The United States House of Representatives is one of the most universally detested and despised body of lawmakers in existence. Their approval rating is generally only just in the double digits, and most citizens would sooner trust used car salesmen. A 2013 survey ranked congress south of head lice, root canals, and colonoscopies.
Much of this bad reputation is undeserved. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to remember why (more…)
There’s a survey the White House has put out in advance of the President’s scheduled first address to a joint session of Congress. Which promises to be quite a spectacle, of course; given the present antagonistic climate in D.C., I won’t be shocked if the Democrats pull some sort of horrible stunt and if the President responds with a blistering rant.
The White House has me on their mailing list. I’ve been there for a long time; got grandfathered in from a previous administration (more…)
Yes, the mainstream media got it right: Betsy DeVos, widely detested and universally understood to be a completely unqualified Cabinet appointee, has been confirmed as Secretary of Education by the Senate.
And while a lot of people are disappointed, nobody’s really surprised by this. (more…)
About a month ago, I declared that nothing short of a direct massive meteor impact could prevent a Clinton presidency. So much for that prediction. (more…)
The general public is having another pointless debate, this one over the Second Amendment.
I call it a “debate” only out of courtesy. It’s not really a debate; it’s a loud argument and it’s convincing nobody. It’s just like talking to your idiot brother-in-law over the holiday table; after a couple of minutes, both sides are too busy shouting to even hear anyone else, much less actually listen to them. That moment when we drift beyond polite and reasonable discussion is the moment talking stops being productive. (more…)
Puerto Rico is facing a catastrophic financial crisis similar to that of Greece. In a few minutes, the island government will default on a bond payment, which will generate an automatic sequence of events similar to a run on the banks.
This is all our fault. And we’re not helping. (more…)
You may not realize this — a surprising number of Americans don’t — but Puerto Rico is a part of the United States. During the 1898 war with Spain, it was one of several territories conquered in an overt land-grab designed to promote American sea power throughout the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. It currently has a population of well over 3 million, all American citizens. They have no right to elect the President; they have no representation in Congress.
At present, the territory is experiencing a public debt crisis that is out of control. The opinion of the present territorial administration is that it cannot be solved without the assistance of the central government of the United States. The Senate proposed an economic aid bill with $3 billion in aid; the House version, which has just been approved by committee, has expanded the bureaucracy but removed the aid. (Update: This version is the one that finally passed.) (more…)
Those of you who know me will know that I love sifting through the worst garbage to find treasures — diamonds in the rough. Last night’s State of the Union address was less garbage than most are and certainly better than expected, and there were some true gems carefully concealed within the rhetoric. The (more…)
The Not Fake News 