Jeb Bush lowered taxes in Florida each of his eight year as governor. I like smart, personable policy wonks like Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush. They can  articulate a principled argument for fixing the financial and educational crisis we face.

Jeb Bush needs to be part of the 2016 Presidential election. Or the Republican candidate in 2016. He is smart and articulate and he doesn't have to go around saying "I care" because he authentically does. Not to mention I prefer his immigration-illegal dialogue so much better than announcing to the world we want to deport Grandmothers.

Do we  have all the facts or are we guessing that "bureaucratic inertia" is the culprit?  I am cynical enough to agree we live in a modern world that doesn't value human life if it is not convenient.  Individuals, families and friends do but not our larger society. But something about this story feels very incomplete. I can almost hear the charging hoofs of litigation and it makes me squirm.

TY for the link Diane. A nice refresher.

I wish Andrew had been around for the last Presidential election. His voice was needed. His family, friends and the folks he inspired will not forget him.

I think I already know what he would have thought about CPAC this year - the exclusions  of GOProud and the lack of invitation to Chris Christie. 

Chris Christie is doing well for NJ and that's all that really matters. I hate the "true Conservative" label and I'm not sure I even care. Meanwhile I hope the field of Republicans for 2014 and 2016 are getting prepared. All of them.

I am definitely not afraid. Hopefully real cuts will take place next. Not just a small reduction in the rate of growth. And close all the departments that simply duplicate what another department is doing in Washington.

Tackle entitlements and lets get some serious spending problems dealt with. That will scare everyone when they get a little less and pay a little more. But it must be done. Soon. I'm ready and willing.

I vote yes on "Downton Abbey" and you can watch it free online at PBS to get a feel for it:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/

It is entertaining and worth the time but if you are going to watch definitely start at the very beginning.  Season one, episode one.

My two favorite series from the BBC are "Cranford" (Judi Dench) and "Little Dorrit" (adapted by Andrew Davies). They are also available at Amazon.

I want another podcast on immigration. I felt like this was just a start to the discussion and we have much more to debate. TY for doing this.

Brent - if you're saying we should cancel Head Start to save taxpayers I probably would agree. We have spent 100 to 180 billion for the Head Start program since 1965. With such poor results there has to be a better way to save taxpayers from throwing away more money.

If Head Start costs federal taxpayers $8,000 per child and it fails to improve their cognitive abilities, and it creates poor peer relationships and lower teacher-assessed math ability, why should we add another program run by the government and expect better results?

Why not use the federal money to create vouchers for parents to use at the preschool of their choice? Those private programs that are too costly for many parents to afford.

What I liked most about Rubio's speech were his ideas about how to grow the economy and what really helps the middle class.

I love that Rubio posted this photo on his Twitter account last night shortly after his speech:

I hated Politico's headline:

"Marco Rubio’s drinking problem"

Complete with all the Twitter comments about Rubio, most from leftist twitters.

Aaron - From Pew Research

--1980 Jimmy Carter, 56% Ronald Reagan, 35% +21

--1984 Walter Mondale, 61% Ronald Reagan, 37% +24

1986 Reagan signed Amnesty Bill

--1988 Michael Dukakis, 69% George H.W. Bush, 30% +39

--1992 Bill Clinton, 61% George H.W. Bush, 25% +36

--1996 Bill Clinton, 72% Bob Dole, 21% +51

--2000 Al Gore, 62% George W. Bush, 35% +27

--2004 John Kerry, 58% George W. Bush, 40% +18

--2008 Barack Obama, 67% John McCain, 31% +36

--2012 Barack Obama, 71% Mitt Romney, 27% +44

Terrific chat with Reince Priebus & Erick Erickson. Who knew the podcast would still be good with James missing?

I wish someone would ask how damaging Todd Aiken was to Romney & the Republican Party. Romney & Priebus were in the news asking Aiken to step down for several weeks. When Aiken refused I think they both looked weaker nationally. Not because they condemned him or repeatedly called on him to resign. But because Aiken didn't step aside and the story remained active.

No, Obama is not like Eisenhower. But it is fascinating that Obama supporters keep trying to compare him to past Republican Presidents. Are they trying to convince themselves, future historians or is it just a ploy to support Obama policies and give some Republicans a reason to vote for Obama policies?

Do the majority of illegal immigrants from Mexico want to stay here or stop sending "tax-free" money back home to their family? Or are they willing to risk giving up the benefits they already receive (food stamps, education, state & local health care)?

I wonder if the majority  of illegal immigrants want to come forward, pay a penalty, pay taxes on all earned income and go to the back of the line. I can see people that want to remain here permanently might come forward but don't they want amnesty without penalty?

If this immigration bill is dependent on volunteers coming forward I truly wonder how many will want to.