GM, having teamed up with the federal government to stiff past creditors and shareholders, is now “back,” by which it means, if you ignore all its past bad decisions and debt, it isn’t totally insolvent. (Remember when then-Mayor Barry said
From the Associated Press: Europe struggled mightily Friday to keep the debt crisis from engulfing country after country. Portugal passed austerity measuresto fend off the speculative trades pushing it toward a bailout and Ireland rushed to negotiate its own imminent
From Claire Berlinski in City Journal: You see, about a month ago, I asked my mother to bail me out. I knew she’d do it. She’s done it before. She sent me money she’s been saving toward my retirement. I
The day when a nation deeply in debt tries to forget its troubles with one last spree at the Mall.
From AFP: With the US Congress hurtling toward a deadline on expiring tax cuts, a growing number of wealthy people are calling for higher taxes on the rich to help restore America’s fiscal health. One effort gathered over 45 millionaires
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come,
Happy Thanksgiving!
From Fox News: A handful of Republican lawmakers is warning against Congress approving a massive discrimination settlement that passed the Senate last week despite concerns the claims process may have been marred by thousands of potentially fraudulent applications. Just before
Today, on Thanksgiving-eve, there is talk of a National Opt-Out Day to protest TSA’s Naked Body Scanners. Americans have been sheep for far too long. We hope people embrace this protest.
From AFP: The US economy will grow at a much slower pace than expected this year and next, as unemployment remains stubbornly high, according to bleak Federal Reserve estimates published Tuesday. Painting a stark picture of the short-term fate of
From Syracuse.com: Ann Marie Buerkle will be Syracuse’s next representative in Congress, its first woman in the U.S. House. U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, the Democrat, called Buerkle today to concede, ending three weeks of ballot inspections, recounting and court wrangling.
Today, in 1981, Ronald Reagan signed a secret directive authorizing the CIA to recruit and support the Contra rebels, fighting for freedom in Nicaragua. It marked a new seriousness in our prosecution of the Cold War.
From The Brownsville Herald: U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz conceded late Monday to Congressman-elect Blake Farenthold. Noting that the recount of more than 106,000 votes had been completed in the district, Ortiz said: “Therefore, with great respect and admiration in
Today, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX.
George Will in today’s Washington Post: The theory – perhaps by now it seems like a quaint anachronism – on which the nation was founded is, or was: Government is instituted to protect preexisting natural rights essential to the pursuit
Today starts the crush of Thanksgiving Holiday travel. In simpler times, travel over Thanksgiving was not for the faint of heart. The introduction of new, invasive policies from TSA won’t improve things.
Today, in 1985, Windows 1.0 is released. It turned out to be a big deal.
I applaud the Senate for passing the Claims Settlement Act of 2010, which will at long last provide funding for the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers, and the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native
From the Associated Press: The Senate has approved almost $4.6 billion to settle long-standing claims brought by American Indians and black farmers against the government. The money has been held up for months in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans
Today, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
This would be funny if it weren’t true. (Still, it is pretty funny.) Alas.
From the Associated Press: House Democrats elected Nancy Pelosi to remain as their leader Wednesday despite massive party losses in this month’s congressional elections that prompted some lawmakers to call for new leadership. Pelosi, the nation’s first female House speaker,
Today, in 1989, the Velvet Revolution began in the Czechoslovakia. It succeeded by the end of the year.
From the Associated Press: Rep. Charles Rangel, once one of the most influential House members, was convicted Tuesday on 11 counts of breaking ethics rules and now faces punishment. The veteran New York lawmaker immediately denounced the verdict as unfair.
From SignOnSanDiego.com: The Transportation Security Administration has opened an investigation targeting John Tyner, the Oceanside man who left Lindbergh Field under duress on Saturday morning after refusing to undertake a full body scan. Tyner recorded the half-hour long encounter on
Today, in 1914, the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States officially opened. An institution that was created to provide monetary stability is, today, undermining it. The best laid plans…
The ethics trial of recently reelected Rep. Charlie Rangel begins this morning. Rep. Rangel will represent himself. The Sunlight Foundation has live coverage of the trial.
Today, Congress returns to finish out the 111th Congress. It marks the end of the Democrat party in DC.
This week, the Senate GOP will have a showdown on Sen. Jim DeMint’s proposal to ban earmarks for two years. Senate GOP Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who apparently missed entirely the point of the elections two weeks ago, is trying
Today, in 1995, the Federal Government began a partial shutdown of non-essential services. While most of the American public barely noticed this, the GOP, unfortunately, quickly blinked. Hopefully, we won’t make the same mistake again.
From The Hill: Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (Conn.) angered other high-ranking Democrats on Friday by releasing a leadership election schedule that seemingly seals his own re-election as the first order of business. Larson, currently the fourth-ranking House Democrat, circulated
Our airport security system long ago slipped past farce. It is simply unserious and utterly ridiculous. But, with the adoption of X-ray body scanners, it has moved beyond all reason. We may have to start a “hell no, we’re not
From the New York Times: And as officials frenetically tried to paper over differences among the Group of 20 members with a vaguely worded communiqué to be issued Friday, there was no way to avoid discussion of the fundamental differences
This morning, the Federal Reserve will undertake another round of what it is calling QE2; buying Treasuries, i.e. devaluing the dollar, in an attempt to pump money into the economy. 3…2…1…poof, money from the land of unicorns and pixie dust
Nancy Pelosi’s self-indulgent bid to remain leader of the House Democrat Caucus has hit some road-blocks. Not only does the New York Times think this is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad idea, but several House Democrats have recently realized
Today, in 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the Great War ended. The diplomats and politicians who came up with that cute little flourish went on to negotiate a “peace” that ensured an
Tomorrow, the nation honors our Veterans. We at the Big sites are proud of our own Jon David Kahn for putting into words and music how so many of us feel about our Veterans and active duty military personnel. It
Today, in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk died. He was the first president of the Turkish Republic and brought it into the modern world as a secular nation. His legacy is slipping away.
Complaint – — MTN for Preliminary Injunction –
A fascinating interview with the former President in the Wall Street Journal: One perception the president is determined to shift is that of his spending record. “Decision Points” contains one graphic: a table comparing, among other things, President Bush’s average