Federal deficit for the month of February:
The federal government posted its largest monthly deficit in history in February, a $223 billion shortfall that put a sharp point on the current fight on Capitol Hill about how deeply to cut this year's spending.
Will wonders never cease! The New York Times and I agree that a federal government shutdown wouldn't be so bad. Of course our reasons differ a tad -- the Times thinks it should be done to send a message to "reckless" Republicans who are trying to make "devastating" cuts in the federal budget that would "do enormous damage" to many needed programs:
This headline is oxymoron of the day: "Romney's tea party-friendly defense on health care":
Mitt Romney made some of his most significant statements yet this weekend about the health care bill he signed as governor of Massachusetts, offering a preview of his defense for what many are expecting to be a potent line of attack for Romney's opponents.
And in doing so, Romney appears be trying a tea party-ish angle
Charlie White either doesn't get it or doesn't care:
Almost as soon as he was indicted on seven felony charges Thursday afternoon, pressure began mounting for Secretary of State Charlie White to step aside, with people in both parties -- including Gov. Mitch Daniels -- saying it's wrong for Indiana's top elections official to serve under the cloud of alleged voter fraud, theft and perjury.
Hoosier House Republicans have voted to fine the hiding-in-Urbana Democrats $250 a day for their absence, starting Monday. Big whoop.
It is not clear whether Democrats will actually have to pay those fines. While fines have been issued in the House before, they have always been rescinded.
If these two institutions can co-exist, maybe there's hope for the rest of us:
Harvard University announced Thursday that it will bring the military's Reserve Officers Training Corps program back to campus after more than 40 years.
Shock No. 1: There is actually somebody in the federal government who takes illegal immigration seriously -- U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which has the responsibility for immigration issues. Shock No. 2: Smith is focused on the one approach most likely to succeed.
Regarding illegal immigration, however, he proposes a program of "attrition through enforcement." Workplace enforcement, that is.
The erudite* Antonin Scalia can't resist the urge to show off:
Scalia even seemed to accuse his colleagues - or the reader - of having a limited vocabulary. When he referred to the majority's "dystopian" view of Detroit, he added a footnote:
"The opposite of utopian. The word was coined by John Stuart Mill as a caustic description of British policy," Scalia added.
Fort Wayne Community Schools teachers get a "morale booster" from the school board:
The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board unanimously passed a resolution Monday night in support of keeping collective bargaining for teachers the way it currently is.
Several teachers in the audience stood up and applauded after the vote.
