I totally agree.  This law should mitigate that, at least in Indiana.

While the cat's away the mice will play.  

The focus on the Presidential primary took energy (and money) away from "ancillary" issues such as these.The left didn't have those, and was able to focus more effort and energy on these races.  An unfortunate consequence, but not really a game changer.

The Dems had a good day, but not a great day. They can be a bit more optimistic after yesterday, and we need to stop taking 2012 for granted.

Of all the items mentioned, the "Mission Incomplete" one resonates with me. He needs to finish what he started, for several reasons.

1. The promises made to the people of New Jersey should be kept.
2. New Jersey needs what he is doing.
3. The country needs New Jersey to become a model of what can be done and the value of doing it.
4. When New Jersey is fixed, Christie becomes the most electable Republican since Eisenhower.

One nice thing about the recent young democrat Presidents is that, once out of office, they are essentially done. Do we want Chris Christie to be done in 10 years? I don't.  I want him to finish in New Jersey, **then** to run for President.

I COMPLETELY AGREE!

Read the Wikipedia article on Ponzi Scheme, and it is a pretty consistent definition of how Social Security works.

• SS pretends to be an investment.
• Payments are from current income, not from investment returns.

The only real difference is that it doesn't offer unusually high returns! For the current contributors, "returns" will be puny compared to even a savings account.

Social Security needs to return to it's original intended purpose .. a safety net for those disabled or too old to work and without other means of support. Unfortunately, it will take a generation to get us there.
I like the idea of extending the eligibility age by one month for every year you are below 65, and applying means tests in a similar fashion.

I completely agree.  I like candor, and Perry is being candid.  I applaud him for it. I worry about his apparent fondness of "crony capitalism", but hopefully any real issues will come out early. I hope he keeps talking about it, because if he does he will win the argument.

Which is the point. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid need to be discussed seriously, not rationalized away with some platitudes about fraud and abuse out of fear of alienating the boomers.

Since when have they been an accurate reflector of the "American mood"?

I think this 10-year-anniversary craziness is just a plot by the Dems and the media .. wind us up, then when nothing happens, give Obama credit for preventing catastrophe. (wink wink, nod nod)

Seriously, other than perhaps a bit more vigilance, I am not making a big deal of 9/11 from a security point of view. I will be praying quite a bit more, for our safety, for those who were killed, and for the safety and success of those fighting the terrorists. 

And I have happily supported him in this endeavor by going to the site and reading his essay!

In a vacuum, I agree.  But at this point the House Republican leadership aren't even listening to him enough, so the likelihood of his being able to really lead from the House Budget Committee is pretty small.

Also, if I had to guess, I suspect that Ryan is considering running because all of a sudden Perry is the front runner, and he doesn't see Perry as willing or able to make the needed changes.

More likely squatting ... 

The point is that this situation, crony capitalism, was predicted as a logical outcome of the free market capitalist system. In essence the argument is that power works with power to take from those without power. In this case, government and business work together to take from the rest of us. The prediction seems accurate at this point.

However, the phenomenon has nothing to do with free market capitalism, and I don't see it as an indictment of free market capitalism. Powerful taking from powerless is ubiquitous, and has been a human phenomenon in every political and economic system. Our poor and powerless are far better off than the poor and powerless ever have been, so pragmatically this system works better than others before it.

Still, something needs to be done. The question is what.

This is one of my favorite pictures, because of how dramatically it illustrates the results of freedom and capitalism.

Obama's vision for the USA ... bright lights on the coastal cities, darkness everywhere else. 

My district!  Craig Huey is a solid underdog, but has some momentum!

My big concern is that the big problems are structural, and are deeply intertwined with government. As far as I can tell, the biggest economic problems are:

• Excessive debt .. particularly public debt.
• The failed education system.
• Transfer payments
• The load immigration places on the public infrastructure

Fixing any of these will require courage from our ruling class, and that phrase is almost a complete contradiction in terms.

@Shell .. Yes, but the lefties think that the government is entitled to the whole $350 million!

In all seriousness, this is a great example of how the very rich are able to structure and manage income to use tax law to their advantage. The cap gains tax was set to expire in 2010, so there was substantially higher profit taking among the very rich, hence the very high income and low overall rate.

I have to agree, I don't think she has the temperament.  She would make a phenomenal RNC chair, a spectacular Presidential Chief of Staff, and would IMHO be great in Congress.  I suspect if she were to get herself elected to the House, she would be Speaker in a few terms.  

I will support her for President if she gets nominated, but she isn't my first choice.

You illustrate the problem with stupid regulation. In a free market, the cabbie who doesn't bathe, is continually rude, or insists on playing loud music would not survive. But because that cabbie has the medallion, and consumers have to get in that cab when it turns up, this cabbie does well.