Thursday Open Thread [2.20.14]

So, now that Governor Chris Christie has been destroyed as a credible Presidential candidate in 2016, some in the GOP have turned their lonely eyes to Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin (R). Walker is a golden boy in the GOP hive mind for talking on the public sector unions and winning, and then surviving a recall, but I have never pictured him as a viable presidential candidate for one very important reason: he has what I call a permanent Eli Manning Face. You know that face, right? Come inside to see some picture comparisons if you don't. Anyway, Mr. Walker, like Mr. Christie, has an email problem.

Delaware Wages Decline is 5th Worst in the Nation.

Wages in Delaware have dropped by nearly a dollar for low-wage workers since the Great Recession. With the minimum wage hike of a dollar by the middle of 2016, Delaware's workers would get back to where they were in 2009. 7 years. No wage growth. All the while the wealthy in Delaware have never done better. Record profits and record shares on all income. And yet God forbid we dare increase their taxes a cent.
Is Wagner even running?

Is Wagner even running?

Tom Wagner. A living example of an extinct species: a duly elected Republican in statewide office. He has been in office for years, so long that I was still in freaking middle school when he was first appointed to the office (I'm knocking on 40 now). And he has been living on borrowed time. In 2010, he barely got re-elected by 0.8% of the vote.... against the now indicted Richard Korn. This time around, he has a very credible upstart challenger in Brenda Mayrack. Celia Cohen reported that Wagner has raised only $26,540. For the entire year of 2013.
Charter Schools ignore anti-bullying law.

Charter Schools ignore anti-bullying law.

Most public school districts are complying with new state laws aimed at battling bullying, but fewer than half of charter schools have adopted new cyberbullying rules. And some schools are not sufficiently reporting incidents of bullying to parents, according to a report released by Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and the state Attorney General's Office.
Emphasis mine. Do these Charter Schools, who receive more and more taxpayer money to the detriment of our already existing public schools thanks to dubious legislation passed last year, think state laws and rules do not apply to them? Fewer than half have even adopted the new rules? That's pretty outrageous.

Voters Blame Trade Deals For Job Losses

Surprised? According to the most recent Gallup Poll, one in four Americans think that jobs is the highest priority problem in America today. It's almost one in two Americans if you combine concerns for unemployment and the economy. Only 8% of Americans think that the debt or deficit is a high-priority problem (pointed out for the Delaware Congressional delegation, in particular). Take a look:
“Smart Guns” are calling the NRA’s bluff

“Smart Guns” are calling the NRA’s bluff

If it were true that law abiding gun nuts wanted to keep guns away from "criminals" then this sort of thing would be a slam dunk.
According to a Wednesday report in the Washington Post, the era of “smart guns” — weapons that would only fire when their registered user is using them — may be closer than many think. The Armatix iP1 is now being sold in California and is considered to be the first true smart gun available on the market.
Of course the gun nut community will hate this. Why? Because keeping guns out of the hands of criminals ...
Wednesday Open Thread [2.18.14]

Wednesday Open Thread [2.18.14]

Jonathan Chait on how the House Republicans really screwed their Presidential candidates and doomed their hopes for 2016. Seriously, these guys are such experts at foot shooting, they should teach courses.
"The decisive case for inaction that Republicans made to Boehner has been that moving an immigration bill would divide the party in advance of the midterm elections. Republicans are anticipating a favorable midterm election, with a shrunken and more demographically favorable electorate, along with a Senate map tilted heavily toward red states. They don't want to instigate right-wing infighting when they can instead spend every day harping on the multitudinous evils of Obamacare." "Yet, once the midterms pass, the presidential primary will quickly command attention. Republicans again will be competing for the loyalty of a heavily white, distinctly anti-immigrant electoral base, and the candidates will again face pressure to lock themselves into positions that will alienate Latino and Asian voters. They could still win anyway if the economy is weak enough, or some other major scandal envelopes the Obama administration. But in an electorate that is both increasingly hardened in its partisan inclinations, and growing steadily more Democratic-leaning in its basic shape, the GOP's outlook is, if not hopeless, decidedly grim."
The “Show Me State” gets Shown

The “Show Me State” gets Shown

As predictably as the snake handling preacher dying of a venous snake bite, Missouri is dying of gunshot wounds: Via Atattatuk.
Researchers claim a new study provides some of the most compelling evidence yet for tighter gun controls in the US. The team followed the consequences of the State of Missouri repealing its permit-to-purchase handgun law in 2007.
Yeah, you can guess what happens, and no it was not freedom! breaking out across the land.