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Reason Alert - February 25, 2011
- Wisconsin Shows What a Broke Democracy Looks Like; - How Public Pensions Killed California; - California’s Ailing Economy - President Obama’s WTF Tour; - Don’t Take the Oscars Too Seriously; - The Mind of a Police Dog; - Losing the Brains Race; - India and China Have Nothing On Us... read more
Townhall… Budgeting for Dummies, By Howard Rich
President Obama has said that the cuts included in his fiscal 2012 budget will force “tough choices and sacrifices.” Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner invoked a former tax-hiking president in defending his chamber’s proposed budget reductions. “When we say we are going to cut spending, read my lips: We are going to cut spending,” Boehner said. It’s no surprise that political leaders are talking a good game. Americans have finally grasped the rough outlines... read more
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Townhall... A Short Course in Student Loan Management, By Carrie Schwab Pomerantz
Dear Carrie: I’m in college, and next semester my student loan goes directly to me for the first time. Since it must last the whole school year, I’m worried it won’t make it. I’ve already written out a budget, but I’ve never been able to stick to one before, so I don’t have much faith in myself. What else can I do to make this money last? -- A Reader - Dear Reader: Great question -- and so important... read more
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Townhall... Not Wrestling Girls, By Brent Bozell
It’s so easy to look at teenagers in general today and sigh. They’re more than a bit lazy, a bit spoiled and more than a bit morally compromised. Two teenagers made national news. One showed common decency and sportsmanship, two virtues seemingly uncommon in that generation. Hope is restored. Sixteen-year-old wrestler Joel Northrup faced a dilemma when he was scheduled to wrestle Cassy... read more
The Columbus Dispatch... Editorial: Apples to apples
Friday, February 25, 2011 - For months, Ohioans have heard the debate over whether government employees are overpaid compared with the private sector. State Auditor Dave Yost says he plans to address the issue in performance audits his office will conduct of state agencies and local governments. If he can deliver a straight answer, free of ideological spin, he’ll bring significant added value to those audits. As state leaders struggle to bring public-employee pay... read more
Politico... Shutdown: Does GOP have the edge this time? By Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan
February 23, 2011 - A new batch of House Republicans getting hammered for shutting down the government: That’s so 1995. Times have changed. President Barack Obama is no Bill Clinton, Speaker John Boehner is no Newt Gingrich. The new guys ran on slashing spending and they’re showing they meant it. Meanwhile, Washington Democrats wouldn’t cut a penny in their spending proposal, even though austerity is the buzzword in state capitals and county... read more
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Townhall... Obama Not Just Above the Law--He Is the Law, By David Limbaugh
President Obama’s brazenly calculated move to unilaterally abandon the federal Defense of Marriage Act showcases his attitude that he is above the law. DOMA defines marriage as “only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife” for purposes of all federal laws, rules and regulations (Section 3). It specifies that no state shall be required to honor laws of other... read more
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Wednesdays with Emily Miller... Government Shutdown
Human Events - 02.23.11 - The two words heard on Capitol Hill most often this week are government shutdown. And these two words are most often coming from the exact people who have the power to stop it: the Senate Democrats and the White House. The House Republicans passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) on Saturday that funds the government for the remaining seven months of this fiscal year... read more
Townhall... A Price on Our Heads, By Cal Thomas
Back in the American Wild West, federal and state governments often put a price on the heads of infamous outlaws like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Sam Bass, Belle Star and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today, our government is not so selective. It’s seeking to put a price on the head of every American. Not because they’ve robbed a train, but for a different reason that could lead to a very bad end... read more
Redstate... Defense of Marriage Act, ObamaCare and Kagan, Posted by Curt Levey
Wednesday, February 23 - President Obama’s decision today to abandon the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is both outrageous—as a matter of Justice Department policy and constitutional law—and a miscalculation that will decreases the chances of ObamaCare being implemented, while potentially increasing calls for Supreme Court Justice Kagan to recuse herself from certain gay rights cases... read more
