Reminder

We're neither winning the war on terror, nor is Iraq looking any better.

SS Plan Explained

You knew Bush was lying through his teeth, didn't you?

DeLong explains.

Pozen's Plan

A summary:

Under the proposal, first developed by Robert C. Pozen, an investment executive, benefit cuts would be imposed gradually on future retirees. The cuts would fall most heavily on people at upper income levels. The cuts would be less, but still substantial, for middle-income workers. Low- income people would suffer no benefit cut at all. Politically, the plan has the advantage, in the White House's view, of being attractive to moderate Democrats by making the system more progressive.

Here's the problem with this. If you make social security a program that only benefits the poor, public support for it will rapidly decrease (like medicaid) and eventually you'd see the entire program phased out. This aggression will not stand.

No Surrender?

Liar.

Senator Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, the majority leader, proposed a compromise that would allow the minority party to block lower-court appointees if Democrats agreed to give up the power to block nominees for appeals courts and the Supreme Court.

Senator Harry Reid, of Nevada, the minority leader, promptly rejected its terms as "a big wet kiss to the far right."

Suck it, Frist.

Bush to Reporters

"Thank you for your answers."

I'm not kidding.

Be Wary

The Dems have won a victory in returning the ethics rule to their former state. I only hope they harp on this as much as possible in the public sphere. The rule changes were used to get DeLay out of hot water, and facing mounting public pressure, they've now been changed back, meaning DeLay will be the subject of an investigation. But I don't think we're in the clear yet. Hastert's quoted as saying

"There is a member, especially on our side, who needs to have the process move forward, so he can clear his name," the speaker said. "Right now, he can't clear his name."

and from Delay

"I look forward to providing the facts to the committee once it is up and running,"

What does this mean? We already have the facts and they all point to massive corruption, But DeLay seems confident. I'm just worried that he's got even more sleaze up his sleeve that'll enable him to wriggle out of all the charges, or that they'll insist on going after Democrats first.

Link.

Housing Market

This is sort of in line with what I posted yesterday, but yes, the first sector that will most noticeably be hit by the current account corrections is the housing market.

Read up. And read the quoted Roach article.

Interesting

Apparently there are multiple days on which Gannon attended WH press briefings, but there are no records of him being there. Hmm.

The Current Account

In honor of finishing my last paper at college, a macroecon seminar paper on the current account deficit, take a look at this wonderful website by Nouriel Roubini that takes care of everything concerning the current account.

RGE Monitor.

It Begins

From NYT:

The Bush administration is in the final week of a 60-day push to sell its Social Security plan, warning of the consequences of inaction and the political costs for lawmakers who drag their feet, even though much of the public remains decidedly skeptical.

and therefore,

After months of political maneuvering, presidential campaigning, advertising and ultimatums, the 20-member Senate Finance Committee started grappling today with overhauling the Social Security system.

Face it, Bush is dead in the water on this issue. We all know it, we just have to hold him there long enough to drown him in it. SS overhaul is nothing more than a farce. Bush's plans would bankrupt every middle and lower class citizen in this country, and we're not going to let him get away with it. Oh, by the way, Bush's situation has gotten so bad that

Bush was traveling here to discuss his proposal to add private investment accounts to Social Security and included DeLay in the event being held near his district to show that "the president appreciates his leadership in the House,"

Braindead, I swear. For more: There Is No Crisis.

Liar

Frist:

"I don't think it's radical to ask senators to vote," Dr. Frist said. "Now if Senator Reid continues to obstruct the process, we will consider what opponents call the 'nuclear option.' Only in the United States Senate could it be considered a devastating option to allow a vote. Most places call that democracy."

He's lying on: what opponents call the nuclear option AND the filibuster.

Fight!

This is our opportunity to stop Bush's agenda dead in the water. Don't give up hammering on Bolton.

For once it looks like (Nomentum not included) Democrats aren't going to wimp out on this one.

Then there's also this for kicks. It keeps getting better.

What I want to know is how can Bush go around blaming "politics" - a thing that only seems to exist when things don't go the way he wants them to go. Isn't politics what the business of the executive branch is? Tough guy, my ass. He's a little sissy who's crying unfair when he doesn't get what he wants. Someone needs to make him cry uncle.

Army Condones Abuse

Of the five (yes, only five people were actually investigated) people investigated by the army for the abuses in Abu Ghraib (I think the pictures say enough), only one received any sort of punishment, which was that she

was relieved of her command and given a written reprimand. She has repeatedly said she was made the scapegoat for the failures of superiors.

