29 April 2010

Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@[Link]

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

ATR Applauds Governor Ed Morrissey on The Struggle to

Lingle’s Energy Tax Veto Limit Government [Cato at
[Americans for Tax Reform] Liberty]
APR 28, 2010 06:05P.M. APR 28, 2010 04:58P.M.

Kudos to Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle for proving her pen can be mightier By John Samples
than her tax and spend legislature with her veto of HB 2421, legislation
that would have imposed a 2000% tax increase on p... Ed Morrissey kindly mentioned The Struggle to Limit Government and
responds to the advice for Tea Partiers in my video.

Morrissey says:
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I don’t think it’s accurate to say that some Tea Partiers
Wednesday Links [Cato at “like”big government; it’s more like some aren’t enthusiastic
about dismantling as much of the federal government as
Liberty] others, especially the more doctrinaire libertarians.
APR 28, 2010 04:59P.M.
In the video I noted that polls showed a majority of the people who
By Chris Moody identify with the Tea Party movement also thought the entitlement
programs were worth their cost. My colleague, Jagadeesh Gokhale, has
• All eyes on Pennsylvania’s 12th District: The May 18th special estimated that paying for current entitlements would require 9 percent
election “may provide an early glimpse for anyone wondering how of GNP in perpetuity. This is unlikely. Entitlements will have to be
big a millstone the health care law will be for Democrats this fall.” changed since too much has been promised. People who think the
programs have been worth their cost are not likely initially to support
• Richard Rahn: It’s going to be much harder to start a business in reining in the entitlements. In saying that, I expressed a concern, not a
America under the new proposed financial regulations. prediction. It may be that Tea Party people will also come to recognize,
as Ed Morrissey does, that the entitlement state cannot continue.
• The experts discuss: “How do we regulate or restrict new Wall
Street creations, like synthetic C.D.O.’s, without squelching I said in the video that Tea Party people should recognize that
innovations that might enhance market efficiency?” “Democrats are not always the enemy.” Morrissey rightly says I should
not talk about enemies in domestic politics. He adds that the current
• Members of Congress react to the Citizens United ruling. House Democratic caucus does not deserve support because its leaders
favor expanding government. He’s right. Divided government is what we
• Podcast: “Don’t Tape Me Bro” featuring David Rittgers. need now. However, I had in mind the more centrist Democrats that
supported the tax and spending cuts of 1981 and the tax reform of 1986. I
am urging Tea Party people to avoid becoming too partisan. Perhaps
some of them will still be in Congress in 2011.

Then there’s the question of foreign policy and defense spending. In the
video I said that a limited government movement like the Tea Party
should start thinking outside the box on spending. I suggested rethinking
America’s expansive commitments in foreign affairs as a way to reduce
our military spending. I did not deny – who could deny it? – that the
Constitution entrusts the common defense to the federal government. I

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@[Link] 29 April 2010

also recognize that the United States continues to have enemies. The In fact, many of them were prophesied before passage of the
question is: what should the government do to provide the common bill, but the prophets were ignored by President Barack
defense consistent with limited government? Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress. That’s
because their uppermost goal was not to pass the best health-
In the past decade, we have spent enormous sums trying to transform care bill possible but merely to pass anything that could be
two nations and the entire Middle East into liberal democracies. This called “health-care reform” and could be claimed as a
was our “forward strategy” for dealing with terrorism. It reminded me of political victory by a president desperate for one.
past Progressive crusades at home and abroad. The strategy was a
domestic political disaster, and we shall see whether our massive outlays The latest analysis of the bill’s likely effects comes from the
eventually produce stability in Iraq or Afghanistan. For my part, I remain Office of the Actuary in the federal Centers for Medicare and
partial to the conservative virtues of realism, restraint, and prudence in Medicaid Services. The report by Chief Actuary Richard S.
dealing with other nations. Foster says that, far from reducing the cost of health care, the
overhaul will add $311 billion to the nation’s health-care costs
The United States is currently spending about half of all military over the first decade the law is in effect…
spending in the world. We have some room for restraint without
endangering American lives. We will still have a Navy that protects trade As the weeks roll by, more and more unintended and
routes to the extent they are threatened. As I said in the video, we need should-have-been-anticipated consequences of this
to rethink our overall place in the world if we are to corral the big ill-conceived law will be revealed.
government beast. The Tea Party folks can lead the way here.
This should be no surprise, considering that the law was
The Pentagon is not most of the federal budget. It is the only part slapped together behind closed doors without proper
historically, however, that can vary downward as well as upward. testimony and vetting by health-care, financial and insurance
Sometime soon, the non-defense parts of the budget are going to have to experts, and is a patchwork of political and special-interest
vary downward rather than just upward. Being serious about limiting deals rammed through Congress using procedural gimmicks.
government, however, requires that all spending be considered. Since I
think the Tea Party movement is serious about cutting government, it The nation deserved something much, much better than this.
would be better if they had a look at all spending from the start.
Read the full editorial. Repeal the bill.