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Townhall... The Media on Wisconsin? A Bad Joke, By Brent Bozell
 The battle in Madison, Wis., between new Gov. Scott Walker and the public-sector union hacks offers an amazing study in journalistic double standards. The same national media that have spent the last two years drawing devil’s horns and Klan hoods on the tea party protesters have switched sides with lightning speed. In the Wisconsin protesters, they find sweetness and light... read more
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Townhall... How Public Employees and Taxpayers Got Scammed, By Steve Chapman
 Public employees have been cramming the Wisconsin state Capitol to protest the governor’s plan to cut their take-home pay and gut their collective bargaining rights. You can’t blame them for objecting when the state reneges on a deal. But they should have been protesting years ago, when politicians and union leaders struck a bargain that was too good to be true... read more
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Family Events... “Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child...” By Marybeth Hicks
Last summer, with a writing deadline fast approaching, I had to face facts. I hadn’t been grocery shopping in a couple of weeks and we were out of food. Really. No peanut butter. No baked beans. No rotting onions in the basket at the bottom of the pantry. My family was subsisting on Cheerios and left over Chinese. There was no getting around it – we needed a major restocking... read more
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Sojourners... This is Not Fiscal Conservatism. It’s Just Politics. By Jim Wallis
The current budget and deficit debate in America is now dominating the daily headlines. There is even talk of shutting down the government if the budget-cutters don’t get their way. There is no doubt that excessive deficits are a moral issue and could leave our children and grandchildren with crushing debt. But what the politicians and pundits have yet to acknowledge is that how... read more
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The Columbus Dispatch Editorial... False claim: "Public-sector workers are not standing up for Ohio’s middle class" - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - “Dear Supporter, Now is the time. If ever there was a time to show up, stand up and let our voices be heard, it is now. The fate of Ohio’s middle class is on the line at the Ohio Statehouse.” So begins a mass e-mailing from former Gov. Ted Strickland, calling on members of public-sector unions to attend yesterday’s Statehouse rally... read more
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Redstate.com... Straight Into Darkness, Posted by Repair_Man_Jack
Tuesday, February 22nd - 2010 became the year many Americans realized that the emperor stood shivering in the nude. Liberalism was dead, the Liberals had killed it; what now would the Liberals do? The impact of this Nietzsche-like revelation has awakened the American conscience to the existence of a major crisis. Namely, America is run, lock, stock, and barrel... read more
Townhall... Rocky Mountain RINO?, By Paul Jacob
In Wisconsin, New Jersey, Indiana and Ohio — and even Washington, DC — Republicans prove themselves by standing up to powerful special interests and proposing (and even enacting) daring reforms. But there’s one spot on the map intent on keeping the old idea of an Insider Knows Best GOP alive and kicking. In Colorado, leading Rocky Mountain Republicans have determined that their fight is really not with Democrats at all; it’s with Colorado... read more
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Human Events... Wisconsin Students: Dunces and Dupes, by Jason Mattera
02/22/2011 - There are a whole lot of adolescents in Wisconsin who need to get smacked back to reality.  They’ve been lobotomized, and you can thank the thuggish teachers union for that. What’s been happening on the ground in Wisconsin is shameful on so many different levels. First, we have labor activists and leftist agitators acting like complete animals over a proposal to have... read more
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Human Events... The Political Resource In Wisconsin, by John Hayward
The Wisconsin protesters are cultivating their most important asset. 02/22/2011 - People are naturally inclined to cultivate valuable resources to improve their lot in life.  In a politicized economy, influence is an extremely valuable resource.  In fact, as more of the economy falls under political control, influence becomes the most important commodity.  What we are witnessing... read more
Townhall.com… 5 Political Catchphrases You Should Never Believe, By John Hawkins
