Most of the coverage of the presidential race these days is horse-race stuff -- who's surging, who's faltering, who seems to have a chance and who doesn't. But here, from The Associated Press, is a wrapup of what the candidates' positions are on certain issues. As far as I can tell, nobody's position has been distorted, so it should be helpful for those who want to catch up. No comments from me except to note all those billions of dollars listed in the Democratic plans.
For the "with friends like this, he doesn't need enemies" file:
ST. PAUL, Minnesota - In a legal effort to help a U.S. senator, the American Civil Liberties Union is arguing that people who have sex in public bathrooms have an expectation of privacy.
Via Fark, one of the great moments in entertainment history, William Shatner performing -- I guess that's the right word -- "Rocket Man" at a science fiction convention. It happened 30 years ago today.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=DvQwXOCKNLY]
Headline of the day:
Glad somebody threw in that second "Never" so we'd know to take the advice seriously.
I must have read 100 editorials and commentaries about the Indiana voter-ID law being considered by the Supreme Court. They are all depressingly similar -- the "fight fraud" side and the "voters are being disenfranchised" crowd just keep repeating the same mantras, over and over. Here's a typical passage from the "solving a nonexistent problem" camp, in The Boston Globe:
Hoosier criminal genius of the week:
Police in Kokomo, Ind., said a robbery suspect accidentally shot himself in the groin as he put his gun in the waistband of his pants during a holdup.
[. . .]
I'll bet a lot of you conservatives out there have thought, "Maybe President Bush has screwed up in a lot of areas, but at least he'll stand up for the 2nd Amendment." Guess again:
Since "unrestricted" private ownership of guns clearly threatens the public safety, the 2nd Amendment can be interpreted to allow a variety of gun restrictions, according to the Bush administration.
We're running this Charles Krauthammer column on today's editorial page. It addresses something I've been thinking about, but he says it so much better than I could:
The Democratic primary campaign has been breathtakingly empty. What passes for substance is an absurd contest of hopeful change (Obama) vs. experienced change (Clinton) vs. angry change (John Edwards playing Hugo Chavez in English).
Every time I write about intrusive government and the slow chipping away of our liberty -- and our complicity in the erosion of rights -- I hear from somebody who says I'm a libertarian caveman who just doesn't understand that we're all in this together and have to submit sometimes to the greater good. But, surely, this should be alarming to the most committed collectivist:
I meant to post on this yesterday, but it slipped my mind. What a great newspaper stunt:
January 13, 2008 -- IRVING, Texas, Jess win, baby!
Even a fake Jessica Simpson was good enough to throw off the Dallas Cowboys yesterday, as Big Blue took a Giant step toward the Super Bowl.
Welcome to the bar, where you may feel free to kill yourself with alcohol, either the slow way, by sinking slowly into beer- and whisky-induced organ shutdown and/or suicidal depression, or the fast way, by turning your car into a killing machine also likely to take out any number of innocent bystanders.
An Indiana legislator wants to introduce a bill to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. The Indianapolis Star weighs in with an editorial urging the General Assembly to be cautions:
I've written in favor of moving Indiana's primary up, so here's something on the other side, from Rep. Mark Souder:
Souder feels the way things are playing out could give Indiana a bigger chance to have influence than before, that's one reason he and fellow Hoosier Congressman Mike Pence have held off on their endorsements.
Fort Wayne Community Schools has unveiled its new logo. Created by the Asher Agency, it is "not intended to be a literal depiction of anything specific, but instead symbolizes FWCS' position as a strong, progressive school system.
Members of Congress and President Bush, thank you for worrying so much about members of the middle class and trying to make sure we have an easier path to travel:
General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Sunday the new fuel efficiency requirements imposed by Congress last month would add $6,000 to the price of an average GM vehicle by the end of the next decade.
A man apologizes for scribbling an obscentiy on the check he used to pay his parking ticket with, but his lawyer says he could have fought it:
The lawyer for David Binner, 45, said his client would have prevailed if he went through a trial.
"The F-word isn't what it used to be," attorney Keith Williams said. It doesn't have a sexual connotation anymore and so can't be considered obscene, he said.
As a veteran, I spent about 20 years flinching every time I saw a headline saying something like "Vietnam vet in homicidal rampage." The war was wrong, the narrative went, so, naturally, the men we sent there came back damaged and primed to go off like time bombs, punishing the country forever. There were never headlines saying "Insurance salesman kills family" or "Librarian murders seven."
It has nothing to do with the presidency or who we need in the job, but one side benefit of electing Barack Obama is that it would leave race-baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton with no reason whatsoever for a public stage, and we might hope they sink into the oblivion they so richly deserve:
When Gov. Daniels announced his proposal to cap residential property taxes, he also talked a lot about restraining local spending. The idea was that, to start getting a handle on taxes, communities would get less money and learn to do with less. But Mayor Henry has a different idea:
