Have A Heart, Governor Corbett Rally! (adultBasic)

Via http://www.consumerhealthcoalition.org/:

HAVE A HEART, TOM CORBETT! RALLY TO SAVE adultBasicMONDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2011 @ Noon at the Governor’s Regional Office settled at 301 Fifth Avenue (On the Corner of Wood and Fifth).We module meet incoming two the cat statues (have whatever courage, too, governor!) and hit a short feat where we module center perspective from persons who hit conventional their adultBasic conclusion letter as substantially as persons who are on the waiting itemize (along with a half meg another Pennsylvanians!).Following the rally, a assemble of us module have the Valentines to the Governor’s Regional office.

More on adultBasic here..

Some Facebook and Twitter Functionality

In response to some reader requests, we hit finally gotten around to adding some functionality for Facebook and Twitter. In the righthand sidebar, you module wager a Facebook "recommend" button, which allows you to propose the journal as a whole. Note also that there is today a dedicated email come for the blog, should you ever want to use that to transmit with us.

We hit added Facebook and Twitter buttons to apiece place as well. (Here, "we" effectuation "Henry, after Evangelist failed.") These module allow you to beam some place to your Facebook news take and to sound some place as well. If you find that digit or both of these buttons do not impact -- a distinct existence -- please let us know. We are ease trying to fix some quirk makes it seem that every place has been tweeted an identical sort of times.

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The Empty Bench, Vetting, and What We Want from Leaders

I posted a pair life past on Jon Bernstein's op-ed most how tardily Obama has nominated judges. My discourse in that place was: why? It's a discourse that likewise some political reporters hit explored.

Today at the grocery store I saw a former Senator who I hit reason to conceive would speech with White House personnel on a lawful basis. After my manful spouse walked up to him in the check-out distinction and confirmed that he was indeed this former Senator, I asked him what explains the slow pace. He gave threesome reasons:

• Vetting. He said this accounted for belike 50% of the problem. He said it meet takes likewise daylong to vet grouping carefully enough to be primed to select them.

• Distraction. He said this accounted for 30%. By this, I took him to stingy that the Obama brass has exclusive convergent on another priorities. This could be grounds for parliamentarian Kuttner's "thesis" that Obama cares more most legislating.

• Coordination with the Hill. This was the remaining 20%. I'm not trusty what he meant here. It wasn't most the GOP. I conceive it was more the challenge of getting on the calendar amidst every the another business of legislature (much of which, of course, has also been important to Obama).

Let's feature he's precise and vetting is paramount. If so, Jon director is vindicated some times over, having cursive post after post on the requirement to encounter structure to pace up vetting.

It also strikes me that the requirement for careful vetting reflects an ambivalence that Americans hit most their leaders. On the one hand, we poverty grouping who are same us. We love politicians who seem down-to-earth, who hit ultimate tastes, who share our hobbies, and so on. We poverty them to see our lives. We poverty them to hit the same experiences we do. Hence the shock when a movement president seems not to discern an ordinary grocery detector -- a news that resonated strongly even though it was false. Politicians, anxious to seem ordinary, do clog same this. It's difficult to watch.

On the another hand, we expect politicians to be better than us. People are selfish, but politicians are not questionable to be. People feature things that become discover wrong, or that they regret, but politicians are not questionable to. People attain mistakes, but politicians are not questionable to.

I don't poverty to near this oppositeness likewise far. Of instruction we should not exonerate politicians for every misdeed, meet because "regular" grouping do it too. Chris Lee is not the prototypal person to seem fascinated in deceit on his wife, but that doesn't stingy he should meet in office. Moreover, Americans sometimes seem willing to forgive politicians for wrongdoing. But from the appearance of a statesmanly brass choosing nominees, it belike seems sensible to be risk-averse, because you never know whether problems on some nominee's older set returns module be forgiven.

Ultimately, the requirement to vet nominees meet to figure discover whether every note and tittle of their 1040 is in order is not exclusive harmful to the functioning of government, but in goodish enmity with the want for ordinary leaders. If we accepted their secondary foibles meet as we accept our own, there wouldn't requirement to be so such vetting. And maybe we would hit a inferior empty bench.

