| | Tax Me More, Europe’s Wealthy Say – NYTimes.com. First it’s Warren Buffett, now this. For most of these folks (check the article), they have the option of paying more if they really want to, so why don’t they? Hitting the super-rich with more taxes plays well at cocktail parties and down at the union hall, but it has no real benefit in terms of easing government deficits long term. That’s because even if we flat-out confiscated all the money the glitterati have, it wouldn’t go that far. Real fiscal reform that’s long lasting is what’s needed, and it simply means the government stops spending and stops casting smaller increases as “cuts” in the budget. This article is, in our opinion, a semi-fabrication in service of a political agenda, and it’s a drumbeat the NY Times has been playing for a while now . It’s goofy on its face — if the super rich want to be taxed more, they can simply send the IRS more money. But they don’t. So how serious can this be? The Court Explains it All WSJ has an explanation of the recent decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that makes it plain why the health care law is flawed on Constitutional grounds. It’s really a monumental power-grab-by-precedent if allowed to stand. Here’s the money quote from what article authors Rivkin and Casey call “the most comprehensive judicial opinion to date.:
The court’s bottom line is this. Congress cannot use its power under the Commerce Clause to eliminate distinctions between national and local authority, reducing the states to administrative units that implement federal policies and programs. Here, the opinion explained, “[a] state’s role in safeguarding the health of its citizens is a quintessential component of its sovereign powers.” Health care, and health insurance, are areas of traditional state concern where states enjoy a broad police power.
via WSJ.com  Joe Donnelly: He knows a lot more about light bulbs than you do. Joe Donnelly, ever the phony Blue Dog, today voted against HR 2417, which would have repealed the phase-out and banning of incandescent light bulbs in favor the more dangerous and less-popular CFL bulbs. The alternative to Edison’s light bulb is the mercury-loaded compact flourescent, which does have some advantages but is not preferred by most consumers. And, it’s a far bigger environmental hazard than the incandescent bulb. None of this matters to Nancy Pelosi, who marshalled the Democratic caucus to halt the bill that would have given consumers right to choose the product they prefer. And true to his generally amoral form, Donnelly went along. Light bulbs may seem like a small issue, but arrogant disregard for peoples’ freedom, desires and the facts is not. And, as Gateway Pundit explains, Donnelly’s vote helps send more jobs to China, because that’s where the CFLs are made. We don’t need this guy in the Senate. He’s done enough damage in the House as it is. Politico has a brief article on the specifics of the bill here.  Very interesting split between the Supreme Court judges. ER is somewhat biased against this ruling, mainly because we don’t really think the Supreme Court SCOTO should inject itself into a state legislative matter. It seems to us that minors are very often denied certain Constitutional rights on the basis that they are too young to exercise them wisely — although age is certainly no guarantee of responsibility.
Freedom of expression is important, but does this give perverts online the right to approach minors with lascivious chat or e-mail? We’re big fans of Scalia and Roberts, but it seems to us this opens a rather large wormy can. Check out the article (linked below). Hat tip to Drudge. Court: Calif. can’t ban violent video game sales – Yahoo! News. Congressman Joe Donnelly, Indiana 2nd Joe Donnelly won reelection last November by a very narrow margin, and probably won only because Jackie Walorski’s campaign (and candidacy) was fairly unstellar. Donnelly’s win was not a squeaker, but was much closer than he probably expected. Taking his drop in popularity as a sign, Donnelly has now decided to run for U.S. Senate, hoping to unseat Richard Lugar in 2012. We’re not always in agreement with Lugar, but he’s still far better than the phony Blue Dog Donnelly, whose votes for the Obama health care bill, TARP and so-called “stimulus” packages (also known as union bail-outs) are already taking their toll on our economy and our freedoms. We’ll talk more about this as the campaigns get closer, but it seems to us that Donnelly is running from his record in our district only to impose it more widely in the US Senate. We shouldn’t let him. VP Gore is back, pushing his global warming agenda. It’s summer, and maybe he figures he’ll get more traction now (that warmth must be global warming, for sure). Exhorting an audience of college-age folks, he admitted that the mean old utilities have goofed up his carbon credit business, paralyzed government action on climate change, and encouraged the audience to renew the political will to move the issue forward. From The Hill: But he noted that, “We have not yet done enough. Our leaders have not yet done enough. Our country has not yet done enough. The world has not yet done enough,” before adding “we can solve this.”
Unfortunately, with people like Al, it’s never enough. |
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