Friday Link Wrap Up
Two weeks of links to catch up!
Closing Guantanamo; big priority during the campaign, not so much now. (Well, especially since even Democrats don’t even want to do it.)
The Obama administration turned down using Dutch oil skimmers because they couldn’t meet our stringent government environmental regulations on how pure the decontaminated water was that they dumped back into the Gulf of Mexico, right on-sight of the spill. Instead, we transport the oily water to facilities and decontaminate it there. Huge efficiency drop during a major catastrophe because, ironically, of environmental regulations. Read the whole article for more things we turned down that could have averted a lot of this problem.
Our own Treasury Secretary is ignorant of economic history. Timothy Geithner said this at the latest G-20 summit: “One of the mistakes made in the 1930s was that countries pulled back their recovery efforts too soon, prolonging the Great Depression.” However, precisely the opposite happened. Recovery efforts failed, lasted too long, and that’s what prolonged the Great Depression. NewsBusters has the charts.
School vouchers improve graduation rates. Now we have a government study to prove what common sense already told us.
Sharia Law in the UK: Dogs barred from buses so as not to offend Muslims.
Democrats have decided that there will be no budget this year. Hey, at least (this time) they’re being honest about it. I guess they’ll just spend until it doesn’t feel good anymore. Or until they’re voted out. Whichever comes first.
In Venezuela’s socialist paradise, the government’s Food Ministry rounds up 120 tons of rice because it might be sold above regulated prices. At the same time, 80,000 tons of food was found rotting in government warehouses. Government efficiency at its finest.
Another example of bait-and-switch in the passage of ObamaCare. Obama rejected the idea that the individual mandate was a tax increase, but in defending it from state lawsuits, the administration does classify it as a tax increase. This way, the mandate falls under a law that forbids the states from interfering in tax collections. In addition, “an early draft of an administration regulation estimates … a majority of workers—51 percent—will be in plans subject to new federal requirements….”
If your 11-year-old asks a particular Massachusetts school for a condom, they’ll get it, no questions asked. Also, parents objections will not be taken into consideration. Actually, there’s no real age limit on the policy; any kid can get one. Only in Massachusetts. For now.
And finally, all that hard work pays off, but not the way you thought it would. (From Chuck Asay. Click for a larger version.)
Filed under: Doug • Economics & Taxes • Education • Foreign Policy • Government • Islam • Religion • Venezuela
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I have to wonder about the meaning of that last cartoon, seeing as how it is the NYs, CAs and other blue states that pay for most of what happens in the red states (at least at the federal level). They also lead the way in responsible environmental policy. In what way are they like shirking grasshoppers?
Well, that’s part of the problem. The federal government is taking way too much from individual states for all sorts of programs beyond what I think they ought to. The feds keep milking the richer states for more and more federal programs, and they’re running out of rich states’ money.
The “shirking grasshopper” analogy, then, are those states that, given that, still tax and spend until they, too, run out of rich people’s money or hit an economic downturn. The richest states ought to be in the best position when the economy tanks, but instead the poor “ants” are going to have to pay for California’s deficit spending. They lived high on the hog and now want everyone else to pay the bill. “Leading the way” in environmental policy has apparently contributed to this.
“other blue states that pay for most of what happens in the red states”
oh for Pete’s sake. so what’s your point, Dan? That we Republicans are hypocrites? Well, what if we turned down the money? Then you’d denounce us for turning it down. I know this because I live in Virginia and our governor turned down Federal stimulus money and the leftists went nuts. It’s the typical liberal game of gotcha
Why do you think I’d denounce you for turning down money? By all means, if you wish to be consistent in your position, turn down the great wealth that comes from the “liberal” states and get by on your own resources.
You won’t have any denouncement from me. I’d respect that, actually.
If I may…
Dan: Why do you think I’d denounce you for turning down money?
Possibly because folks in the party you support have all pretty much done that very thing. Texas Governor Republican Rick Perry was accused of "playing politics" by a Democrat for considering turning down stimulus money. And Virginia Governor Democrate Tim Kaine was "angry and red-faced" when Republicans turned down $125 million in April.
You seem to be a mighty rare minority among Democrats, Dan. Fair enough, but your views are not the ones Republicans deal with from Democrats. Opinion pieces from liberals overwhelmingly, if not entirely, denounced Republicans for even thinking about turning down the money.
To be fair, I’m more of a Green Party kind of guy. And I know politicians play politics all the time (left and right). I just don’t know of many real-world progressives who would condemn someone for voting to turn down federal money in order to stay true to their ideals.
Now, we MIGHT condemn a politician for turning down federal money and then using that as a reason to suspend important programs. Turning down federal money and then ending a state program that assist homeless veterans, for instance. IF a Red State representative wants to be true to his values and turn down federal dollars (money coming from BLUE States moreso than Red states), then he/she still needs to balance the budget and continue to provide necessary programs.
But just for turning down money? I don’t see anyone condemning anyone for that much. Not in my circles, anyway.