One of the most tragic things about modern politics is that it’s practically impossible for the average American to understand what’s going on without an interpreter. By that, I mean that the “Saving Kittens, Baby Pandas, and Puppies Act of 2011” may actually be a bill that gives $10,000 tax credits to lawyers who defend sleazy zoos from negligence suits. From there, things only get worse because the newspapers blindly parrot whatever the liberal line is on... read more
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Townhall.com... Feds and Unions: Foes to Educational Reform, By Chuck Norris
“The fate of our country won’t be decided on a battlefield. It will be determined in a classroom.” Do you believe that? Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called on 14 state Senate Democrats, who had fled the state instead of voting on a deficit-cutting anti-teachers-union bill, to return and do their jobs. Senate Republicans hold a 19-14 majority... read more
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Townhall... Obama’s 2012 Budget Gimmicks - By Lurita Doan
“Obama’s inability to understand that it doesn’t make sense to spend $17B in order to get $5B may be one of the reasons...” President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2012 federal budget is an example of shoddy math and non-transparent government at work. The 2012 Federal Budget fiscal shell game is as curious for what items are included as for what Team Obama chose to exclude... read more
Townhall... Daniels and Christie Light Fuse Under GOP Lawmakers, By Michael Barone
As congressional Republicans mull whether to address the government’s long-term fiscal problems -- House Republican leaders are being pushed by the 87 freshmen to do so, while some Senate Republicans are seeking some bipartisan accords with Democratic colleagues -- two Republican governors barreled into Washington with the message that the lawmakers better get moving. And that congressional Republicans might do just fine politically if they do... read more
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Townhall... Defining Our Fiscal Crisis Correctly is Step One, By Star Parker
 Private Investment accounts... “Despite a 37% drop in 2008, they still would have earned 75% more than they would have gotten from Social Security.” The first step in solving any problem is defining the problem correctly. It’s here, at step one, where we’re already failing in how we’re thinking about our nation’s fiscal crisis. Despite the fact that we’re talking about an out-of-control federal budget, the problem... read more
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Townhall... George Who? What Happened to Washington’s Birthday?
By Floyd and Mary Beth Brown - “If we do this [change the date of the Washington holiday celebration], ten years from now our school children will not know what February 22 means. They will not know or care when George Washington was born. They will know that in the middle of February they will have a three-day weekend for some reason. This will come.” Theses prophetic words... read more
Right Wing and Ron Paul, Federal Budget & More, Reason Alert
February 18, 2011 - Florida Governor Makes the Right Decision on Rail Project - The Right Wing Tries to Figure Out Ron Paul - This Federal Budget Is No Way to Win the Future - The Medicaid Mess Is Even Worse Than You Think - Did President Bush Set the Stage for Middle Eastern Democracy?... read more
Townhall... Don’t Like It? Riot, By Rich Galen
Welcome to another new normal: If you don’t like something your government is doing, or if your government is not doing something you think it should be doing - riot. Don’t wait for one of those pesky elections. Take over the square, the roundabout or the state house and demand that the government do - or stop doing - what you want. I understand that Hosni Mubarak was a despot in dictionary meaning: A ruler with absolute or virtually... read more
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Politico… Has Obama set GOP entitlement trap? By Glenn Thrush
2/16/11 - Senior congressional Democrats were plenty nervous on the eve of President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget presentation, fretting that Obama would suddenly gain his nerve and decide to take on the issue that editorial pages ceaselessly debate but elected officials are wary to touch — entitlement reform. They needn’t have worried. White House officials assured their friends on the Hill that... read more
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Townhall... Shut Down the Government, By Matt Towery
It sounds harsh and cruel, but U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s threat to shut down all but essential federal government services if the Democrats on Capitol Hill can’t actually reign in spending is not only the fiscally responsible approach, it is also one that would be popular with the public. Enough with the gamesmanship of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the silliness of House... read more
Columbus Dispatch... Prisons ‘about to blow’?
