This and That on a Thursday

President Barack Obama appeared in the metro Detroit area yesterday, asking for money. For him, that is, and not to trim the exploding federal deficits. It's all about priorities, you know. He needs to get reelected so that he can do something about the monster he's created. Anybody see the irony here? We note with sadness the passing of the legendary Dick Clark, who died yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 82. The effect he had upon American culture and rock and roll music simply cannot be quantified. It was too high and too significant. He translated that into many other activities, game shows and what not, and somehow manged to become an icon in an entirely different area: he became the symbol of New Year's Eve. God Bless, Dick Clark. December 31, 2012 simply won't be the same without you. The President's Detroit trip wasn't all pomp and circumstance. A group of about 100 people calling themselves '100% fed up' protested outside of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, one of the President's stops for the day. The group was headed by a conservative activist, Dr. David Janda, who said he will quit his practice is Obamacare isn't somehow overturned. Others at the protest included housewife Patty McMurray, who asserted that she understood economics despite that career choice. You go, girl. Don't let the Democrats and the left insult your intelligence. An Ingham County judge has ruled that the state's Emergency Manager Law violates the Headlee Amendment because it forces added costs to local government. Maybe so, maybe no; but as irony is the word of the day here, let's apply it one more time. We have a judge acting as a judicial activist essentially arguing that a conservative law approved by voters prohibits a conservative law passed by the state legislature. Further, the case was brought about through a man now accused of misusing public funds. Robert Davis, who hates state oversight measures such as the Emergency Manger law, has been indicted for allegedly running a scam on the government which cost $380,000 in public funds. That's a double layer of irony there, friends. But public officials (Davis is a Highland Park school board member) demanding public dollars is nothing new. It's how they seed their lawns. Ah well. Enough for today. With a government like ours, irony will return. All too often.