Today's Must-Read: Obama and the UAW
— Slublog

You've got to give this to Obama, he stays bought:

The GM bailout has become a political operation run out of the White House. It will stay that way. Talk of UAW layoffs already disguises the fact that UAW workers are actually offered generous buyouts and early retirement -- they aren't just sent away with a last paycheck. What about Chrysler? A few weeks ago, Fiat was saying it would consider a merger if a loan from Washington was guaranteed. Now Washington is saying a loan will be forthcoming as long as Fiat does a deal. That's not an ultimatum -- that's a nod and a wink.

Worth your time.

After reading, consider this: the same administration who is willing to spend federal money backing GM warranties wanted to make wounded veterans pay for their own care.

Priorities.

(H/t: Hot Air's headlines)

Posted by: Slublog at 05:44 AM | Add Comment
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PRC offering massive solar subsidies
— Purple Avenger

This is interesting.

...The Chinese government alerted all silicon, ingot, wafer, cell, and panel manufactures that it intends to announced a very aggressive Solar subsidy that is equivalent to $3 USD per installed watt, in cash, as an incentive to aid the Chinese population to install solar. Currently in China non UL, non CE, and non TUV panels can be purchased for under $2 per watt...

...With the combination of lower panel prices, renewed Federal and State incentives, utility rebates, the finance freeze thawing out, and oil prices moving up, Solar is once again looking awfully attractive. When you take into consideration the increased value of your home upon a solar installation and the tremendous credits and rebates available, you can literally install solar for 20 cents on the dollar....

Apparently, the Chinese understand what the word "stimulus" actually means. This is going to kickstart their electronics and service/installation industries in a major way, AND actually provide something genuinely useful for the masses that has a recurring payoff going forward.

I hate to say it, but maybe we need some real commies capitalists running this country.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 05:34 AM | Add Comment
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Obama's Attorney at the State Department
— Gabriel Malor

I thought this was an old story, but it turns out we haven't mentioned it here at the HQ. Everything you wished you didn't have to know about Obama's choice for State Department legal adviser Harold Koh was written back in September by Ed Whelan.

Here's Part 1 and here is Part 2. A taste:

This passage from a 1994 New Republic article by Jeffrey Rosen (on the “emotional jurisprudence” of Justice Harry Blackmun) is also telling:

Why should liberals care if Blackmun was an indecisive, unsophisticated craftsman, unconcerned about dressing up his humane impulses in legal reasoning? "I'd rather have Blackmun, who uses the wrong reasoning in Roe to get to the right results, and let other people figure out the right reasoning," says Harold Koh of Yale, a former Blackmun clerk.

Koh also has the intellectual temperament of an ideologue. As one Yale law professor has charitably put it (in the Yale Daily News article above), Koh “tends to wear his convictions on his sleeve.” Others have found him to be a bully who uses his position of power to intimidate younger scholars into not contesting Koh’s cherished positions.

There are few lawyers more radical than Harold Koh. He is expected to be among Obama's picks for the Supreme Court and his nomination to State may be the first step. I can just see some knucklehead senator suggesting, "Well, we confirmed him for State, how can we say 'no' for the Supreme Court?"

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:21 AM | Add Comment
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DOJ Drops All Charges Against Ted Stevens
— Gabriel Malor

Stevens was already convicted on seven counts of lying on mandatory financial disclosure forms, but the prosecution stalled in the sentencing phase because it turns out that DOJ lawyers withheld documents. The judge had already held in contempt four DOJ lawyers for misconduct during the trial. Afterwards, Stevens asked for a new trial, but Eric Holder is so, like, over it.

Attorney General Eric Holder has concluded that the conviction of Stevens cannot be supported because of problems with the government's prosecution, which had been openly criticized by the trial judge, National Public Radio first reported.

Justice will withdraw its opposition to a defense motion for a new trial and will dismiss the indictment against Stevens, NPR reported, but that will require a court filing and none had been filed yet.

Holder is said to have based his decision on Stevens' age, the fact that he is no longer in the Senate -- and "perhaps most importantly,'' because the new attorney general wanted to "send a message'' to prosecutors that misconduct will not be tolerated, NPR reported this morning.

Uh huh.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:05 AM | Add Comment
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Top Headline Comments 04-01-09
— Gabriel Malor

Oh goodie, it's April.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:55 AM | Add Comment
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