By Alan Johnson - Violence data part of argument for Senate bill - Violent or destructive incidents involving six or more inmates in Ohio prisons have almost quadrupled in just three years. Such confrontations occurred an average of once every 28 days in 2007, but by last year they were breaking out once every 7.6 days. That’s keeping Gary C. Mohr, the new director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, up at night... read more
Columbus Dispatch... Health-care pooling makes sense for Ohio’s school districts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - Editorial: Band together - This should be the year that Ohio lawmakers start the wheels turning toward statewide health-insurance pools for school employees. This eminently sensible idea has been batted around the Statehouse at least since 1998, when then-gubernatorial candidate Lee Fisher proposed it for all public employees statewide. It has been resisted fiercely by health-insurance companies and not embraced... read more
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Human Events... Apocalypse Now: Wisconsin vs. Big Labor, by Michelle Malkin
02/18/2011 - Welcome to the reckoning. We have met the fiscal apocalypse, and it is smack dab in the middle of the heartland. As Wisconsin goes, so goes the nation. Let us pray it does not go the way of the decrepit welfare states of the European Union. The lowdown: State government workers in the Badger State pay piddling amounts for generous taxpayer-subsidized health benefits. Faced with... read more
The Columbus Dispatch... Who will lead? President, Congress still not dealing with looming fiscal crisis
Friday, February 18, 2011 - The budget proposal President Barack Obama presented Monday is a grossly inadequate response to the nation’s growing fiscal crisis. It offers modest cuts, confined to a relatively tiny area of the federal budget. Its projection of $1.1 trillion in savings over 10 years is ludicrous considering that the budget adds $1.6 trillion to the national debt in just one year, and contributes to a projected debt increase of $7.2 trillion by the end of the decade... read more
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Human Events... Four problems that can only exist if Big Government creates them
What Big Government Can Do - by John Hayward - 02/15/2011 - On Monday morning, President Obama dropped the bloated corpse of a bizarre, $3.73 trillion budget on the steps of Capitol Hill.  It is a remarkable document, in that it extends the wildly irresponsible spending and Big Government devotion of Obama’s first two years almost without hesitation, despite the historic pounding his party... read more
Columbus Dispatch... Tax-expenditure reform could save the state a bundle, By Mark Cassell
February 13, 2011 - Imagine lawmakers in Columbus pass a $7 billion stimulus package designed to create jobs. Now imagine that they do this year and after year, passing multibillion-dollar stimulus packages. Now consider that Ohio not only fails to add any new jobs but instead loses hundreds of thousands of jobs each year the stimulus program is in effect. How, you might ask, could policymakers continue to pass such massive stimulus packages with... read more
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Townhall... Barbara Bush: ‘No More, You’re Killing Us’, By Chuck Norris
Former first lady Barbara Bush said on Greta Van Susteren’s “On the Record” this past week: “We’ve got a real problem in public schools. ... This is a national crisis. It’s as bad as anything in our country.” When Van Susteren was pointing out from Bush’s own op-ed piece that “Texas (is) 36th in the nation in high-school graduates (and) 3.8 million Texans don’t have a high-school diploma,” Bush said... read more
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Family Events... Achy Breaky Family, By Marybeth Hicks
Billy Ray Cyrus has regrets. In a revealing interview for the upcoming edition of GQ Magazine, the actor/country music icon (for the mullet) shares his grief over the demise of his once-happy family and asserts that Disney’s “Hannah Montana” destroyed their lives. Moreover, Billy Ray admits that he was a poor disciplinarian, and worst of all, that he sought to be... read more
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Redstate... Finally Asking My Question of Donald Rumsfeld - Posted by Academic Elephant
Sunday, February 13th - I had a novel experience last Thursday–I had lunch with my boss in our office conference room, not as we have untold numbers of times, but as a blogger hoping to get a question in. In a way it was a lunch more than four years in the making. In October, 2006 I was on a long weekend trip to Colorado, most of which I sent critiquing... read more
Redstate... No Wonder Non-Union UFCW Reps Want a Union at Their Jobs…
Posted by LaborUnionReport - Monday, February 14th - A couple of weeks ago, a group of union representatives filed a petition with the NLRB to hold a secret-ballot election to determine whether or not to become unionized at their employer, UFCW Local 400. While the post (here on Redstate and cross-posted on LaborUnionReport) was highlighting the hypocrisy of a union that backs card check (as opposed to secret ballot elections) yet refuses card... read more