I don't know what to say besides the obvious that this means the army is not taking any responsibility for its crimes and mocking the people it abused. This situation kind of reminds me of Japan in the 1930s where military officers who, not acting under government orders, started war with China and were let off the hook for it.

Link.

Going Nukular

From the NYT,

Vice President Dick Cheney plunged the White House into the judicial confirmation battle on Friday by saying he supported changing the Senate rules to stop the Democrats from blocking judicial nominees and would, if needed, provide the tie-breaking vote.

This pretty much means the GOP is going to go nuclear soon and do away with the filibuster. I know it's going to hurt us now, but this abuse of power will come back to hurt them more than they can imagine. Of course this comes after Bush pledged to Reid that the administration wouldn't get involved. Go figure.

Hunter Gets It Right

From Hunter's post on Kos:

In both the filibuster threats and the Bolton nomination, both on the floor of the Senate and during this weekend's Cirque du Spongebob or whatever the hell they're calling it, that's it in a nutshell. Ninety-five percent agreement with adminstration/conservative/religious policies is not enough, ninety-nine percent is not enough: you are either supportive of The Movement in every particular, without reservation or question, or you are a traitor. Welcome to the Congress of the United States: now shut up and vote as we tell you to.

How O'Reillyian.

From historyguide.org: (someone please tell me if this site is overwhelmingly biased, but I doubt it)

Among a nation so deeply divided by ethnicity and localism, and limited by a narrowness of perspective, building unity and consensus was perhaps the major challenge to the Soviet government. In the Russian past the worship of saints and the veneration of the tsar had served that purpose well. But with the revolution, an intensification of that tradition was necessary. The result was the "cult of personality," the deliberate fixation of individual dedication and loyalty on the all-powerful leader, whose personality exemplified the challenge of creating socialist man and socialist woman.

We all know where disagreement with that party got you. Now we all know where disagreement with this party gets you. Parallels, anybody? Anybody?

Treason?

Here's a choice quote from DeLay in an L.A. Times article published today:

"We set up the courts. We can unset the courts. We have the power of the purse,"

I highly recommend reading the entire article, as well as some of the highlights and commentary over at this kos diary. Here's some more quotes:

Claiming a role by the movement in the GOP gains, Dobson concluded: "We've got a right to hold them accountable for what happens here."

We need to shake these guys up," Perkins said.

Said Dobson: "Sometimes it's just amazing to me that they seem to forget how they got here."

I would like to think that these guys are harmless and merely banging their too thick heads against a concrete wall full of rusty spikes, but you cannot deny that now they have come to collect on the deal the GOP leadership brokered with them. If the GOP delivers then there will be mass outrage in the country. If the GOP does not deliver then neither will the evangelicals anymore. While some people I have spoken to like to rest assured that the GOP will not deliver on its promises, I think if you look at people like Frist and DeLay you will see signs of them trying to do just that. Their desires are only mitigated by what is politically expedient for them to do.

But back to the other point I wanted to discuss, the U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 1, says:

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

This does not mean it is impossible to go through with Dobson's suggestion that

"Very few people know this, that the Congress can simply disenfranchise a court," Dobson said. "They don't have to fire anybody or impeach them or go through that battle. All they have to do is say the 9th Circuit doesn't exist anymore, and it's gone."

Yes, if Congress ever did something like this I think it would cease to have any credibility, but I suppose it is legal. However, the Constitution's language that states that the judges compensation will not be diminished seems to completely run contrary to DeLay's statement above that Congress controls the purse strings of the judiciary. If he is seriously threatening to undo the Constitution and therefore is waging war on this country, how can he not be found guilty of treason?

Energy Bill

Unsurprisingly passed the House. Unsurprisingly it rewards polluters and damages the environment and our health. One choice hypocricy:

The House also rejected an effort to retain state and local control over where to put terminals for importing liquefied natural gas. Representative Michael N. Castle, Republican of Delaware, said that giving the federal government final authority was "trampling on the rights of states and individual communities."

[the bill] gives a federal board new authority to force improvements in the power grid to avert blackouts.

Read all about it.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

I know this is all over the blogs, but I couldn't resist.

"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know...I say the best disinfectant is full disclosure, not isolation." - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, 11/16/95

Link.

Reality

This is your Social Security account.

This is your Social Security account on Bush's plan.

Bolton Blocked

At the last minute Sen. Voinovich (R-OH) backed off on supporting Bolton, and forced a postponement of the vote. Why?

"My conscience got me"

If that's the case on this nomination, imagine how on many other things moderate Republicans (a dying if not dead breed) had to sublime their consciences.

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

Link.

The Pill

In Illinois, the governor is trying to pass legislation to force the sale of the morning after pill. This is meeting with opposition from conservative pharmacists who are ideologically opposed to selling it. According to one pharmacist,

"It's an infringement on a business decision and also on the pharmacist's right of conscience."

I'm a big believer in keeping out of other people's business as long as it doesn't affect others. If someone really wants to hurt themselves, can we really stop them (especially if there's no relationship between you and that other person)? Stemming from that value I naturally think that pharmacists are there to sell things to help people or make their physical and mental health better, and if the morning after pill is what a woman needs for that purpose, then she should have it. A pharmacist is not a doctor and does not have the right to diagnose and prescribe medicine for his customers.

Therefore, I think that that pharmacist's (incidentally, he's the Republican leader of the State Senate) first point about an infringement on a business decision is flawed. However, he might be making a valid point when he says that it is an infringement on his right of conscience. I'm obviously looser on this point than he is, both on general grounds and that I don't consider a zygote to be a person, but can you see yourself in a situation where you had to sell lots and lots of sleeping pills to a person, or sell him a gun you knew he was going to shoot someone else with?

Keeping this in mind, I think there are a couple things to consider. First, the argument against refusing to sell the pill because it destroys a life (against pro-unwanted birthers) is that there is no guarantee that the woman is actually pregnant and that a life is being destroyed, just that she and her partner forgot to use contraception. Second, if this point does not prevail, I think there is a readily available compromise that comes out of disagreement with the pharmacist's first statement about a business decision but respect for his second about right of conscience. This is to require pharmacies to sell the morning after pill as the governor ordered, but if everyone working in the pharmacy refuses to sell it then the pharmacy should be required to hire at least one person who does not have moral objections to filling the prescriptions and let that person fill them.

Link.

Hypocrite

DeLay:

Republicans, including Mr. DeLay, say the revisions are intended to better protect the rights of lawmakers and to give those who find themselves accused of misconduct a presumption of innocence and protection from politically motivated attacks. "What some partisans had found, that if there was no agreement and charges brought against a member, the member would be hung out to dry," Mr. DeLay said Thursday on the House floor.

You were that partisan who changed the rules to such, and now you want to change them back to cover your pasty, white ass.

Earth to Bush

If you believe in free markets, why do you subsidize the cost of gas, which only leads to overconsumption and pollution?

President Bush called on Congress on Saturday to pass the energy legislation he proposed nearly four years ago, saying that "American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pinch from rising gas prices."

It's called free market economics, you seem to be a big fan of it sometimes. Bush's plan? More domestic oil and gas production. What's wrong with this man? If you had the choice between hanging onto the vestiges of a rapidly disappearing dirty energy source (oil, coal, gas) or a clean, limitless one (wind, solar), which one would you invest money in?

Link.

Pollution

Also known as a privately produced public good. Privately produced because it is by indivdual firms, public good because everyone partakes (negatively) of it. So why are we delegating responsibility to those not responsible? From NYT,

If it becomes law, it would make one of the most significant changes to the Clean Air Act in 15 years, allowing communities whose air pollution comes from hundreds of miles away to delay meeting national air quality standards until their offending neighbors clean up their own air.

This is nothing more than a sick game of chicken. National air quality standards will never be met (pollution ususally travels to the poles) and people will suffer from it.

Well Put

here.

President Frist

I know this same idea is being posted over on Kos right now, but it's real interesting to see where he stands in the Republican party. The GOP is increasingly being taken over by far right religious fanatics, and the positions that the GOP is openly avowing reflect this change more and more. Now Frist is going to speak at a Christian telecast to decry the Democrats for blocking Bush's judicial nominees (all 10 of them, Bush's nominees have the highest pass rate ever, both in absolute and percentage, and here are profiles on some the ones the Democrats are blocking - nasty, nasty Democrats). The interesting thing is that the GOP is now framing this as the Democrats attack on people of faith.

Let's face it, the judicial battle has as much to do with people of faith as Iraq had to do with WMDs... crap. The president of the Family Research Council is quoted in this NYT article as saying

"As the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left has been repudiated in almost every recent election, the courts have become the last great bastion for liberalism,"

Now hold on just a second there. The courts are no bastion for liberalism. They are the place in the country where law is made and enforced. They are taking their cues from precedent and the constitution. If you don't like the constitution then you can pack up your bags and leave because this country's law derives from it. Don't let this idiot confuse the terms of the argument. The judge who ruled against Schiavo's family is a conservative appointee, not a rampant progressive of any sort. He followed the law of the land, not a cracked out interpretation of the Bible (which is not the law of the land).

