On Second Thought for May 20, 2013

On Second Thought is a weekly feature that takes a lighthearted look at current events.

The state announced last week that the Timpanogos Highway again has to face months of more construction work. The road, which originally was supposed to open in May 2011, has had more false starts than a track meet in an earthquake.
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Thanks to the missed deadlines and traffic snarls, Utahns now have come to dread these 10 words, “We’re from UDOT and we’re here to help your commute.”
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The Timpanogos Highway ought to qualify for federal stimulus money. After all, few projects seem so perpetually shovel ready.
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Contrary to public opinion, President Obama did not have the worst of all possible weeks last week. For instance, he didn’t order a drone strike on a litter of cute puppies.
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It was impressive, however, to see his administration angering State Department employees, conservative groups and then, in a perfect finale, the media. It sort of made his first-term fight with the Catholic Church look like, well … a tea party.
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I’ll say this, Obama has succeeded in uniting divergent groups. Word is AP reporters soon will be donning tricorn hats.
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So, the IRS was investigating conservative groups and now the government will be investigating those investigators, while people are urging an investigation into how the Justice Department investigated phone records from the Associated Press. Kids, there is a lesson here. Go to school to become an investigator.
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Abercombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries says he wants only beautiful, slim people wearing his company’s clothes. So why is it those people seem to be wearing hardly any clothes at all in company advertisements?
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Maybe the clothes are so exclusive no one qualifies to wear them. What a brilliant marketing plan!
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Abercrombie & Fitch, meanwhile, has signed an international agreement to make sure garment workers in Bangladesh have safe working conditions. The company says it doesn’t want poor people wearing its clothes, just making them.

Jay Evensen is the associate editor of the Deseret News editorial page. Follow him on Twitter @jayevensen.

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