Redstate... Obama’s deficit reduction - a measly $400 billion over ten years, Posted by Dan Spencer
Sunday, February 13th at 10:30AM EST - President Obama offers deficit reductions of a woefully inadequate $400 billion over ten years as he continues his ”trillion-dollar deficits for years to come.” In this week’s edition of his, or rather “Your Weekly Address,” President Obama claims he is ”proposing a new budget that will help us live within our means”: “My budget freezes annual domestic spending for the next five years – even on programs I care deeply about... read more
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Obama’s Budget Bluff, By Dick Morris & Eileen McGann
The Obama Administration and its acolytes on the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission are propagating the myth that it is Social Security and Medicare that are driving the deficit over $1.5 trillion. Discretionary spending, they plead, is but a tiny part of the budget, not much worth fooling with. The reality, as we explain Revolt! - our new book due out on... read more
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Toledo Blade editorial... Raise Ohio’s cigarette tax
Editor’s Note: Then after this we can tax potato chips (and other junk foods) and fast food restaurants, and raise alcoholic beverage taxes... Gov. John Kasich and the General Assembly have less than five months to fill a projected $8 billion chasm in Ohio’s $50 billion budget. The governor vows not to raise taxes to help close that gap. But what if Mr. Kasich were to get behind a tax... read more
Townhall... True Believers, By Bill O’Reilly
 Presidents Obama and Bush the Younger have one striking similarity: self-assurance. After speaking with both men recently, I am firmly convinced that they are convinced their policies are/were right for the nation. Let’s take Bush first. The Iraq War has cost America more than $750 billion since it began in March 2003. So far, more than 4,400 Americans have been killed in that country, in addition to the approximately 32,000 who have been wounded. Many of those wounds... read more
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Townhall... Choice, Not Compromise, By Terry Paulson
Rep. Paul Ryan’s response to President Obama’s State of the Union provides a clue to the political battle that is coming: “The principles that guide us; they are anchored in the wisdom of the founders in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and in the words of the American Constitution. They have to do with the importance of limited government and with the blessing of self-government... read more
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Townhall... The Feds and California in Mortal Combat, By Bruce Bialosky
Former Republican Ray LaHood, now Obama’s Secretary of Transportation, recently announced that he wants to outlaw cell phones and navigation systems in cars. He maintains that even hands-free cell phones (Bluetooth) are too much of a distraction. Apparently, he believes that reading a map is safer than a navigation system. These 19th-century proposals – along with some other doozies... read more
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Politico... Hard choices: Obama’s 2012 budget, By David Rogers
February 14, 2011 - Long on tough choices, short on final answers, President Barack Obama‘s new 2012 budget goes to Congress on Monday in what many hope is only an opening bid before he and Republicans come to the table on a bipartisan deficit reduction plan. For the current year, the White House projects a better-than-$1.6 trillion deficit — even higher than the Congressional Budget Office... read more
Townhall... Conservatism On the Rise, By Mike Needham
It’s been a long time since you could say this, but last week was a great week for conservatives in Washington. On Tuesday, House Republican leaders decided not to pursue an extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a $2.4 billion program that isn’t equital and doesn’t work. Of all the Americans who lose their jobs, only about one percent of those who filed for unemployment benefits in 2010 received TAA. Why should these individuals get a better... read more
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Townhall... Have a Little Faith, By Ken Connor
“We like to pretend that our experiments define the truth for us. But that’s often not the case. Just because an idea is true doesn’t mean it can be proved. And just because an idea can be proved doesn’t mean it’s true. When the experiments are done, we still have to choose what to believe.” from “The Truth Wears Off,” The New Yorker, December 2010. Over the last few centuries, our society... read more
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Human Events… Lieberman, Harman and Vanishing Democratic Moderates, by Michael Barone
02/10/2011 - Political pundits of a certain stripe have been lamenting the disappearance of Republican moderates for years. It’s time now to lament the disappearance of moderate Democrats. Last month, Sen. Joseph Lieberman announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. He lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006 because of his support of the Iraq war, but won in November as... read more