I don't know who will get the Republican nomination in 2008, but it is clear that Frist is making a play to the right, or is being forced to because he can't ignore them. At least there's evidence that shows this right wing Christian bloc is shrinking as a percentage of the populace. How long will it be before the people of this country wake up and realize that the GOP is pushing this insane agenda?

SCLM

This is why it's so-called. Read this and see how the right wing media really functions.

Armstrong Williams

How we knew ye, but there's no problem, so move right along folks.

The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed, a Democratic lawmaker briefed on the review said Thursday.

Huzzah.

Bankruptcy Bill (again)

It looks like the house is going to vote yes (along party lines) on not making amendments to the bankruptcy bill at all and just voting on it.

• Victims of identity theft? Sorry.
• Disabled? First pass this obstacle course of doom.
• Military family? Support our troops, fight in Iraq.
• Children? They don't know better.
• Consumers all around the country? Shut up.

Be sure to thank your Republican party for this stunning piece of legislation that rewards credit card and financial companies at your expense.

DeLay (again)

This man either has the biggest pair of balls since Truman dropped the a-bomb, or he's overcompensating. I'll let you guess which one I think it is.

Deflecting all questions about his ethical conduct and political future, Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, on Wednesday stepped up his crusade against judges, announcing that he had instructed the Judiciary Committee to investigate federal court decisions in the Terri Schiavo case and to recommend possible legislation.

Well, that's framing at work for ya. However, considering DeLay's judicial plan is entirely bunk and unconstitutional, no one has any reason to give him any time in pushing his agenda, instead, it's time to expose him for the liar, bully, and cheat that he is. Come on, moral majority, who's your bitch now?

Link.

Freedom of Speech

Is our constitutional right as citizens of our (not so perfect) republic. That applies to everyone. However, 80% of Americans believe that blogs should be censored.

A further 72 percent favoured censorship of personal information about celebrities, and 68 percent information about elected or appointed government officials such as judges or mayors.

Of course more than 1/3rd of the participants had never heard of a blog before, but what difference does that make?

Hell in a Handbasket

Ooo, Israel wants us to take action against Iran, never saw that one coming. But wait, there's more:

However, Mr. Sharon gave no indication that Israel was preparing to act alone to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, a prospect that Vice President Dick Cheney, who was at the lunch, raised publicly three months ago.

So if we attack Iran together (Judeo-Christian war on the Muslim world) that'll make everything better, won't it? And how can you publicly go around warmongering? Of course,

Israeli officials declined to describe the evidence they presented, or say whether the photographs were from Israeli or American sources, commercial satellites, or from agents on the ground in Iran.

But that's ok, we just need to act before there's a smoking gun.

What is wrong with this country?

Locked and Loaded

With Republicans very possibly moving to eliminate the judicial filibuster, Democrats have all the ammo they need to turn public sentiment against the GOP. Knowing the GOP they might try to push this through earlier than expected to get it done by any dirty means. Why haven't the Democrats made much public headway on this? Partially it's their own fault, too many Nomentums out there willing to be the Republican's butt-boys, and it's not a message that I'm hearing all the time from the entire Democratic body. Some members are always harping away on it (good) but it seems that others couldn't care (bad). There needs to be a unified effort on this. Partially, however, it's also the fault of the SCLM. Here we are with the Republicans literally tearing down the system of checks and balances, violating the establishment clause, and rubbing the constitution in the mud daily, and the SCLM couldn't seem to give a crap, they just have a conservative talking head on TV explaining how it's fine. Time to take a stand on the facts, because I have this notion from somewhere that the media has to do some objective reporting sometime, and when people break the law you have to come down on them and make it clear that they are in the wrong, as opposed to giving them a free pass and making snarky comments at progressives (wolfblitzer).

It's the Economy, Stupid

This diary on kos sums up a lot of good points about Bush's economic policies on the macro level.

Read it.

The Trade Deficit

Is at an all-time high and exceeded expectations once again. According to the WaPo,

The deficit, which has steadily deteriorated, was 2.7 percent higher in February than the previous record of $59.42 billion set in November.

