Canaries and coal mines

So the French have no stomach for austerity measures. Do we? This would seem a good gauge: if we aren’t capable of cutting the truly unnecessary, then those who feel robbed of their free goodies will rise up a la Cloward-Piven to ensure future reward. Via Hot Air, a test of intestinal fortitude for the [...]

“Not everyone in the conference agrees with cutting that fast and giving that much responsibility back to the state”

So argues U. S. Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla. to justify the failure of passage of a bill which would have capped federal discretionary spending next year to less than a trillion dollars. Of that failed plan: That budget plan, authored by the conservative Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, called for replacing federal support [...]

When do facts ever matter to liberal (Congressmen, no less)?

Charlie Rangel can’t help himself. Via Hot Air, a choice tidbit of liberal nonsense from The Hill: Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) on Wednesday called for the redistribution of America’s riches and hammered the wealthy for benefitting from a war effort fought by the poor and middle class.… Rangel offered no specific remedy for adjusting those figures [...]

What happens when government intervenes in the free market, part 9,998

A fee for using debit cards for purchases? Banks used to charge businesses for each credit/debit transaction, and the transaction rate fluctuated. Timothy Carney explains: How is that rate — the “interchange fee” — set? Until this year, it was set by market forces. Visa and MasterCard offer stores a service that facilitates sales and brings in [...]

“People feel betrayed, disappointed, furious, disgusted, hopeless”

The people in question are disillusioned Democrats upset with Barry O and in the aftermath of the two House seat losses. From the Politico: “Let’s face it — it has been a tough summer for Democrats,” said Jack Quinn, a top lobbyist and former White House Counsel to President Clinton. “But I really do think that [...]

Say what?

Via Gateway Pundit, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen made a surprise stop in Afghanistan today.  What do you tell troops in harm’s way when your boss says screw with ‘em and make ‘em worry? A soldier asks what will happen when the government defaults, and this is what he gets [...]

Ah, a deal: does it even matter?

After reading Mark Steyn at his most scathing, no: The Democrat model of governance is to spend $4 trillion while only collecting $2 trillion, borrowing the rest from tomorrow. Instead of “printing money,” we’re printing credit cards and pre-approving our unborn grandchildren. To facilitate this proposition, Washington created its own form of fantasy accounting: “baseline budgeting,” [...]

“Everyone’s standards are different, but to be elected to Congress and sit there all day on Facebook and chatting?”

So says Megan Broussard in an interview with ABC news of her Facebook “friend” Anthony Weiner. Ain’t that the truth, eh? Weiner now admits to sexting or twitching or whatever with multiple young ladies. Busy man. As for the Weiner presser, The Other McCain says it best: incroyable. For the minute-by-minute Weiner roast, read Stacy. [...]

Chart of the day

Via Hot Air, household “income” from government entitlements and handouts exceeds taxes: Note the two times this has happened historically: the Great Depression. What strikes me, however, is that the level of entitlements is four times higher now than it was then. Ed Morrissey states the obvious: The clear problem in this chart isn’t that [...]

Friends in the know told us we were crazy to buy gold after Obama’s election

And now I only wish we had bought more. Gold lept to new highs today. Why? MSNBC: Standard & Poor’s on Monday downgraded the outlook for the United States to negative, saying it believes there’s a risk U.S. policymakers may not reach agreement on how to address the country’s long-term fiscal pressures. “Because the U.S. has, [...]