Townhall... Passenger Trains: Clearly the Change We’ve Been Waiting For - By John Stossel
You are our Ruler. An entrepreneur tells you he wants to create something he calls a “skating rink.” Young and old will strap blades to their feet and speed through an oval arena, weaving patterns as moods strike them. You’d probably say, “We need regulation -- skating stoplights, speed limits, turn signals -- and a rink director to police the skaters. You can’t expect skaters to navigate the rink on their own.” And yet they do. They spontaneously create their own order... read more
Townhall... Why Obama Wants To Cut Corporate Taxes
By Steve Chapman - America doesn’t feel much like the champion of the world these days. Everywhere we look, we see other countries outdoing us -- in economic growth, educational performance and men’s soccer. But this year, we are expected to gain an impressive distinction: the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t make me feel like chanting “USA! USA!” If high corporate taxes are a good policy, why are we... read more
Reason Foundation... Phasing out Fannie and Freddie
Housing Finance Reform: Protecting Taxpayers, Ending Bailouts, Reducing the Government’s Role, and Promoting Private Capital By Anthony Randazzo - February 9, 2011 - Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises. Chairman Garrett, Ranking Member Waters, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to join you... read more
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Human Events... De-Fund the Predators of Planned Parenthood - by Michelle Malkin
02/11/2011 - Thanks to the persistent investigative work of young pro-life journalists, Planned Parenthood’s ruthless, money-grubbing colors are on full, fresh YouTube display. But as shocking as the illicit new videos from Live Action Films are, the routine, parental authority-sabotaging advice the taxpayer-funded abortion racket gives teens every day deserves more front-page headline.... read more
Akron Beacon Journal... Prescriptions for an epidemic
Friday, Feb 11, 2011 - Large numbers of Ohioans live reasonably healthy and productive lives because prescription drugs provide relief from pain. These drugs play an increasingly larger role in managing painful health conditions. Unfortunately, mounting evidence also points to the scourge that prescription drug abuse is becoming in communities across Ohio. This is particularly true for high-potency opium-based painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone... read more
Townhall... I Hate to Burst Your Bubble; U.S. Government Is To Blame, By Donald Lambro
WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-run investigative panel’s 600-page report on what caused the financial crisis was promptly thrown onto a dusty shelf, where most congressional inquiries are soon forgotten, late last month. From the beginning, the report’s conclusions were tilted, placing much, if not most, of the blame on Wall Street, greedy lenders in the private sector and the lack of adequate federal regulation. Notably, it played down the government’s central role... read more
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Wall Street Journal... Eek! A Male!
Treating all men as potential predators doesn’t make our kids safer. By Lenore Skenazy - Last week, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Timothy Murray, noticed smoke coming out of a minivan in his hometown of Worcester. He raced over and pulled out two small children, moments before the van’s tire exploded into flames. At which point, according... read more
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Family Events... Why Manners Matter, By Marybeth Hicks
Question: My husband and I are not sure what to do about adults who insist that our children call them by their first names, and who allow their children to do the same with us. We’d prefer to be “Mr. and Mrs.” and we insist that our children call adults by their proper title. It seems like a lot of adults think it’s cool to be casual, even with kids, and get offended or upset when we coach... read more
Townhall... So Much for Tolerance - By Ken Connor
 One of the hallmarks of contemporary Liberalism is an embrace of multiculturalism. A truly progressive society, so the thinking goes, is one in which people from all walks of life – all racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds – can coexist harmoniously, even though they have radically different world views and conflicting notions about how to order themselves in society. Inculcating a spirit of multiculturalism in our children has become a top priority in America’s schools... read more
Townhall... A Killer Agency - By Walter E. Williams
 Sam Kazman’s “Drug Approvals and Deadly Delays” article in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (Winter 2010), tells a story about how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s policies have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. Let’s look at how it happens. During the FDA’s drug approval process, it confronts the possibility of two errors. If the FDA approves a drug that turns out to have unanticipated, dangerous side effects, people will suffer... read more
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Human Events... Another tribute to Ronald Reagan, Mondays with Tony Lee - By Tony Lee   
