~ So far, House Republicans haven't been too high on the Obama Jobs Plan, insisting that regulations are the path to a better budget and stronger economy. Certainly Darrell Issa has made de-regulation the centerpiece of his year, and one of his least favorite new regulations -- improving greenhouse gas standards -- will be delayed. Leaving aside for the moment that Issa's agenda costs millions of jobs  without proposing to directly create a single one, it's still running into the tough reality that these regulations actually help the economy. A new report explains how regulations have traditionally been crucial to spurring innovation and keeping our economy moving. And Obama's billion dollar rules could bring in more than ten times their cost, topping $200 billion.

 

~ Issa sure turned around fast on getting a Solyndra hearing together, needing only a couple of days while huge issues affecting millions of Americans directly, every day, are still being ignored. But business continues. The narrative has been curious so far on Solyndra, with the tax credits originating with the Bush administration and being pushed by a number of powerful conservative investors. But if Issa wants to go down the road of arguing that one bad company discredits its entire industry and investors that were apparently lied to, he may find himself in some sticky personal spots -- just as a politician for starters. And in the same week that an official ethics complaint was filed against him for using his public office to personally profit, it's an interesting time for him to weave a theory about cronyism.

 

~ Another awkward reality check as Issa continues his quest to eliminate the judicial branch's jurisdiction over labor law: NLRB's behavior in the Boeing case is consistent with long-established labor law including, rather conveniently, Ronald Reagan's interpretation and use of that precedent.

 

~ Once upon a time, Franklin Roosevelt defended foreign aid during crisis moments by saying "When your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't haggle over the price of the garden hose." Not quite as popular a notion in the Republican House of Representatives it seems, where Eric Cantor has pressed for huge cuts to first responders in exchange for emergency disaster aid. It comes after Cantor's opposition in December to a bill supporting 9/11 first responders. Darrell Issa sat out that vote, but he's been way ahead of the curve here. Back in 2008, he called for the federal government to cut off support for 9/11 first responders because, in his words, "It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft, and residue from the materials used to build this building."