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

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Columbus Dispatch:
Strike III for Dodd’s Wall Street
ObamaCare = Malpractice [Cato
Bailout – When Will Dems Go
at Liberty]
APR 28, 2010 04:05P.M. Back to Drawing Board?
By Michael F. Cannon [Americans for Tax Reform–
Popular discontent with ObamaCare extends even so far as the When Will Dems Go Back to
traditionally left-of-center Columbus Dispatch editorial page:
Drawing Board?]
Almost daily, the ill effects of the health-care APR 28, 2010 03:45P.M.
overhaul passed by Congress last month are
becoming apparent. As employers and government Today, for the third day in a row, the U.S. Senate failed to reach cloture
bureaucrats analyze the law’s effect on bottom lines on Sen. Dodd’s “Wall Street Bailout” bill, S. 3217 the Restoring American
for the private sector and for government, the alarm Financial Stability Act of 201...
bells are ringing.

The tragedy is that these ill effects could have been

and should have been calculated before the law was
passed, not after.

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FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS evidence that “pro-business” is not the same as “pro-
freedom.” The U.S. Chamber is the former. Ron Paul, and the
Ron Paul, the Chamber of libertarian position, is the latter.

Commerce, and Economic I suspect that on issues such as free trade agreements and immigration
reform, I might be closer to the Chamber’s position than to Ron Paul’s.
Freedom [Cato at Liberty] But to suggest that Paul is wrong to vote against business subsidies — or
APR 28, 2010 03:24P.M. that DeMint was wrong to vote against Bush’s 2008 stimulus package
and the $700 billion TARP bailout – certainly does illustrate how much
By David Boaz difference there can be between “pro-business” and “pro-market.”
Instead of “Spirit of Enterprise,” the Chamber should call these the
Tim Carney has a blog post at the Examiner that’s worth quoting in full: “Spirit of Subsidy Awards.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued its 2009

congressional scorecard, and once again, Rep. Ron Paul, R-
Tex. — certainly one of the two most free-market politicians FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS
in Washington — gets the lowest score of any Republican.
More and More Caution Flags in
Paul was one of a handful of GOP lawmakers not to win the
Chamber’s “Spirit of Enterprise Award.” He scored only a Race to the Top [Cato at
67%, bucking the Chamber on five votes, including:
Liberty]
• Paul opposed the “Solar Technology Roadmap Act,” APR 28, 2010 03:04P.M.
which boosted subsidies for unprofitable solar energy
technology. By Neal McCluskey

• Paul opposed the “Travel Promotion Act,” which

subsidizes the tourism industry with a new fee on
international visitors.

• Paul opposed the largest spending bill in history,

Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill.

(Rep John Duncan, R-Tenn., tied Ron Paul with 67%. John
McHugh, R-N.Y., scored a 40%, but he missed most of the
year because he went off to the Obama administration.)

I wrote about this phenomenon last year, when the

divergence was even greater between the Chamber’s agenda
and the free-market agenda:

Similarly, Texas libertarian GOPer Rep. Ron

Paul—the most steadfast congressional opponent With the first round of the so-called “Race to the Top” having
of regulation, taxation, and any sort of produced just two winning states — and those states appearing to have
government intervention in business—scored won primarily because they were able to get teachers’ unions to sign onto
lower than 90% of Democrats last year on the their reform proposals – there seems to be a growing backlash against
Chamber’s scorecard. RTTT.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., had the most conservative voting For one thing, several states are not applying for the second round of
record in 2008 according to the American Conservative RTTT grants. Apparently, many just don’t think jumping through all the
Union (ACU), and was a “taxpayer hero” according to the RTTT hoops is worth it, especially when, as a welcome new Economic
National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU), but the U.S. Chamber of Policy Institute briefing paper illustrates, who wins and who loses is
Commerce says his 2008 record was less pro-business than pretty arbitrary.
Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton.
This year’s picture was less glaring, but it’s still more Perhaps the more interesting new ojection to RTTT, though, is that it is,

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frankly, illegal. So writes the Brookings Institutions’ Grover J. “Russ” FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS
Whitehurst, who asserts that nowhere in the “stimulus” legislation
authorizing RTTT does it say that the U.S. Secretary of Education can On CNBC’s Kudlow Report
award money based on states doing things he prescribes. No, the
authorizing legislation, according to Whitehurst, says that the money Tonight [Larry Kudlow’s Money
must go to states that have already made significant reform progress.
Politic$]
None of this, importantly, gets at the main problem with RTTT (in APR 28, 2010 12:40P.M.
addition to its unconstitutionality): That there is just no good reason to
believe that it will lead to any meaningful, lasting reform. Still, the
crescendoing drumbeat against what so far has been the crown jewel of
the Obama administration’s education policy is a good sign. More
people, it seems, are realizing that the administration talks a great game
about reform, but delivers quite the opposite.

