By Astoria Jellett
1. Romney is unofficially the GOP candidate for 2012
With wins in Maryland, D.C., and Wisconsin on Tuesday, all that remains for Romney to secure the GOP nomination is a matter of formalities. While there are still 19 more primaries to go, Romney has so far secured 25 of 37 contests. He and President Obama are already going after one another, while Santorum continues his fight to the death so he can run again in 2016. Obama, however, leads both in recent CNN polls. But who knows what will happen between now and November?
2. General Services Administration spending scandal in Las Vegas
People at all junctures of the political spectrum were outraged this week at the General Services Administration’s blatant squandering of tax dollars. A Management Deficiency Report, released by the GSA inspector General, detailed several violations of federal spending limits at a conference in Vegas, which included clowns, a mind reader, commemorative coins and other excesses. Chief Johnson resigned, two top deputies were fired, and four managers were put on leave.
3. Unemployment down
This week the Department of Labor reported a slight drop in unemployment to 8.2%, but the 120,000 jobs added in March are well below the 200,000+ economists expected. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on who’s talking: President Obama touted it as evidence of the recovering economy, while GOP candidate Mitt Romney insisted it indicated more discouraged workers.