When I was three years old in 1984, I was hoisted on my dad’s shoulders at Mile Square Park in Orange County, Ca.  The event?  It was the reelection kickoff event for what would be Ronald Reagan’s historic campaign that saw him win 49 states. Ronald Reagan has a special place in my heart. Yesterday (Sunday Feb. 6), Nancy Reagan and the Reagan Library... read more
Human Events... House GOP’s Spending Cut Less Than Expected - By Emily Miller
02/09/2011 - House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R.-Wis.) is filing a budget limit this week that would cut government spending by $32 billion starting March 5. The Appropriations Committee will use the new spending levels to determine specific government department cuts and write a new Continuing Resolution (CR) bill that will come to the floor for a vote next week. The CR would be the largest one-time discretionary spending cut in history. However, the... read more
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Townhall... Green Jobs Are Not Evergreen Jobs - By Debra J. Saunders
 After receiving at least $43 million in aid from the state of Massachusetts, Evergreen Solar announced last month that it would be closing its manufacturing plant in Devens, Mass., laying off its 800 workers and moving its manufacturing operations to China. Warning: These are the “green jobs” that President Obama has touted as part of his “winning the future” agenda... read more
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Townhall... The “Judicial Activism” Ploy - By Thomas Sowell
Now that two different federal courts have declared ObamaCare unconstitutional, the administration’s answer is to call the courts guilty of “judicial activism.” Barack Obama has a rhetorical solution for every problem. Remember the repeated claims of “shovel-ready” projects that needed only federal stimulus money to get started? Last year the President quietly admitted that there were... read more
The Hill... Now comes hard part for Boehner as run of Republican unity ends - By Russell Berman
Now comes the hard part for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). In the first month of the 112th Congress, the new House Republican majority voted unanimously to repeal President Obama’s healthcare law, cut congressional budgets and set the stage for spending showdowns that will dominate the spring. But that run of GOP unity is about to end. Boehner faces a defining moment in his Speakership as he and his lieutenants navigate a trio of major bills... read more
Redstate… How Obama Can Double His Budget Cuts By Doing His Job
Posted by Ben Domenech - Monday, February 7th - Earlier today, Moe Lane documented the monumental (cough) $775 Million budget cut the White House has recommended. This figure struck me as an interesting one when compared with a certain report the Obama Administration has been dodging since November — Ernst & Young’s comprehensive examination of the Dept. of Health and Human Services’ budgetary lapses... read more
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Townhall... If We Want to Promote Freedom, How About Starting at Home? - By Star Parker
 Watching the wave of unrest in the Middle East, there are lessons to consider regarding how we view the world and how we manage our lives here at home. I’d call it getting perspective on what you can control and what you can’t. It should be pretty clear that the upheavals in Tunisia and Egypt came as complete surprises. No one predicted them. Is this because no one was paying attention? Of course not... read more
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Redstate... TSA Gives Unions Right to Bargain & Take Dues From Airport Gropers
Posted by LaborUnionReport - Friday, February 4th - Not that there was ever any doubt where this would be heading, but John Pistole has decided to grant unions the right to negotiate and collect more than $27 million per year in union dues from the roughly 45,000 staffers at the Transportation Safety Administration. Back in November, TSA boss John Pistole granted the TSA... read more
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Townhall... America the Conservative? - By Steve Chapman
If you want proof that America is a conservative country, Ronald Reagan provides it. Once seen as a reactionary nincompoop, he’s probably the most respected president of the last 50 years. Highways and buildings bear his name. Republicans compete to see who can lavish the most praise on him. It’s not really surprising that Barack Obama has paid tribute to Reagan on the approach... read more
Reason Foundation... Ten Arguments Against a Government Guarantee for Housing Finance
Why there should not be a government role—explicit or implicit—in guaranteeing housing finance - Anthony Randazzo - February 4, 2011 - There is a growing belief among mortgage investors, industry groups and some policymakers in Washington that some type of explicit government guarantees for mortgage lending will be necessary to undergird a new housing finance system in America. Yet whether by the sale of insurance on mortgage-backed securities or a public utility... read more
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Reason Foundation... He Loves the Mandate, He Loves It Not.
