Note that the labor force participation rate is currently 64.2%, a 25-year low.  A decreasing percent of the population is willing or able to work, yet unemployment remains high.  That's a bad sign.

 The Extension 720 Podcast with Milt Rosenberg is excellent.  Also, Coffee and Markets from New Ledger Radio is great if you are interested in busines.  I also like Frank Gaffney's Secure Freedom Radio.  Here are the iTunes links:

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/wgnradio/extension720
http://newledger.com/section/podcasts/feed/
http://securefreedomradio.podbean.com/feed/

The Chinese don't seem overly concerned about nuclear power. In fact, according to the World Nuclear Association China has 12 nuclear reactors in operation, 24 under construction, and more about to start construction. Nuclear capacity will increase tenfold between now and 2020, to 80 GWe. Capacity will increase to 200 GWe by 2030 and 400 GWe by 2050.

Anyone know a good uranium ETF?

I agree with Dr. Sowell. Over the past two years there has been a fundamental change in the zeitgeist, and it is not a change for the better. There is a sense out there that America is at a tipping point, a point beyond which there is no return. The progressives have done so much harm to our culture and economy over the past 100 years that no election will be sufficient to get the country back on track. More drastic measures are necessary, and the implications of that have people scared.

I guess it all depends on whether you take the long view or the short view. Yes, the Democrats will likely get creamed in November. But in the last two years they've made considerable progress in laying the foundations of a socialist state. Worst of all, they've created dozens of new federal agencies to carry on their work for years to come. Will Republicans reverse this if they gain power? The record is not encouraging.

Sins of omission are an old trick at the Times. When the paper reports on the wrongdoing of Democrats, it usually goes out of its way to avoid identifying them as such.

I've also noticed that the paper has a suspiciously quirky comments policy. Some stories are open to comments while others are not. Sometimes a hot story will get a few comments and then the comment feature will be shut off.

You neglected to mention Chelsea Clinton's upcoming $5 million wedding, which perfectly encapsulates the excesses of our new elite. These people live like the robber barons of yore. The difference, is that the robber barons built roads, railroads, steel plants and other things of lasting value. Our new elite simply lives off the productive work of others.

Just listened to a fascinating interview with Jim Rickards on King World News. Rickards, an old hand in financial circles, makes some scary comparisons between the U.S. and the decline of the Roman Empire. Rickards notes that to fund its foreign adventures Rome raised taxes on farmers to very high levels. This discouraged farmers from growing and selling food, resulting in less taxes. In response, Rome taxed farmers on the profits that they should have produced, driving them to ruin. By the time the barbarians invaded, 30% of Rome's farms lay fallow. By the time the barbarians arrived, many Romans welcomed them.

Food for thought.

Hang in there, Charlie! I'm sure everything will work out just fine ... for the Republicans.

Obama is a hard-line radical. His policies are grounded in bedrock beliefs that he will not change, or change only marginally under intense pressure. Over the next two years Obama will continue to socialize as much of the economy as possible while blaming the new Republican majority in Congress for the resulting economic catastrophe.

Our elites have been spoiled to death by their yuppie parents and told that there is nothing they can't do. Is it any wonder that some of them believe it?

This sounds to me like a classic case of projection. The West doesn't want to destroy Islam, but Islam most definitely wants to destroy the West (as well as every other non-Islamic civilization). Muslims may also need a rationalization to justify the murder and maiming of innocent men, women and children.

Yes, he's right. This is a welcome change from the MSM's constant attempts to downplay Islamist atrocities. If anything, the cover image is mild compared to some of the other things Time could have shown.

That being said, the U.S. does not have the resources to confront Evil on a global scale. This sort of abuse is happening in many countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. We should decide what to do about Afghanistan based on our national interests rather than our emotions.

The CBO recently released a very disturbing study of U.S. debt. In a nutshell, the U.S. is hurtling toward a crisis that could destroy it unless immediate action is taken. The consequences include higher taxes, cuts in government expenditures, reduced private investment in productive activities, and reduced ability to respond to domestic and international crises. Once investors lose confidence in the U.S., these problems could become unmanageable very quickly. Everyone should read this.

I recently visited Churchill's war rooms, which are preserved exactly as they were when WWII ended. The rooms are located in the basement of a government building on King Charles Street in the center of London. They are part of an excellent museum devoted to Churchill's life, which is a must-see for all visitors to the U.K.

Liberals truly believe that their policies will create a heaven on Earth. It therefore follows that (1) the ends justify the means; and (2) conservatives who oppose those policies are evil.