As Captain Ed notes, this is web-only, so it's mostly for the converted. And those the converted send it to.

Still... Good ad. more...

Posted by: Ace at 09:43 AM | Comments (2)
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Specter, who had played footsie with the idea of backing Card Check in order to get labor's endorsement, has decided against that, at least according to Grover Norquist.

Given that the Democrats need 60 votes for cloture and already have a couple or three likely defectors, this will hopefully end the threat.

Confirmation: The Scottish Senator, still proposing Scottish solutions, but, as in the case of impeaching Clinton, not going for the main option:

“In seeking more union membership and negotiating leverage, Labor has a valid point that they have suffered greatly from outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries and losses in pension and health benefits. President Obama has pressed Labor’s argument that the middle class needs to be strengthened through more power to unions in their negotiations with business. The better way to expand labor’s clout in collective bargaining is through amendments to the NLRA rather than on eliminating the secret ballot and mandatory arbitration.”

“The problems of the recession make this a particularly bad time to enact Employees Free Choice legislation. Employers understandably complain that adding a burden would result in further job losses. If efforts are unsuccessful to give Labor sufficient bargaining power through amendments to the NLRA, then I would be willing to reconsider Employees’ Free Choice legislation when the economy returns to normalcy.”

“I am announcing my decision now because I have consulted with a very large number of interested parties on both sides and I have made up my mind. Knowing that I will not support cloture on this bill, Senators may choose to move on and amend the NRLA as I have suggested or otherwise. This announcement should end the rumor mill that I have made some deal for my political advantage. I have not traded my vote in the past and I would not do so now.”

Well, he's willing to consider sabotaging the economy, but only when the economy isn't about to crater. That's something, I guess.

Posted by: Ace at 09:19 AM | Add Comment
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It's like a GoogleMaps of emotional hell.

The outcome was PMSbuddy.com, a free Internet-based service that tracks the monthly cycles of a subscriber's significant other and offers e-mail reminders about the impending deadlines.

And it's catching on: The site surpassed 150,000 registered users last month. Ten percent are women.

Not to rest on his laurels, Eisenberg recently added a phone application — PMS Buddy iPhone — for 99 cents.

There were 1,000 downloads the first day.

The idea was largely a social experiment rather than a way to earn money, Eisenberg said.

"The whole notion is that you're being considerate," he said. " Obviously, it's funny as well."

And unlike websites such as fertilityfriend.com and mymonthlycycle.com , Eisenberg's creation is different.

"This is for tracking PMS. Those are for tracking fertility," he said.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University with degrees in math and computer engineering, Eisenberg moved to Denver two years ago. He lives downtown with his wife — not his inspiration for PMS Buddy — and works as director of sales for a technology company.

Of course he had to say that.

Thanks to CAD Daddy.

Posted by: Ace at 08:54 AM | Comments (1)
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Thanks to Iowahawk for posting this important commentary.

Posted by: Ace at 08:28 AM | Add Comment
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Good piece from Jerry Pournelle.

The sad truth is that democracy itself is often unstable. Intellectuals lose faith. Democracy is not flashy. It falls out of fashion. The intelligentsia feel scorned, unappreciated, and turn to new theories.

There are other pressures. Republics stand until the citizens begin to vote themselves largess from the public treasury. When the plunder begins, those plundered feel no loyalty to the nation—and the beneficiaries demand ever more, until few are left unplundered. Eventually everyone plunders everyone, the state serving as little more than an agency for collecting and dispensing largess. The economy falters. Inflation begins. Deficits mount. Something must be done. Strong measures are demanded, but nothing can be agreed to.

In Weimar Germany the price of a postage stamp went to 8 billion marks. In China, Latin America, many of the new African nations, inflation has exceeded 1000%. The middle class is destroyed. The economy collapses. Democratic institutions cannot cope.

Enter the strong man, who will save the state.

For more than two thousand years the decline of democracy has been the precursor of the tyrant, who comes on stage as the nation's protector.

From Instapundit, who also blogs about Geithner's insistence on sweeping new powers, which I'm sure is an utterly unrelated thought.

Obama, of course, cannot bear any delay or debate in granting his Treasury Secretary (and therefore himself) such sweeping new power.

That sounds about right, eh?

Posted by: Ace at 08:21 AM | Add Comment
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Michael Barone has a post up that references exactly some of the discussions we've been having lately- namely, that just because the Left is screwing up doesn't mean that our current attempts at representation from the Right are that much better. more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 08:05 AM | Comments (3)
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Trying to slip this one in under the open blog cut-off point

Citing delays and budget concerns Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and undersecretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation nominee, has proposed canceling the Boeing Airborne Laser program.

And why not I say? It's not like we actually want a tool that would protect America while helping control nuclear arms proliferation, and that money could be better spent funding ACORN's fraudulent voter registration scheme and buying condoms for for 5 year olds. Besides according to Gen. James Cartwright USMC, “Ballistic missiles are about as passé as e-mail – nobody does it anymore. It’s just gone.” Now I don't want to be contrarian here but I could swear that it's been all over the news lately that Iran and North Korea are both developing new ballistic missiles.
more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 05:12 AM | Comments (2)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:40 AM | Comments (3)
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U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman likely overstepped his authority yesterday when he ordered the FDA to allow 17 year-olds to purchase "Plan B" contraceptives without a prescription. Under current rules, women younger than 18 must have a prescription to get access to the drug.

The proper remedy was to remand to the FDA to reconsider its rulemaking. The judge gave lip service to this remedy by ordering the remand, but also ordered the FDA to come to a certain conclusion: it must allow 17 year-olds to purchase Plan B without a prescription.

The judge also applied the wrong standard when determining if improper political influence affected FDA rulemaking. This is a decision crying out for appeal. The decision and order is here (PDF).

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:39 AM | Comments (2)
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They propose dropping the US dollar as the de facto international reserve currency and replacing it with an "official" IMF-arbited "basket" of currencies. The article makes clear that they'd essentially be expanding something called "SDRs" or Special Drawing Rights, which are currently derived from a combination of dollars, pounds sterling, euros, and yen.

Apparently, they're not the first people to suggest this, but it's hardly a mystery as to why they've chosen to do so now.

We can all draw strength and quiet confidence, however, from the fact that Barack Obama and his extremely competent Treasury staff are on the job.

Exit questions:
1) How serious are they? (Is this a shot across our fiscal bows?)
2) If they are serious, what would it mean?

Posted by: Open Blog at 01:43 AM | Add Comment
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