Debt-ceiling Fight Rages On

Speaker Boehner wasn’t able to get enough Republican votes in the House to pass his plan after all; apparently it will now be amended to require that Congress send a balanced-budget constitutional amendment to the states before a debt-ceiling increase is triggered (as would have been required by the failed Cut, Cap, and Balance Act), which is a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. 

Debt-ceiling Fight Over?

Last Friday, Speaker of the House John Boehner finally walked out on the unproductive talks with President Obama; he cut Obama out of the loop and went to negotiate directly with Democrats in the Senate, which arguably makes a lot more sense.

By yesterday, Boehner had already come up with a new plan, which he believes can pass both the Republican House and the Democratic Senate. 

Austerity in Europe, Delusional Washington

Mark Steyn, as usual, is must-read material:

As Obama made plain in his threat to Gran’ma last week that the August checks might not go out, funding nonproductivity is now the principal purpose of the modern state.

Monkey and Ape Ape Men, Use Tools

As The Telegraph puts it, “How about that?”  I couldn’t resist passing this on.

I do so without further comment.

Government Tries To Make College More Affordable, Makes It Less Affordable

I’ve called before for a “Separation of School and State” on the grounds that the education itself is different—and not as good, for the recipient or for the rest of us—to the extent that it is paid for by the government.

This week in National Review Online, Michael Barone discusses another reason:  Government’s attempts to help are actually making college more expensive. 

Thumbs Up Rob Portman, Thumbs Down Sherrod Brown

Just a quick report on my (Ohio’s) two senators, from my communications with them yesterday about the debt-ceiling fight:

I called Senator Portman’s office and immediately reached a real person.  The staffer seemed unprepared to discuss policy details apart from particular proposals, but as to the particular proposals currently on the table, he assured me that Senator Portman would support Senator Lee’s version of “Cut, Cap, and Balance”, and that he would not support the “Gang of Six” proposal (more on that here). 

American Fiscal History, 2009-2011

Congressman Paul Ryan offers a very succinct review of the last two years, from Democrats’ bad policies (e.g., raising taxes during a recession) to their refusal to follow the rules (not passing a budget when required by law to do so, abusing the reconciliation process to pass Obamacare).  I recommend it, especially if you’re not already familiar with some of this recent history.  Even if you are, it’s important to keep the current debt-limit fight (including President Obama’s breathtaking attempts to paint himself as the responsible one) in perspective.

Hat tip to the Foxhole.

Legitimacy Does Not Come from the State

You heard it here first:  On Rush Limbaugh today, Mark Steyn joked that he will soon have a new imminently soon-to-be-imminently-released book.  It will be all about the over-burdening of America with regulations, such as in the case of the lemonade stand shut down by police in Georgia, or the banning of homemade goods at bake sales in Pennsylvania.  (As the Wall Street Journal article’s subtitle puts it, “Inspector Nabs Homemade Desserts At St. Cecilia Church’s Lenten Fish Fry.”  The tag and URL on the first story put it very succinctly: “strange” and “bizarre”.) 

Not Inevitable

In the July 4th issue of National Review (page 18), Kevin D. Williamson has a piece that’s informative and also pretty funny (perhaps he hopes to be the next Mark Steyn?), describing how Canada overindulged in deficit spending for decades, but then sobered up in response to fiscal crisis in the ’90s, and has kept deficit spending under control ever since. 

Left Hanging

The paved basketball court in this park is surrounded by six backboards; not one has a rim.  The sign says “Do not hang on rims”.

Other than that, it was great!

Republican Leaders Make Two Great Points

Speaker of the House John Boehner at a press conference today:

. . . the fact is that House Republicans have a plan. We passed our budget back in the spring, outlined our priorities. Where is the president’s plan? When’s he going to lay his cards on the table?

Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell today on the floor of the Senate: 

Santorum: Fiscal Conservative

Appearing in three Fourth of July parades in Iowa last week, Rick Santorum said, “What we need is an Independence Day candidate that believes in the independence of the American people, not its dependence on government and government programs.”

I think Rick Santorum may be that candidate.  Any number of the current contenders might make an excellent president, but as Santorum points out, he already has a record of doing the work that needed to be done, even when it was unpopular—even when it cost him his senate seat.  We could do with more principled politicians like him. 

Lifestyle Choice

“People also raise alpacas for companionship and to enjoy a rural lifestyle.”

Well, fair enough—the magazine is called Hobby Farms!

More on Texas’s New Loser-pays Law

A couple of weeks ago, I was surprised and pleased to learn that Texas had adopted a “loser pays” reform of their legal system—surprised because such a reform is basically good for everyone else but bad for lawyers, and I figured that lawyers would never let it happen.  In the comments on that entry, we discussed the pros and cons of different possible variations on loser-pays laws.

National Review (July 4th, page 10) now gives us some details about the particular law Texas has passed; it’s a modest change to the system, impeccably sensible: 

Happy Independence Day

Eleven score and fifteen years ago, a group of visionaries brought forth a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

We’re still here.  America is one of the oldest continuously functioning constitutional republics in the world, and she’s still a relatively free country, at least for now.  I think that’s something to celebrate.

As you celebrate today, here’s something to think about:  Why did we declare independence from George III?  Do you think we should have?  Why or why not? 

A Discouraging Word

From “Marital Marshall Plan”, an interview on National Review Online:

Lopez: You talk about rebuilding a culture of marriage. But are we too far gone?

Donovan: If by “we” you mean the United States or the West, yes, possibly.