveillance footage “standing at the ATM, pummeling the electronic teller’s touch screen on Nov. 29.”  He then reportedly called Wells Fargo and apologized for the damage done to the teller machine, but said he was “angry the ATM was giving him too much money and he did not know what to do.”  This man does not appreciate generosity.  So typical of his generation.

MURDER – FROM DAILYWIRE:   Murders in the U.S. rose nearly 9% last year, and one-third of that increase came from just a few neighborhoods in Chicago, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of the FBI’s annual 2016 publication, Crime in the United States.  While violent crime (homicide, rape, assault, and robbery) also rose nationwide from 2015 to 2016 — over 4%— the data show the increase was not uniform, but rather concentrated in cities like Chicago and Baltimore.  Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., meanwhile, saw “meaningful declines in violence [that] have been sustained since the 1990s.”  Interestingly, the paper’s neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis claimed that areas where homicides spiked had a “lighter street presence by police following officers’ high-profile killings of young black men.”  Gee, you mean a solid police presence reduces murder?  What kind of heresy is that?

December 26, 2017       Permalink

LATEST SOCIAL NEWS, HOT OFF THE PRESSES – AT 12:44 P.M. ET:   There is drama.  There is crisis.  I will not rest until I know the outcome.  From the New York Post: 

What a royal headache .

The British government is in a tizzy that Prince Harry and fiancée Meghan Markle will invite former President Barack Obama to their spring wedding and fears that President Trump will take it as a snub and cause relations between the two allies to chill even further, according to a report Tuesday.

“Harry has made it clear he wants the Obamas at the wedding, so it’s causing a lot of nervousness,” the Sun reported, citing a senior government official. “Trump could react very badly if the Obamas get to a royal wedding before he has had a chance to meet the Queen.”

The relationship between Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May has been a rocky one, with the leaders lashing out at one another during a number of controversies.

Most recently, May chastised Trump, calling him “wrong” for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British group in November .

And while the prince bonded with the Obamas during the Invictus Games in September in Toronto, his bride-to-be referred to Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign as “divisive” and “misogynistic.”

The Sun reported that May, whose invitation to Trump to come to England for a state visit was met with protests and petitions against it , could have the final word on whether the president will be on the guest list for the May 19 wedding.

COMMENT:  No matter what is decided, our president must be the big guy, the gracious guy.  Warmly congratulate Harry and Meghan, send a toaster from Bed, Bath, and Beyond (bought with the store's 20% off certificate), and be done with it.

December 26, 2017       Permalink

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  It doesn't appear that the president will do much resting in the weeks ahead.   There are big plans at the White House.  From the Washington Examiner: 

The Trump administration is expected to unveil an infrastructure package in the new year, after putting the issue on the sidelines amid other GOP priorities in 2017.

The White House is working to release a roughly 70-page infrastructure proposal sometime in January for members of Congress to use as a cornerstone for drafting the legislation in 2018.

In December, President Trump met with senior administration officials and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., to discuss the proposal.

“The meeting with the president was encouraging and very productive,” Shuster said in a statement.

“He’s a builder — he gets the importance of infrastructure and why it matters for jobs and the economy. Addressing our nation’s infrastructure in a bipartisan manner is going to take strong presidential leadership, and I believe we have a president who can provide the necessary leadership and who wants to rebuild our infrastructure to strengthen our economy.”

During the 2016 campaign, Trump first promised to deliver a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to improve the condition of U.S. roads, bridges, airports, and other public works.

Although the administration is working to address the nation’s infrastructure, several major question marks hang over the plan, such as funding.

“The cost is going to be an issue, that’s going to be a large topic of debate,” a senior committee aide told the Washington Examiner.

This spring, the administration called for using $200 billion in direct federal spending over the next 10 years. This was intended to spur $800 billion in spending by states, localities and private investors.

COMMENT:  Great idea.  The nation's infrastructure is in poor shape.  Rebuilding, while initially expensive, will provide thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of jobs.   One of Eisenhower's greatest accomplishments was the national highway system, designed in the 1950s.  A renewed infrastructure, unless obstructed by the Democrats, will be one of the great contributions of President Trump.

December 26, 2017       Permalink

MORE GOOD NEWS – AT 11:35 A.M. ET:  Retail sales are strong for this holiday season, part of the process of making America great again.  Even so-called brick-and-mortar stores are showing life.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

Retailers are enjoying some extra Christmas cheer.

Fueled by high consumer confidence and a robust job market, U.S. retail sales in the holiday period rose at their best pace since 2011, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks both online and in-store spending.

Sales, excluding automobiles, rose 4.9% from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve, compared with a 3.7% gain in the same period last year, according to the Mastercard Inc. MA -0.16% unit, which tracks all forms of payment. E-commerce continued to drive the gains, rising 18.1%.

“It started with a bang in the week leading up to Black Friday,” said Sarah Quinlan, a senior vice president of marketing insights at Mastercard. She added that retailers benefited this year from Christmas Day falling on a Monday, giving shoppers a full weekend to scoop up last-minute purchases. Dec. 23 ranked next to Black Friday in terms of spending, according to Mastercard.

“Overall, this year was a big win for retail,” Ms. Quinlan said.

That newfound buoyancy is a relief to retailers—from department-store giants like Macy’s Inc. to mall favorites like Gap Inc.—that struggled through a difficult year of store closures, declining foot traffic and bankruptcies by chains including the Sports Authority, Toys ‘R’ Us and Payless Shoes.

Investors, who have abandoned many retail stocks even as the broader stock market surged, have started to return. Shares of Macy’s and Gap, for example, have jumped 24% and 18%, respectively, in the past month, compared with a 3% gain in the S&P 500. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has rallied 40% on the year and, like online nemesis Amazon.com Inc., is trading near all-time highs.

Unlike in past years, when spending was driven by high-income shoppers, this holiday season a broader swath of the population opened their wallets, encouraged by rising wages and low unemployment, analysts and economists said.

COMMENT:  In other words, the deplorables are buying.  Take that, Democrats.

December 26,  2017     Permalink