Mitt Romney, Self-Esteem, Canada's Librano$

FODDER

Busy News Cycle Keeps Talk Radio Busy



Keeping talk radio busy this holiday season, there's no shortage of interesting news to discuss:

Of little surprise to Bay Staters, Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's announcement he doesn't intend to run for a second term is fueling a great deal of speculation about national ambitions. Those misunderestimating Romney's presidential potential will later be eating their words:

(Michael Rosen- National Review) If a Republican candidate could land California, or even come close, he could wreak havoc at the DNC. This horrific prospect has provided dramatic fodder for The West Wing's current season, where a (moderate) Republican senator from California is the favorite to capture his home state and with it the presidency.

Could life imitate art? Possibly, if Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has anything to say about it. Romney recently paid a visit to the Golden State to participate in the meeting of the Republican Governors' Association, of which he was named chairman.

I heard him speak at a meeting of the Fairbanks Republican Women Federated (FRWF), one of the most successful groups of its kind. His movie-star-handsome looks render him instantly appealing, at least superficially, in a state like California.

As Canadians spend the holidays in full campaign mode this year, a number of new controversies have emerged:


--- Captain Ed, America's Blogospheric Ambassador to Canada, reports on the Liberal Party's insider trading scandal that no governmental agency seems eager to investigate.

--- Meanwhile, the sleazy Librano$ continue to use rampant America-bashing as an excuse to remain in power, drawing sharp criticism from US Ambassador David Wilkins.

--- Making matters worse, the government of British Columbia faces a major worker shortage heading into the 2010 Olympic Games. Instead of looking to Washington state, where there should be plenty of skilled tradesmen, they're seeking help in France, Belgium and elsewhere in Europe.


All those years spent building a child's "self-esteem" may have backfired:

The argument is simple. We have gone overboard on getting kids to feel good about themselves. The standards for competence have been lowered and false praise is passed out like cups of water at a marathon.

Fallout abounds. One result is kids seem less prepared for hardship. "There's a clear sense that things have come easier for this generation of kids," said Kevin Haggerty, director of the Raising Healthy Children Project at the University of Washington. "They feel down and depressed when they get older and confront failure."

Corporate human relations executives report an intriguing offshoot. Younger workers with the heightened sense of entitlement and easier path are much less patient waiting for job promotions.

And of course, Iraqi elections will continue to be top-of-mind for the next several days.


An Austrian football stadium named for Arnold Schwarzenegger will be renamed, after the California governator failed to halt the execution of gangbanging murderer Tookie Williams.


Shocking even Rhode Islanders used to governmental abuses of power, an 81-year-old Providence woman has been evicted for failing to pay a sewer bill, just ahead of Christmas. Wade, a blogger in Rogue's Island, has the details.


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