The Obama administration’s individual mandate flip-flops, By Peter Suderman - February 2, 2011 - There’s an old game played by love-struck teenagers trying to figure out what the object of their affection thinks of them. Take a flower and pull the petals off one-by-one. For each petal, alternate between saying “she loves me” and “she loves me not.” Whichever refrains corresponds with the final petal supposedly... read more
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Townhall... Ohio Mother is Modern Day Rosa Parks - By Kyle Olson
 Perhaps you’ve heard about Kelley Williams-Bolar, the Ohio mother who was recently tried and convicted for falsifying residency records so her daughters could attend a better school where they would receive a quality education. The “better school” hired a private investigator to prove that Williams-Bolar’s children lived outside the district. As a result, she received a 10-day jail sentence... read more
Redstate... Obama Administration Covering Up Abortion Data
What are they trying to hide? - Posted by Erick Erickson - Thursday, February 3rd - Let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists … do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed... read more
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Daily Events... Tuesdays with Jason Mattera - Working with the Muslim Brotherhood
Hey, you’d think that Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name would’ve come in handy in the Arab world by now, huh?  Nope.  It turns out that even an Obama speech can’t curb Egypt being set ablaze.  And that’s a blow to the brother’s confidence, no doubt. Obama’s ego aside, how surprised would you be if I told you that the White House is cozying up to the idea of Egypt being run by Muslim... read more
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Family Events... Managing the Media Monster in Your Home, By Marybeth Hicks
Each week, we pose a question and ask for your answers! After all, no one gives better advice than moms in the trenches. Question: Our neighbors have a great family and are terrific folks, but the media supervision in their home is pretty lax. I’m concerned that my son is exposed to violent games and movies when playing there that we don’t allow in our home. Should I confront the parents? What else... read more
Redstate slams Reps... How The Stupid Party Gets Its Name - Posted by Erick Erickson
Thursday, February 3rd - Today was another fine example of how the Republican Party gets labeled as the stupid party. Senator Dick Durbin hinted two days ago that the Senate Democrats would be unified in their opposition to repeal Obamacare except for one or two. In other words, the GOP had the opportunity to get Democrats to jump ship. But Democrats have signaled that they want to “fix” Obamacare, not repeal it. So the GOP gladly obliged. Without any obstruction... read more
Redstate... Barack Obama’s Egypt Failure: He’s Becoming Carter Faster Than Carter Became Carter
Posted by Erick Erickson - Wednesday, February 2nd - Barack Obama’s failure in Egypt has nothing to do with Egypt itself descending to chaos. No American administration has been willing to call Hosni Mubarak a dictator, which he is. And no administration has sought to strong arm Mubarak into a succession plan devoid of kleptocratic relatives. We cannot blame Barack Obama for Egypt collapsing in on itself. We can however blame Barack Obama... read more
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Townhall... The 40th President at 100 - By Cal Thomas
 On the centenary of Ronald Reagan’s birth, I pause for another historic event: agreement with President Obama, who says of his predecessor in USA Today, “Ronald Wilson Reagan was a believer ... he recognized that each of us has the power -- as individuals and as a nation -- to shape our own destiny. He had faith in the American promise; in the importance... read more
Townhall... 5 Reasons Liberals Aren’t As Happy as Conservatives, By John Hawkins
 Did you know liberals aren’t as happy as conservatives? Of course, you did. How could you not know it after listening to them incessantly wail, gripe, whine, and complain about everything? But, let’s bring....drumroll, please -- the science! First, here’s the Pew Research comparison between Republicans and Democrats: The survey, released this week, points out several disparities based on lifestyle, beliefs and political persuasion: Republicans are happier than Democrats... read more
Mandate foes test GOP principles, By: David Nather
February 2, 2011 - In a different context, the Republican Party might cheer one of the fundamental tenets of the health care law, a requirement that all Americans buy health insurance. It’s just the sort of thing that would fit squarely within the GOP’s bedrock principle of individual responsibility — ensuring that no one puts a strain on the system by showing up for costly emergency room visits, then expecting everyone else to pick up the tab. Instead, Republicans have... read more
Townhall... I Can Balance the Budget, By John Stossel
 The Congressional Budget Office says the current year’s budget deficit will be a record $1.5 trillion. It also says that over the next decade we’re on track for annual deficits of “only” $768 billion. I suspect the CBO has hired Rosy Scenario to do the bookkeeping, but let’s take that number at face value. I’m now going to balance the budget, with the help of some experts. I’ll begin with things I’m most eager to cut. Let’s privatize air traffic control. Canada did it, and... read more
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Redstate... Planned Parenthood Caught Aiding and Abetting Sex Trafficking of Minors
Tuesday, February 1st - From 2008 to 2009, Planned Parenthood received $363 million in government grants and contracts — our tax dollars. During the same time period, they destroyed the lives of 324,008 unborn babies. As if it could get worse, it does. New footage released just this morning shows a Planned Parenthood manager in New Jersey coaching a man and a woman... read more
Obamacare: D.O.A. By Dick Morris & Eileen McGann, DickMorris.com on February 1, 2011
How did Obama ever think that his program would pass constitutional muster?  How could he imagine that the Interstate Commerce clause could cover something that wasn’t interstate (health insurance cannot be sold over state lines) and wasn’t commerce (failure to buy insurance is not commerce) would stand up in court?  He was so sure that he would win any constitutional challenge that he arrogantly failed to put a severability clause in the bill so that it would survive... read more

 
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