By: Ed Rogers

Last night on Fox News’ “Special Report,” Charles Krauthammer eloquently exposed President Obama’s ability — or preference — to remain oblivious to the economic conditions he has created. Maybe the president is in denial, or maybe the bubble that he has constructed shields him from any unpleasant conclusions. Whatever the case, Krauthammer points out that as a direct result of Obama’s economic policies, “the median income of the middle class of Americans has declined by 5% in his one term,” and we are experiencing “growing income inequality, chronic unemployment . . . [and] the worst recovery since World War II.”

It is stunning that President Obama himself said “this growing inequality is not just morally wrong” but “bad economics,” as if he had nothing to do with it. In his recent “economic pivot,” which started with his speech at Knox College in Illinois on July 24, no one has mentioned that since Obama took office in 2009, he has created an economy of renters and part-time jobs while the number of billionaires in the United States has increased by more than 23 percent. The hypocrisy is remarkable. How can the president get away with railing against an economy of his own making?

Obama’s ability to remain so oblivious to reality is also convenient when one looks at how Obamacare’s implementation is unfolding. In an underreported, jaw-dropping exposure, Joel Gehrke of the Washington Examiner details how the National Treasury Employees Union — that’s right, the union that represents the IRS — is “urging members to write their congressional representatives in opposition to receiving coverage” through Obamacare. In other words, Obama’s tool of choice for enforcing Obamacare and imposing it on the rest of us, the IRS, wants no part of Obamacare for themselves.

The union’s campaign follows House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp’s introduction of a bill that would remove lawmakers and federal employees from the current federal health benefits program and move them into the Obamacare insurance exchanges. Congressman Camp offered this bill, according to his spokeswoman, because “If the Obamacare exchanges are good enough for hardworking Americans and small businesses . . . they should be good enough for . . . federal employees.” Hopefully, Republican members of Congress can seize on this idea and go agency by agency, legislating that all federal employees be subject to the Obamacare exchanges. Would President Obama veto that bill? Would Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even let it come to the floor for a vote? Anyway, shout out to Congressman Camp.

Similarly, the president’s hypocrisy extends to the administration’s efforts to sell Obamacare. The National Review’s Eliana Johnson reports that Obamacare call centers in California are not offering health insurance benefits to their employees. And not only are the very people who are supposed to be selling Americans on the benefits of Obamacare not going to get those benefits themselves, but at least half of the call-center jobs are only part-time jobs, not full-time positions as originally advertised. Again, the glaring hypocrisy shines through.

Every part of Obamacare is a growing political burden on the Democrats. But it’s the hypocrisy that will fuel resentment among voters and drive turnout in November 2014. It will be interesting to see what August brings, and what vulnerable Democratic members of Congress, particularly those in the Senate, will witness for themselves in town hall meetings during recess, as victims of the calamity that is Obamacare begin to show up and vocalize their disapproval. Will they follow Obama’s lead and adopt the president’s “remain oblivious” strategy, or will they begin to demand some political relief? For the Democrats on the ballot in 2014, it’s only going to get worse.

Source: Washington Post

EPD Activity Report July 30, 2013

Indiana State Police at Evansville held its very first Safe Schools/Active Shooter Training session today for school administrators. The training session was conducted at the Old Princeton High School and was attended by 50 school administrators from Warrick, Vanderburgh, Gibson, Knox and Pike Counties.

During the training session, troopers instructed school personnel on proper tactics for survival during an active shooter event. Troopers also conducted an active shooter scenario using blank ammunition. The scenario was designed to give the administrators a feel of what it might be like during an actual active shooter situation.

The training session was the result of several months of preparation by Indiana State Police in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Education to provide training for school administrators on the proper response to an active shooter.

The Indiana State Police has been tasked to serve as the lead agency in coordinating active shooter training with local school corporations throughout the entire state. Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter and Governor Mike Pence want to ensure that every effort is being made to provide the safest possible environment for all children in the State of Indiana.

This coordinated effort was launched early on with the Department of Education to create and implement a statewide training program that would involve all parties responsible for the care and safety of our children. This program, which was already in the developmental stages before tragedy in Newtown, CT, has come to be known as the “Safe Schools/Active Shooter” program. Dr. Rich Hogue of the Department of Education has been assigned as a liaison with the Indiana State Police to assist in this endeavor.

The purpose of this program is to educate school administrative personnel on proper response to an active shooter situation, how law enforcement responds to active shooter situations and what school personnel can do to mitigate injury and the loss of life in an active shooter situation.

Evansville Police were able to find Jason Smith yesterday afternoon thanks to a 911 call from a concerned citizen.
Information about Smith was released to the media and shared on social media sites. A motorist saw Smith near Broadway and Barker yesterday afternoon and officers were able to locate Smith in the Howell Wetlands.
After speaking with Smith, officers determeined he was not in any danger.

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at approximately 8:35 pm, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to a crash in the 7100 block of St. Joe Avenue. When deputies arrived on scene, they discovered a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, crashed against a telephone pole off the east side of the roadway. The vehicle had heavy damage to the driver’s side area. The investigation and cleanup caused St. Joe Avenue to be shut down for approximately 45 minutes.

Deputies were unable to interview the driver of the Mitsubishi, Rebecca Jean Decarli, due to her being in and out of consciousness at the scene of the crash. Ms. Decarli was transported to Deaconess Hospital with a broken collar bone and head injury.

The investigation is ongoing; however, drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.