December 27, 2010
— Gabriel Malor Over the weekend, actually on Christmas, the NYTimes published an article about the President's plans to go ahead with end-of-life advisory incentives even after Congress removed it from ObamaCare after massive public outcry. Ed says "better get used to this process" since it's how the President is going to get around the GOP House for the next two years.
In fact, the end run around Congress has been a regular feature of the Obama Presidency and it's been getting more frequent over time. He wanted Cap & Tax, Congress rejected it. Lo-and-behold the EPA, under Obama's direction, will do it anyway via regulation. He wanted Card Check and other pro-union laws; Congress rejected them and rejected his pro-union NLRB nominee, Craig Becker. Surprise! He recess-appointed Becker, who has been issuing pro-union regulatory decisions.
His executive fiat was also rejected this year by the courts. Both houses of Congress approved offshore drilling in a bill signed by Bush 43. Obama used the Interior Department to put a halt to it by regulation . . . until the courts found the regulations "arbitrary and capricious." That's legalese for "lawless." Both houses of Congress approved the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project in a bill signed by President Reagan. The legislation specifically prohibited future presidents from halting the project. That didn't stop Obama's Interior Department from pulling the plug last year. The courts stepped in again and found that it was indeed arbitrary and capricious for Obama to contravene the directly expressed wishes of Congress.
Most recently we've seen the same process at work at the FCC. First Congress rejected net neutrality. Then the DC Circuit did. That didn't stop Obama's FCC from proposing new net neutrality rules this past month.
Obama uses his control over Executive Branch agencies to do what Congress or the courts have forbidden. It's worked, sometimes, for him over the past few years. But he's out of time now: the GOP-led House can defund many of these efforts, even if it can't put a stop to them completely.
Thing to Look Forward to in the New Year: Watch as the Left repositions itself to yell "Obstruction!" every time the House fails to pass more appropriations for Obama's lawless agency action.
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— Gabriel Malor Venite adoremus.
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02:48 AM
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December 26, 2010
— Maetenloch Well our carefully crafted BCS (Blog Coordination System) has completely failed us again so y'all are stuck with this crappy last-minute desperation ONT. So enjoy!
The Year's 10 Most Popular Videos In Under 90 Seconds
How many of these can you recognize? I believe most of these have appeared on the blog at some point so you ought to recognize at least one or two of them. Well unless your name is Ace in which case these are all wonderful new internet discoveries.
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06:24 PM
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— Open Blogger Alright, here's your football thread. Some good games today with playoff implications like OAK-INDY and GB-NY. The Cowgirls already choked last night and the wimpy Eagles can't play in the snow so their game is on Tuesday now. Lame.
And to get the Ginger Mafia off my back, here's a ginger cheerleader from KC. Meet Liz. Hi Liz!
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10:10 AM
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— Purple Avenger No tenure? No publish or perish? Focus on actual student learning? Heresy!!!!!
What makes WGU unique? Although the entire school is online, each student has a mentor who works essentially as a college counselor, helping manage the student's course schedule and checking regularly on his or her progress. The course instructors hold webinars and online study sessions, and can be reached to help students having difficulty with their studies.The mentors and instructors mostly work from their homes, keeping in contact with students online and over the phone.
WGU instructors don't get tenure that guarantees them a job, nor are they encouraged to publish academic papers. Instructors are evaluated based on how well their students do in class and whether their students are satisfied and progressing well in their programs.
Because the school is a nonprofit that's focused on making education accessible, it keeps a tight rein on tuition. Undergraduate students pay $2,800 per semester. That pays for as many or as few units as they can manage to take. The average graduate pays less than $15,000 for a four-year degree.Obviously, certain cultural aspects of attending traditional universities will suffer under this new model. You'll never get to ummm...steal the light bar off a campus security cruiser by turning bolts 1/4 turn every day for a month. You'll never get to pop a Dean with a water balloon from the 3rd floor bathroom window...and of course you miss out on all that vomit inducing cheap green beer the local bars hawk on St. Patrick's day.
OTOH, you won't be paired with a psycho room mate who resembles a cross between Ted Manson/Charles Dahmer/Jeff Bundy(*), or who tries to convert you to Druidism every waking moment and maintains an extensive collection of his own toenail clippings all carefully sorted and cataloged.
(*) - ROL 1st names, yea this is a geek joke
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06:12 AM
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— Monty Merry Christmas, Morons! (Or Cthulhu F'tagh'n, to you worshippers of the Elder Gods.)
The sad truth is that I didn't really read much in the past week, and what little reading I did do was mainly on my Oxford History of Music collection by Richard Taruskin.
I do plan to re-read Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn and Day of Battle at some point soon. The third volume of his "liberation trilogy" comes out in 2011 (or so I've heard), so I want to make sure that my memories are fresh.
I also plan to re-read some of James M. Cain's thrillers: The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity. Cain does hard-boiled right up there with Hammett and Chandler, if you ask me.
What is everyone else reading?
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06:05 AM
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— Open Blogger Just in case Gabe's in an l-tryptophan induced coma, here's a new thread to comment on until Dave puts up a cheerleader*.
This choice little nugget from the Obamacare story I linked should get you started:
Moreover, the e-mail said: “We would ask that you not broadcast this accomplishment out to any of your lists, even if they are ‘supporters’ — e-mails can too easily be forwarded.”The e-mail continued: “Thus far, it seems that no press or blogs have discovered it, but we will be keeping a close watch and may be calling on you if we need a rapid, targeted response. The longer this goes unnoticed, the better our chances of keeping it.”
In the interview, Mr. Blumenauer said, “Lies can go viral if people use them for political purposes.”
Sounds like he's describing a feature, not a bug.
(h/t Eddiebear)
* [Update] Or until Monty puts one up about a book.
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06:01 AM
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December 25, 2010
— Open Blogger
Good evening Moron Nation and Merry Christmas!! Hope Santa paid you all a visit and brought what your black hearts desired! I sure hope each and every one of us got to spend time with family and friends. To those forward deployed, you are forever in our thoughts. Come home safe. I'm sure for most, the day went off without a hitch (except Genghis who is dealing with Stuxnet at his house) but I'm sure there are some of us with some great stories to share around the blogsphere campfire, especially if they pertain to libtard family members! Regardless, here are some tips if you face zombies tonight on this most holy day. You can substitute liberals for zombies. Works the same.
more...
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— Ace
I'm making stuffing. I hope everyone is with the people they love.
Or: know.
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10:05 AM
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— Gabriel Malor Not really. I don't expect there'll be headlines until much later.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and safe travels. Tradition has it that some other joes were just about to make their own little trip:
I post that every year on Christmas. That scene is, in my book, one of the greatest cartoons ever made. Right up there with "What's Opera, Doc?" Watch what Linus does with his blanket.
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04:34 AM
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