Like to laugh? Like to be informed? Then sign up for TheDC Morning email.
1.) Federal Employees = Heroes — Ben Cardin, Senate jester. TheDC’s Michelle Fields reports:
“Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland spoke to members of the National Treasury Employees Union on Wednesday, saying that federal government jobs are ‘much more complicated and difficult … and not being compensated fairly when compared to the private sector.'”
Yes, of course. Federal employees are heroes. That explains why — despite the migrant worker wages and sweat shop working conditions — they cling to their jobs like Michael Moore to an eclair. One might suppose that the only alternative explanation for the low turnover of government employees is that they have it so good they never want to leave because they know they couldn’t possibly duplicate what they have in the private sector. But the hero explanation is just so much sexier.
2.) Immigration Insanity — Speaking of the backbreaking work federal employees routinely engage in, it seems that many of them have been tasked with repeatedly stamping denied on visa applications, even for the most highly skilled foreign applicants. TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:
“In his State of the Union address last month, President Barack Obama called for a new route to citizenship for students at American universities that would enable them to stay and work in the United States. But an analysis of data from the State Department has found that a sharply increasing number of such highly skilled workers has been denied visas to work in the U.S. during the past four years, for seemingly inconsistent reasons.”
It is hard to quantify just how profoundly stupid this policy is.
3.) When even Chuck Schumer won’t talk, you know there’s a problem — Liberal Harvard Law prof Allan Dershowitz is demanding that Democrats distance themselves from Media Matters because of the left-wing organization’s hostility toward Israel and Israel’s supporters. Will Democratic leaders do it? TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein (ME!) reports that not so many will even discuss it:
“TheDC contacted the White House for comment on Dershowitz’s statement calling for the president to distance himself from Media Matters, but got no response. TheDC also did not receive a response from the office Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid … The office of the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, also did not return TheDC’s request for comment. Nor did the office of the third most powerful Senate Democrat, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.”
Chuck Schumer initiates a press conference to announce every bowel movement he makes, so for him not to answer a press request is pretty extraordinary.
4.) Herman’s still being Herman — Herman Cain may have stopped running for president months ago, but he has not given up on his “9-9-9” economic plan. He just won’t stop talking about it — no matter how much you plead. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:
“The former presidential candidate announced during a conference call Wednesday afternoon that he plans to storm Capitol Hill on April 15 and 16 to aggressively promote ‘9-9-9,’ both in meetings with legislators and at a rally with supporters. Cain told reporters and bloggers on the call that he plans to have ‘targeted meetings with representatives and senators in order to show them the level of support on the part of American people for this idea that will revolutionize our tax code.’”
5.) Poll of the day — University of Cincinnati poll of Ohio GOP presidential primary: Rick Santorum 37%, Mitt Romney 26%, Newt Gingrich 16%, Ron Paul 11%. The primary takes place March 6.
6.) BIRTHDAYS! — Rome founder Romulus turns 3764 (h/t Remus); Legal scholar and slandered Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork turns 85; director Ron Howard turns 58 (h/t The Fonz); song bird of our generation Justin Bieber turns 18.