What does this mean? Oh, not much, just that oil prices are continuously increasing and that Chinese imports are still growing. Who's responsible for this? The American [over]consumer. As Stephen Roach says,

The global economy is increasingly supported by a unipolar consumption dynamic -- riding on the back of saving-short, wage-constrained, and overly-indebted American consumer.

This evidences what we should have been worrying about long ago - American over borrowing and consumption, which is already leading to a fall in the dollar and a financial burden on Europe. There is no question that we're heading for a realignment (recession) of some sort, but it is unclear whether the landing will be soft or hard. Financial markets might be able operate under efficient market theory, but I do not believe that markets by themselves are an accurate measure of an economy's well-being, and they cannot anticipate the distorting effects of political legislation. For instance (Roach again),

Politicians need short-term results to withstand the howls of protest from equally myopic voters. And so they intervene in an effort to temper the impacts of global imbalances on their constituents. This then sows the seeds for trade frictions and protectionism -- always the weakest link in the ideal world of globalization.

This opens up an entirely different can of worms. If protectionism takes hold, and it looks like the U.S. is and now Europe might begin to because it has borne the brunt of the dollar decline. If Asia continues to try to maintain parity with the dollar Europe might be forced into protectionist tactics, or more familiarly known as "voodoo economics." If this happens we would certainly not be heading toward a soft landing.

Lying Liars

From the AP:

John R. Bolton, a blunt diplomat whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is opposed by most Democrats and a chunk of the foreign policy establishment, pledged Monday to help strengthen a world body that has occasionally ``gone off track.''

The Bush administration is committed to the success of the U.N., Bolton, the undersecretary of state, said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He told lawmakers that ``we view the U.N. as an important component of our diplomacy.''

Yeah. To bypass and eat for dinner. For instance,

Critics of Bolton cite his 1994 comment that it would not matter if the top 10 stories of the 39-floor U.N. headquarters building in New York were lost.

Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got U.N. in my tummy.

Nomentum

Suck it, Joe.

Can You Say Conflict of Interest?

From the NYT:

At a time when the government is increasing its use of public relations techniques to promote its agenda, its hiring a company with a stable of food industry clients to sell the national nutrition plan has some public health advocates concerned.

If any fast food thing makes it onto this list people need to stop listening to the government altogether. Apparently Campbell thinks canned foods should be rated higher than they are now. This is the federal government; PR is totally unnecessary (unless you're the Bush spin machine), people will have to follow the guidelines anyway, so why are you wasting our tax money?

Today's Iraq Forecast

100º and sunny, as usual.

Today Iraqi children gave American soldiers flowers and the entire country converted to Christianity.

(the bit with the tens of thousands of shiites protesting american occupation burning effigies and acting out prisoner abuse scenes is all lies since it comes from the psycho liberal homosexual volvo driving nytimes reading hollywood tattooing body piercing listening to non-country music terrorist america hating abortion loving baby eating media.)

GOP, It's Easy as Hypocrisy

So a Republican consultant in MA married his boyfriend of 40 years. No problem over here with me, I think it's only natural. However,

One of Mr. Finkelstein's associates, who declined to speak on the record, citing Mr. Finkelstein's desire for privacy, said Mr. Finkelstein did not view his marriage as a political statement and had specifically decided to have a civil ceremony rather than a religious one.

Who are we kidding? The GOP made gay marriage into a tenet of their culture war, is going around the country trying to pass state laws forbidding it, never mind that we'll probably see another shot at a federal marriage amendment, and this guy expects us to let his party choose what will and will not be accepted as a political statement? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...

link.

The Best Thing About Gannon

is that he doesn't even realize how funny he is. You can hear the laughter after his... statement.

Tom DeLay - Fascist

From the NYT:

"The failure is to a great degree Congress's," Mr. DeLay said. "The response of the legislative branch has mostly been to complain. There is another way, ladies and gentlemen, and that is to reassert our constitutional authority over the courts."

The last time I checked although Congress can pass law it is the judicial branch's authority to rule whether such laws or actions are constitutional or not. Furthermore, however unfair it may seem at times, the way to assert judicial independence from the short-sighted whims of Congress is to make sure that Congress does not have authority over the courts in this manner.

Any second grader could tell you it's called checks and balances.

How is this man not a fascist?

Courtesy of dictionary.com, the definition of fascism is:

1. often Fascism
   1. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
   2. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.

Nuff said.

Republican Ideology at Work

If you deny it, it's false.

Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, on Wednesday angrily dismissed newspaper accounts that focused on payments to his wife and daughter as well as on additional trips taken by him that have come under scrutiny.

Link.

