April 30, 2005
What liberal bias in education?
Don't miss Michelle Malkin's post discussing a recent story out of New Hampshire - a father, having faced off with his 5 year-old's teachers and school administrators over the "alternative lifestyles" being pushed on his son, was arrested. Getting arrested might have been stupid, but one can symapthize with the anger, no? (For starters, dad had asked to be notified of this sort of thing ahead of time, a request that, evidently, was ignored.)
Posted by bill at 02:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What are Democrats Doing?
John Tierney writes that President Bush has called the Democrats' bluff on Social Security:
...on Thursday night, when he promised to improve benefits for the poor while limiting them for everyone else, he sounded more like Robin Hood, especially when he rhapsodized about poor people getting a chance to build up assets that they could pass along to their children.
The political capital Democrats are expending on "opposition" politics is astonishing; but even liberals aren't pleased with this. In liberals' view, there's been little resistance to issues like bankruptcy reform and the energy bill.
Complains Matt Taibbi:
On the front pages, the Democrats feud with the Republicans like pit bulls over a bunch of idiotic and mostly irrelevant social issues, usually involving Jesus—Terri Schiavo, judicial nominations, the bankruptcy claims of anti-abortion terrorists. Whenever the cameras are on, they trot out a shrill hag like Nancy Pelosi—a personage very proficient at being loud, but suspiciously ineffective at instilling party discipline—to hysterically denounce the Republicans as the spawn of Satan. But once the lights are off, they hand the party reins to a few dozen whores who make sure the money votes go the right way.
Posted by bill at 02:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
FYI-Technical
We'll be switching things over today to new blogging software and may experience a hiccup or two in the process. Be sure to check in tomorrow for the new look and a few new features and in the meantime, "We ask that you please bear with us."
Posted by Bill of Right at 10:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Economy
The economy has hit a soft patch; is worse ahead? To me, it seems that there are a lot of reasons to take a "wait and see" attitude at this point. The dollar is shaky; the current account deficit is unsustainable, as is the federal budget deficit; and the battle over Social Security reform puts a big question mark over the future macroeconomic environment.
Posted by Good Samaritan at 07:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 29, 2005
Power of the (Gambler's) Purse
Denny Hastert has decided to "pivot" on the House Ethics Committee rules, and, true enough, the decision to rescind the revised regs is a pivotal one. Talk of the town is that the GOP needs to clear the decks as far as the Ethics stink is concerned for two reasons--first, the consensus has emerged that reversal now will cost less than stubbornness carried through to the mid-term elections; second, concern has set in that Tom DeLay won't be able to clear his name without the seal of approval of a functioning Ethics Committee.
Problems? Sure. The winner-take-all attitude that still stiffens spines and curls lips on the Hill has made both Bolton and DeLay look like do-or-die martyrs in the making, as institutionally capable of dragging down whoever comes to their rescue as they are of countering a Democratic coup de presse with the fanatical support of the closed ranks. Congress is playing with fire when individuals become totems for whole movements and concepts that reach backward and forward in time by decades and even centuries. The questions of power, attitude, and danger raised by any number of inside scoops on the two embattled Republicans are eternal, and they have turned many a golden boy to a rancid pile in much shorter order than anything we are likely to see here in the months ahead.
Sometimes the brass-and-wood-panels world of high politics approaches the bent universe of another realm full of marble halls and felt tables. When power is a gamble and policy turns to pure politics, everyone has something to gain, and only the highest of rollers have something to lose.
Posted by Jorge Rome Guy Alssop at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
E.J. Dionne writes:
The president's proposal for private accounts in Social Security is Exhibit A for eggheadism. There was little popular demand for these accounts. Most Americans like Social Security as it is. (my emphasis)
Here's what Americans really think about Social Security, based on a poll question that was far from unique; this is what the public has told pollsters about Social Security again and again:
14. Which of the following four statements comes closest to your own view of the Social Security program - would you say the program is in crisis, the program has major problems but is not in crisis, the program has minor problems or the program has no problems?
Crisis 25
Major probs. 49
Minor probs. 23
No probs. 1
No opin. 1
So 74% of Americans think that Social Security is in crisis or has major problems. Poll after poll has shown this! How can E.J. Dionne go on writing that "most Americans like Social Security as it is?" Does he think American prefer their government programs to be in crisis?
Posted by Good Samaritan at 10:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