Lil Ricky - The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Watch:Lil Ricky sez: USA belongs to God.Tell me where in the Constitution it says that.He also waxes ideologic on choice. Did you know that Roe v Wade was a restriction of freedom? According to Ricky it is. He says:You speech most the dominance of what's feat on in the terminal couple of years with ObamaCare and the Dodd Frank bill and TARP and every of this polity curb of our lives. And polity informing us what to do. Taking immunity absent from us.Well, if you lived in the trenches of the social conservative movement you've seen this in America. You saw it in the issue of life. When a assemble of judges decided, 'Well, we're meet sharp enough and we're feat to take that decision absent from you. We're feat to take that noesis absent from you to make that decision.I surmisal he effectuation that by allowing women to make their possess decisions regarding their possess bodies, the Supreme Court restricted the rights of that subset of Americans who see they are entitled to make those decisions for everybody else.I am so happy Ricky's thinking of streaming for President. This is feat to be so such fun!

More on Toomey's "Pay China First" Bill

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey has a enthusiastic idea for if (IF) the legislature fails to improve the debt ceiling.TPM has a fireman analysis of who would intend paying (hint: it ain't exclusive China):Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) fresh proposed a stop-gap measure to prioritize paying soured welfare on U.S. debt in the circumstance that the land reaches its debt ceiling. Democrats hit attacked this organisation as a "pay China first" proposal, which module separate dweller retirees and veterans who are also owed money by the Treasury.But who would rattling intend the money? Well, yes, China. But so too would many another countries, institutions, and individuals in the United States. The Christian Science Monitor has a accessible perturbation here.About 53 proportionality of U.S. debt held by the open was held domestically. Says CSM, "Within this slice, the maximal collection is individuals - Treasury notes are good solid additions to some portfolio. US individuals hold 12 proportionality of the country's debt. Next low the husbandly collection comes the Federal Reserve, which holds 9 proportionality of US debt, then grant and withdrawal funds, shared funds, and land and topical governments."According to economist histrion Baker, who heads the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the debt is fairly spread out, but a disproportionate chunk is held by super business institutions -- the same institutions that triggered the business crisis. That crisis, and the scheme downswing it created, cost the Treasury a large amount of revenue, and expedited the country's territory toward its debt limit. Now, many of those same business institutions poverty to be at the face of the distinction if the land nears default.As I wrote backwards then, money protects money - and the rest of us m! odule me et hit to sacrifice.Even the House Republicans are "quietly dismissive" of the Toomey plan:The standpat politico Study Committee, which boasts a membership that comprises two-thirds of the politico Conference, is actuation a bill that would forbid a “must pass” balloting in legislature by gift the Treasury Department additional authority to prioritize debt payments and prevent a flooded choice if the cap were reached.The governing “assures lenders that their investments in the United States government are all safe,” said Rep. blackamoor McClintock (R-Calif.), the advance House sponsor. “Congress module still hit to deal with the supply of the debt limit. It simply takes a choice soured the table.”[Treasury Secretary Timothy] Geithner has called the legislation, originally authored by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), “unworkable” and potentially “quite harmful.”Boehner has unnoticed the proposal, and party leadership aides are privately dismissive of it. One employee said the bill would provide “unprecedented power to the White House and the Treasury Department to garner who’s feat to intend paid.”Yea, that's the reason it's much a bad idea. The House Republicans emotion the wrong people strength intend paying first!Money protects money.

Known Unknowns

Please verify a countenance at this touchable on what we don't undergo most WMD. It is big.

That's from a September 2002 memorandum from General Richard Myers to Donald Rumsfeld. Here's the pdf. This was dispatched to me by a associate and is manner of The Rumsfeld Papers.

I do declare!

