News of the Week
Wisconsin Prosser declares victory by Mike Johnson And Larry Sandler State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser emerged as the winner Friday over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in a heated election that drew national attention because of the fight over collective bargaining and a ballot reporting error in Waukesha County. *************** Blaska Blogs the smoking gun of the teachers union's illegal sick-out David Blaska on Monday Only a fool would think that the sick out that closed down Madison schools for five days in February was anything but an illegal, union-coordinated, illegal strike. Arab Revolts *************** Is Proxy War About to Erupt in Bahrain? The language and actions of the Iranian government strongly indicate it is preparing for war in Bahrain. by Ryan Mauro Anyone who has seen the Iranian regime’s film The Coming is Near knows the Middle East is on the verge of exploding. The question is what spark will light it. The region seems to shift daily, but right now, it looks like Iran has chosen Bahrain as the place to pounce. *************** Syria’s bloody repression By Editorial WESTERN EXPERTS were saying several months ago that the Middle East’s unrest would not take hold in Syria, because dictator Bashar al-Assad’s hostility to Israel and the United States had made him popular. When protests then erupted in the southern city of Daraa, experts said they were unlikely to spread because Syrians craved stability and Mr. Assad himself would introduce bold reforms. Now that demonstrations have erupted in dozens of communities around the country, the prevailing view seems to be that the regime, which has offered no reforms, is capable of putting them down by brute force. *************** Syrian soldiers shot for refusing to fire on protesters Witnesses claim soldiers who disobeyed orders in Banias were shot by security services as crackdown on protests intensifies *************** "Hide the Decline" *************** The UN ‘disappears’ 50 million climate refugees, then botches the cover-up By Anthony Watts Oh boy, government idiocy at its finest. Not only is the original claim bogus, the attempts to disappear it are hilariously inept. Apparently, they’ve never heard of Google Cache at the UN. Rather than simply saying “we were wrong,” the National *************** Puberty blocker for children considering sex change Children as young as 12 are to be allowed drugs to block puberty while they decide whether to have a sex change, it has been revealed. *************** Man kills Illinois woman -- after learning state had abolished death penalty... *************** Jackson Subject of Gay Harassment Complaint Complaint is not a lawsuit against Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. *************** Stimulus-funded projects got to jump regulatory line Congressional ‘help’ delayed private-sector energy projects, costing millions of jobs Kyle Gillis Politically sponsored energy projects across the country that were funded with federal "stimulus" dollars also received preferential regulatory treatment over private-sector projects, Nevada Journal has learned. *************** San Francisco to require ID scans, photos of everyone who goes to a venue -- public meeting tonight! Cory Doctorow San Francisco's Entertainment Commission has proposed that all bars, clubs, and venues should be required to photograph and collect ID from everyone who comes in for a drink or a show. The photos and personal information would be retained so that police could get a list of every person who was in the club on any given night. Leaving aside the (obvious) fourth amendment issues inherent in governments collecting massive databases of presumed-innocent people's lawful activities and movements, this is also a security nightmare, in which thousands of club staff and their friends would have access to personal information that would be of great interest to stalkers, creeps and identity thieves. *************** Is the Sun Setting on Las Vegas? When gaming in Macau opened to Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS ) , Sheldon Adelson talked about building a Las Vegas-style strip in the region. It was an ambitious idea that Macau could someday be the next Las Vegas, but after years of astonishing growth Macau has passed Las Vegas so far that the comparison for gaming's former capital has changed to a far less flattering one: Atlantic City. *************** Chicago school bans some lunches brought from home To encourage healthful eating, Chicago school doesn't allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home — and some parents, and many students, aren't fans of the policy *************** Town Bans Tea Party Signs in Public Park Lawsuit filed against Coldwater for resolution banning signs deemed 'too controversial' By Tom Gantert A federal lawsuit claims a Branch County tea party group was denied the right to display banners and signs at a tea party rally at a public park in Coldwater because it was “too political” and “too controversial.” The Coldwater City Council then passed a resolution banning all banners and signs in that park. Economy
