12/16: Religious Freedom at Stake in Supreme Court Case
Alan Sears: Think of it this way: Should a Young Democrats club on a university campus be compelled to elect Republican officers? Should a student chapter of PETA be forced to be led by an ardent hunter and taxidermist?
If you say no, you’re one up on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which ruled in a crucial case earlier this year that Christian clubs on university campuses forfeit official recognition unless they’re open to non-Christian leaders and voting members.
12/14: Feds Owe Uncle Sam $3 Billion in Unpaid Taxes
At a time when the White House is projecting the largest deficit in the nation’s history, Uncle Sam is trying to recover billions of dollars in unpaid taxes from its own employees.
Federal workers owe more than $3 billion in income taxes they failed to pay in 2008. According to Internal Revenue Service documents, 276,300 federal employees and retirees owe $3,042,200,000.
12/14: Government Salaries Soar in Bad Times
Something President Obama said during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo about making foreign policy is equally applicable at home, namely, that the world must be dealt with as it is, not as we might wish it to be. This was highlighted by a USA Today investigative report published last week that found “federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.” In other words, bad times for the rest of us are good times for the federal establishment.
12/11: University of Colorado Places Ban on Nerf Guns
It was a rough week for gun rights in Colorado.
First, Colorado State University voted to ban concealed firearms on campus.
Then the University of Colorado went a few steps further and cracked down on another nefarious threat: Nerf guns.
12/10: Your Stimulus Tax Dollars at Work – Sort Of
Ethel C. Fenig: The staffs of Senators Tom Coburn (-OK) and John McCain (R-AZ) did some research to discover some of the worthy beneficiaries of stimulus dollars creating and preserving vital jobs that otherwise would be lost.
Geoff Earle of the NY Post reports on what they found; it would be funny if it weren’t so uselessly tragic.
12/10: Dems to Lift Debt Ceiling by $1.8 Trillion, Fear 2010 Backlash
In a bold but risky year-end strategy, Democrats are preparing to raise the federal debt ceiling by as much as $1.8 trillion before New Year’s rather than have to face the issue again prior to the 2010 elections.
12/8: ACORN Prober Finds No Illegal Pattern on Videos
An internal investigation of the community-organizing group ACORN concluded there was no criminal conduct by employees caught on videos offering advice on how to hide assets and falsify lending documents.
The report, which ACORN’s CEO described as “part vindication, part constructive criticism and complete roadmap for the future,” was unlikely to stem continuing political criticisms of the group and its efforts.
12/8: Chris Matthews Slams Wrong Author
Jack Cashill: On Monday night, Hardball host Chris Matthews made the not unreasonable comment, “Don’t you essentially disrespect somebody who walks in and puts a book on the table and said they wrote it, when you know somebody else did?”
The problem is that Matthews was talking about Sarah Palin.
12/7: Bah Humbug! Christmas Trees Axed From Copenhagen Conference
Participants at the Copenhagen global climate summit opened talks Monday at the start of the holiday season, but they won’t be surrounded by festive Christmas decor, according to Denmark’s Foreign Ministry.
Since Christmas is a religious holiday, it has no place at a United Nations event, said officials planning the event.
11/30: Government Integrity and Ethics
Monty Pelerin: The Federal Government admits to over $12 Trillion dollars in debt. In reality, its obligations are multiples of that number. The unfunded promises from Social Security and Medicare total around $100 trillion. To properly fund the forecasted future deficits in Social Security and Medicare, $100 trillion would have to be put in the fund today. Without this infusion, this liability grows exponentially. Next year, for example, it will be $4 – 5 trillion higher!