I Think I'm Going to Be Sick

The EPA was going to test pesticides on kids. Really.

Link.

Kurtz is a Hack

I said it before and I'll say it again.

Oh, and that anonymous talking points memo about how Schiavo was a great political opportunity for the GOP? Yeah, it's a GOP memo.

What We're Up Against

I was just watching c-span and some guy called in to ask Sen. Sessions (R-AL) about social security. He opened by saying that the democrats plan was to keep poor people poor. I'm already wild eyed and bewilered at this point. He then proceeds to complain that the Republican party isn't doing enough because they're divided on this issue and they all need to stand together and have better discipline. He then concluded by saying that the GOP should use the nuclear option.

What plane of existence does this man live on? Planet Bush?

Iraq

Presidents: 1

VPs: 2

Weeks taken to decide: 10

Peace: Nowhere in sight

An election is a celebration, not the end all be all of democracy. Heck, in this country elections certainly don't have anything to do with democracy.

link.

Close, but No Cigar

Do you think Clinton ever could have gotten away with this?

The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas.

I don't think so.

The Pope Is Dead

I'm sure you already know this as well and would like to move on to some other sort of news (3+ days and counting), but the media can't seem to figure it out.

Meanwhile, we've got 1500+ dead in Iraq, but the war has seemed to drop out of the news. That's the SCLM for you. Here's the info on the latest attacks.

Cornyn and Domestic Terrorism

If you haven't heard what Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said, you need to read this.

Causality

Although Bush has been going around since god only knows when trumpeting that frivolous lawsuits are the main cause for putting doctors out of business, he's pretty oblivious (...) to the fact that he'll be cutting 5% off of Medicare for the next 6 years. A loss of 30% of one's income seems to be a pretty big factor in putting someone out of business, as opposed to lawsuits that account for 1% of all medical costs. If that person were a Fortune 500 company, well, I don't have to finish that thought for you.

Sexual Awareness Sunday

According to the govmint, protective factors against STDs are:

• Perceived parent disapproval of adolescent sex.
• Parent/family connectedness.
• Religious identity/commitment.
• Pledge of virginity.
• High grade point average and school involvement.
• Appears younger than most peers.
• Friends who have similar commitment to abstinence.
• Presence of both parents in the home.
• Infrequent dating before age 16.
• Involvement in group and extracurricular activities.

That would be great, except that abstinence doesn't work (link from dkos). Pledges of abstinence only lead to higher rates of oral and anal sex, so good luck trying to fend off the clap that way. Also, someone's going to have to explain to me how a high GPA and lots of extracurriculars lower your risk of getting STDs. Here are risk factors for STDs:

• A parental belief that adolescent sex is appropriate or inevitable.
• Little parental monitoring.
• Perceived risk of untimely death.
• Paid work more than 20 hours per week.
• Low grade point average or lack of attachment to school.
• Appears older than most peers.
• Alcohol and drug use.
• Only one parent in the household.
• A steady boyfriend or girlfriend.
• A history of physical or sexual abuse.
• Dating someone two or more years older.

In fact I hear Congress is gearing up to pass a law outlawing dating for anyone under 21. If you want a relationship it's marriage or bust. Adolescents working hard are rewarded with STDs (nevermind that they'll have to work hard because of Santorum's proposed minimum wage bill). Dating someone who's two years older (nevermind that they might be more mature and careful about sex) is also a sure-fire way to contract herpes. However, I think most offensive one on this list is having only one parent in the household. That's just really disgusting. But wait, there's more:

If you believe your adolescent may be gay, or is experiencing difficulties with gender identity or sexual orientation issues, consider seeing a family therapist who shares your values to clarify and work through these issues.

Of course you shouldn't accept your child for what he or she may be. Teens don't struggle with identity, and they don't need support and encouragement from their parents. Tell them they're wrong, it'll make them feel better.

At least advocacy groups are complaining about this (there are your tax dollars at work again) according to the AP. Theocracy here we come.

Bush's Energy Policy

Is no different from his foreign, domestic, or energy policy. If reality doesn't suit you, just make it up.

Powerline

Explain to me why anyone (Howard Kurtz) believes Powerline? Because he, like Powerline, must believe that Tom Delay is a Democratic construct.

WMD Intelligence

was

a. right
b. so-so
c. wrong
d. delicious

D goes without saying, but it was also C, WRONG! By whose admission this time? Crazy lefty blogs? Crazy lefty politicians? Crazy lefty activist judges? No, the white house! Yaaaayyyy!!!

Link.