Week 1 of 2012: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

As week one of 2012 draws to a close, have you noticed there is good news? Unfortunately, it is accompanied by the bad news and the ugly news.


The Good News:


1. Almost one year after being shot in the head at a Tuscon shopping center, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is recovering nicely.
2. President Obama has appointed Richard Cordray  head of the new consumer watchdog agency.
3. Sales of American made autos was up across the board: GM - 13%, Ford - 9%, Chrysler - 26%, Jeep - 44%. These are the companies Mitt Romney wanted to close their doors.
4. Scientists think they have discovered the cause of the honey-bee die-offs. Perhaps, now they can prevent it from happening.
5. Manufacturing has become "a bright spot" of the US economy. (NYT)
6. John McCain reminds us that the Edwards' Supreme Court decision, "Citizens United," is "one of the worst decisions in history."
7. Payroll companies have reported "strong growth in private sector jobs." (NYT)
8. Neither Sarah Palin nor Herman Cain managed to get their pictures on the front page.
9. Although he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) at age 21, British scientist, Stephen Hawking, will celebrate his 70th birthday on Sunday at Cambridge University.


The Bad News:


1. Gasoline prices soar based solely on Iran's rhetoric about closing the Strait of Hormuz. 
2. Ohio Governor John Kasich and his appointees cause a delay in opening the Toledo and Cleveland Casinos, putting those jobs on hold.
3. The Euro continues to decline, threatening European and US economic stability.
4. Willard Mitt Romney doesn't want the American taxpayers to know how much wealth he has or what taxes, if any, he pays.
5. President Obama did not raise the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour as he promised in 2008.
6. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts does not want "The Code of Conduct For United States Judges" to apply to himself and the other Supreme Court Justices. Apparently he, Justice Thomas, and Justice Scalia do not want to be bound by an ethics code that would prevent them from attending conservative fundraisers.
7.The United States offers it citizens less chances for upward economic mobility than Canada or Western Europe.
8. One Utah policeman was killed and four seriously wounded by gunmen with AK 47s. The Policemen had handguns. Thank you National Rifle Association for  arguing that citizens need AK 47s. Do citizens need SAM missiles, too? 
9. New research claims that driving with a heavy cold can affect one's ability to drive to the same extent as downing four double whiskies, and causes thousands of accidents a year. (UKPA)
10. On New Year's Eve President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, thus allowing the government to arrest and detain American citizens indefinitely without counsel or recourse to the courts.


The Ugly News: 


1. The Washington Redskin "Dream Team" and Rex Ryan's New York Jets.
2. The Illinois Catholics bishops closed Catholic Charities rather than allow gay parents to adopt unwanted children. 
3. Since 2007 an unemployed  biilionaire has been campaigning full time for a federal job and free federal health care. Sorry Mitt, that's not what the Founding Fathers had in mind for our democracy.
4. Rick Santorum, a US Senator who lost his seat in 2008, has become a multi-millionaire in two years time by cashing in on his so-called access to power. Again Rick, that's not what the Founding Fathers had in mind for our democracy.
5. The NCAA Bowl Mess:  The NCAA has  managed to reduce the bowl games to a "Ho-Hum, Who Cares?  Less-Than-Prime-Time" reality TV show.
6. On Wednesday GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul said that a former draft dodger like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has no business sending kids to war.
7.Karl Rove's Crossroad GPS and the US Chamber of Commerce have already spent over two million dollars in TV ads attacking Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The ads have been called "mostly false" by Politifact, a non-partisan fact-check group.
8.Hot new fashion trends in 2012 are tie-dye shirts and very large shoulder pads. (Newsweek)
9. A very nasty Iowa Republican Caucus: all of that undisclosed money to influence just 5.4 % of Iowa's Republican voters! But on the other hand, there is something appealing about seven suits fighting dirty in a hog trough.