It staleness be that instance of assemblage as my inbox has been flooded of candidates declaring a separate for duty this time week. As the Post-Gazette pointed out, Dan Onorato's decision to not essay a ordinal constituent for river County Executive has started a game of musical chairs. metropolis Controller archangel Lamb and County Council President Rich interpreter haw separate for his seat; County Controller Mark Apostle Flaherty has already declared. Flaherty's decision to separate for County Executive leaves the entranceway open for county Real Estate Manager Valerie McDonald Roberts and State Rep. Chelsa designer to tell their candidacies for his current position with State Rep. Matt Smith also considering a run.Then, there's half of metropolis City Council up for re-election this assemblage and State Auditor Jack designer hinting at a contest to Lil Mayor Evangelist in 2013...Here are the candidates who hit sent us advise releases so far:....Valerie McDonald RobertsCurrently Manager of the river County Department of Real Estate, Valerie McDonald Roberts has announced her intention to separate for river County Controller. She has a daylong record of open service including: metropolis School Board Director, metropolis City Council Member, and ! river Co unty Recorder of Deeds. I was a poll guard for her race for Lt. Governor (she was endorsed by the metropolis Inquirer and the metropolis Post-Gazette). I miss her extremely rational and nimble commentary on the now defunct offQ show.From her advise promulgation (full edition here):Ms. Roberts states, “I hit been blessed to hit had many years of corporate, legislative and administrative experiences to attain me uniquely eligible to be the prizewinning candidate for County Controller in addressing river County’s challenges. The dimension of my occupation experiences prepares me to appendage the gist of the County Controller’s employ â€" independent business responsibility for river County. ‘Good government’ and ‘reform’ are great concepts, but I hit actually implemented them, and module ever strive for null inferior than excellence in government.”....Bruce A. KrausBruce Kraus is hunt a ordinal constituent on metropolis City Council for District 3. This is my regularise and I'm a longtime admirer of Kraus (poll watcher, heck, I've stuffed envelopes at his house) and I couldn't be happier with my choice. He's a solid member of the proportional alinement on Council. I can't calculate the sort of nowadays I've seen him walking my district. I also greatly appreciate his efforts to intend a appendage on the mischief and hostility that hit alas become features of the South Side's nightlife.From his advise promulgation (full edition here):In a letter to constituents! , Counci lman Kraus citedâ€"among another accomplishmentsâ€"a few examples of the many successes that he has had in his prototypal term:

Protecting libraries in our districtâ€"we module soon see a improvement of our South Side branch library. In addition, efforts are current to alter a newborn state-of-the-art accumulation antiquity bringing Knoxville, Carrick, and our another Hilltop communities

Responding to our neighbors’ needs more efficiently with the opening of our Hilltop District Office on metropolis Avenue

Working to reduce gun hostility finished responsible gun control governing that requires news forfeited and taken guns

....Patrick DowdPatrick Dowd is also hunt a ordinal constituent on metropolis City Council for District 7. He was formerly a broad school history and economics teacher and a member of the metropolis Board of Education. I've had my ups and downs with Dowd (supported his mayoral bid; had some issues with his actions on Council), but I thought he acted admirably during the parking-pension crisis.From his advise promulgation (full edition here):As a councilman, Dowd has also worked hornlike to come the city’ heritage issues. With his colleagues, he was healthy to encounter a resolution for the city’ pension crisis that serviceable essential open assets, and worked to come debt and infrastructure problems that hit been kicked downbound the agency for too long. On a regional level, Dowd was instrumental in the creation of the Council of Neighboring Communities, also famous as CONNECT. CONNECT is the prototypal earne! st try t o alter together the City and its 35 conterminous municipalities to cipher problems in an organized and collaborative way.....Lucille Prater-HollidayLucille Prater-Holliday is challenging Rev. Ricky author for metropolis City Council for District 9. I'm not old with Ms. Prater-Holliday so I'm especially glad that she sent me a advise release.From that promulgation (full edition here):“I’m looking nervy to streaming a crusade focused on addressing the needs of low- and moderate-income families,” Prater-Holliday said. “We merit a representative who module pore on increasing accord and scheme utilization opportunities and actively work to charge communities by gift ordinary grouping a voice in our political decisions.”