Of course, hope still springs eternal for some folks.

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

The War on Happy Meals [The Tonight at 7pm ET:

Club for Growth] GREEK JUNK CONTAGION?

APR 28, 2010 02:24P.M. EURO .. DOLLAR .. IS GOLD THE NEW CURRENCY REPLACEMENT?

Big government wants to get in between children and their toys. Voting
against the measure was Supervisor Donald Gage, who said parents - Andy Brenner, Guggenheim Securities, Head of Emerging Markets
should be responsible for their children. - Michael Farr, CNBC Contributor; Farr, Miller & Washington President
- Peter Navarro, “The Coming China Wars” Author; University Of
California - Irvine Business Professor

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS FINANCIAL REFORM: WHAT’S THE RIGHT MARKET

Charlie’s Millions [The Club for SOLUTION?

Growth] - Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)

APR 28, 2010 01:39P.M. WASHINGTON TAX ATTACK/DEBT COMMISSION

A few days back, a reporter asked Charlie Crist if he would refund - Rep. Paul Ryan, (R) Wisconsin; Budget Cmte Ranking Member
Republicans S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500. President Obama’s Fiscal Commission
- Robert Reich, Fmr. Labor Secretary; Author, “Supercapitalism”; CNBC
Contributor; Univ. of CA., Berkeley, Prof. of Public Policy

FED MATTERS: ISN’T THE EMERGENCY IS OVER?

- Brian Wesbury, First Trust Advisors Chief Economist

- Vince Reinhart, American Enterprise Institute resident scholar; former
director of monetary affairs at the FOMC

Please join us. The Kudlow Report. 7pm ET. CNBC.

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Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@[Link] 29 April 2010

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

Mississippi Would Gain $17 One Year Later, Specter Regrets

Million From Offshore Drilling Party Switch [The Club for
[Americans for Tax Reform] Growth]
APR 28, 2010 12:14P.M. APR 28, 2010 10:51A.M.

With Mississippi facing a predicted $917 million shortfall and 11.4 Isn S COMMITTEE. 202-955-5500.
percent unemployment, Americans for Tax Reform continues to urge
President Obama, Congress, and state elected officials to look t...

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS Kansas Taxpayers are Targeted

Dodd Wall Street Bailout Bill with Tax Hikes [Americans for
Creates Fannie Mae 2.0 Tax Reform]
APR 28, 2010 10:10A.M.
[Americans for Tax Reform]
APR 28, 2010 11:36A.M. As the Kansas legislative session reconvenes today, Kansas taxpayers are
under attack. With government revenue estimates falling, the Governor
Today, Americans for Tax Reform sent the following alert to all Senate and some legislators are asking the taxpayers to...
offices. Click here for a PDF. Sen. Dodd’s “Wall Street Bailout” bill, S.
3217, the Restoring American F...

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS All Shook Down [Cato at

The Final Countdown - Dodd Liberty]
APR 28, 2010 08:57A.M.
Financial Bill Update, Day 3
By David Boaz
[Americans for Tax Reform]
APR 28, 2010 10:54A.M. Steven Malanga of the Manhattan Institute writes in the Wall Street
Journal about Andy Stern’s retirement from the Service Employees
Today at 12:20, the U.S. Senate will have their last vote on cloture on International Union (SEIU). He noted that Stern’s
Sen. Dodd’s “Wall Street Bailout” bill, S. 3217 the Restoring American
Financial Stability Act of 2010. ... principal legacy will be having headed up a union that
managed to add 1.2 million members during a time when
overall unionization rates continued to plunge in the U.S.

But it’s important to understand how Mr. Stern pulled this

off, because his union’s story is really the story of the
transformation of the labor movement in America. The SEIU
did not win its most significant victories on the picket lines,
but rather in backroom political deals with legislative leaders,
especially in states like California where the political class is
already union-friendly.

Those deals helped the SEIU to organize workplaces that are

nominally considered part of the private sector but actually

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are heavily controlled and influenced by government

regulation, most especially in health care.

The article mentions Malanga’s forthcoming book, Shakedown: The

Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer.

Which is not to be confused with Shakedown: How Corporations,

Government, and Trial Lawyers Abuse the Judicial Process, published
by Cato Institute chairman Robert A. Levy in 2004. Then again, there
probably are some points of overlap.