On the evolution of the American dream.
The coercive utopians
want to control charitable spending.
Over the longer-term, Republicans
have been gaining among owners & proprietors, skilled and semi-skilled workers, losing among routine white-collar workers and (particularly) professionals.
More.
A
brutal comment on California’s constitution: The California Constitution is, bottom line, little more than a gilded tracking poll. The purpose of a true constitution is to frustrate mob rule, not to catalyze it.
I have no strong opinion on Rush Limbaugh one way or the other, but
this takedown is funny (and Superjesus Black Reagan is a winner on its own). The Dems think attacking Limbaugh
is all gain for them.
The US State Department
is not managing visas well.
The Administration has
apparently abandoned plans to have the Census run from the White House.
Obama is
trying to be upbeat while the economic news gets worse. Former Oz PM Paul Keating
is really, really unimpressed by Obama Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s past performance. Being
really unimpressed with his current one.
The Obama White House
seeks to explain what they are about in their budget. Obama is prepared
to fight for lots of changes. Moderate Democrats in Congress
are beginning to baulk. About
the dangers in the extent of the changes: New and expanded refundable tax credits would raise the fraction of taxpayers paying no income taxes to almost 50% from 38%. This is potentially the most pernicious feature of the president's budget, because it would cement a permanent voting majority with no stake in controlling the cost of general government..
The teacher unions
were the biggest political contributors in the US. And it almost all went to Democrats.
Governments
are bad polluters. But Obama wants to
go green tech in a big way. Reasons
to be sceptical about that.
Arguing
against the theory that the Obama Administration’s economic performance has been really bad on purpose: It is, I admit, an intriguing theory, but I don't buy it. Obama can't possibly want to be a one-term failure. That's what happened to Jimmy Carter, and Obama must know that it will happen to him, too, if his policies are perceived as dragging down the economy. Jimmy Carter did not want to be one-term failure either. The President’s approval rating is holding steady, but his disapproval rating
is climbing.
Building a strong relationship with India was a Bush Administration achievement: the new Administration
seems to be less interested.