& Taxes *************** The Forgotten Tax Rebels of the Great Depression Damon W. Root *************** House passes Ryan's '12 budget; conservatives want more cuts By Erik Wasson and Pete Kasperowicz The House on Friday approved a fiscal year 2012 budget resolution from Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that seeks to drastically limit government spending next year and in years to follow. *************** US lacks credibility on debt, says IMF By Chris Giles and James Politi in Washington The US lacks a “credible strategy” to stabilise its mounting public debt posing a small but significant risk of a new global economic crisis, says the International Monetary Fund. *************** How Safe Is Your Roth IRA? By Megan McArdle The Roth IRA is something close to motherhood, baseball, and apple pie among America's middle class. Thus it's a rather novel sensation to see someone named Gerald Scorse, who seems to be a left-leaning tax activist, takes to the pages of the LA Times to excoriate them. *************** Peter Thiel: We’re in a Bubble and It’s Not the Internet. It’s Higher Education. Fair warning: This article will piss off a lot of you. I can say that with confidence because it’s about Peter Thiel. And Thiel – the PayPal co-founder, hedge fund manager and venture capitalist – not only has a special talent for making money, he has a special talent for making people furious. *************** International *************** Chinese Real Estate Bubble Pops: Beijing Real Estate Prices Plunge 27% In One Month Submitted by Tyler Durden Could the Chinese monetary tightening be working? The National Bureau of Statistics has released its latest food price update for the period April 1-10, which shows that while most foods continue to rise modestly, several food products have plunged particularly cucumbers and rapes, both falling 8.8%, kidney beans 6.3% and kidney beans down 6.3%. Yet this is nothing compared to what is happening to Chinese real estate: it appears Chanos' long anticipated property bubble may have popped... but the supersonic boom is so loud that nobody has heard it yet. *************** UN document would give 'Mother Earth' same rights as humans By Steven Edwards, Postmedia News Bolivia is planning to table a draft United Nations treaty giving "Mother Earth" the same rights as humans. UNITED NATIONS — Bolivia will this month table a draft United Nations treaty giving "Mother Earth" the same rights as humans — having just passed a domestic law that does the same for bugs, trees and all other natural things in the South American country. *************** The Razor’s Edge by Victor Davis Hanson California in the Balance. We calibrate California’s decline by its myriad of paradoxes. The nation’s highest bundle of gas, sales, and income taxes cannot close the nation’s largest annual deficit at $25 billion. Test scores are at the country’s near bottom; teachers’ salaries at the very top. Scores of the affluent are leaving each week; scores of the indigent are arriving. The nation’s most richly endowed state is also the most regulated; the most liberal of our residents are also the most ready to practice apartheid in their Bel Air or Palo Alto enclaves. *************** Anger begins to infect Europe’s prosperous core By Peter Spiegel in Brussels No sooner had Portugal succumbed to a bail-out than European Union officials were gearing up for “The Battle for Spain” – ensuring the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy is not consumed by the contagion that last week claimed its neighbour. *************** Opinion *************** Nobody Pays Taxes Today: Tax Revolts from Science Fiction and Fantasy Charlie Jane Anders and Gordon Jackson — Tax day is coming! No matter how you feel about the government and the things it does, you can't help but feel a twinge of pain as you send your painstaking calculations (and possibly a hefty check) to the IRS. *************** Pension Costs to Skyrocket for Key S.F. City Unions By Joe Eskenazi Last week, the president and vice president of the local SEIU penned an opinion column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian espousing a marvelously novel take on the city's exploding pension crisis. The problem, per the column, isn't that the city is projected to spend upward of $400 million this year on pensions — a figure that, in the near future, is expected to double. The real trouble, according to the SEIU, is that we haven't been taxing corporations and the rich to the point where funneling the better part of $1 billion into yearly pension costs in San Francisco is easily offset. *************** A Science Fiction Story That Predicted the Manner of Western Suicide by Barry Rubin For years I’ve been trying to find a science fiction story I read a long, long time ago which describes the contemporary situation in Western civilization. And now, thanks to a helpful reader, I can tell you about it. *************** |
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