And no, I'm not talking about the kind that comes out of the end of a gun. Kevin Drum builds a compelling case for environmental lead -- primarily from leaded gasoline -- as being the driving factor behind rising and declining crime rates. In a 2000 paper, Rick Nevin "concluded that if you add a lag time of 23 years, lead emissions from automobiles explain 90 percent … [Read more...] about Could It Be This Straightforward? Research Links Crime Rates With Environmental Lead
New Congress Sworn In (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about New Congress Sworn In (Cartoon)
Fresh Start for Congress, But Fiscal Battles Loom
Fresh start for Congress, but fiscal battles loom (via AFP) With nearly 100 new members, the US Congress convened fresh from the year-end "fiscal cliff" fiasco, as lawmakers cast a wary eye towards the tough budget battles ahead. Twelve freshman senators and 82 newly-elected lawmakers in the House of Representatives took the oath of office, eager to make … [Read more...] about Fresh Start for Congress, But Fiscal Battles Loom
Our Clown-Around Congress
WASHINGTON -- To say that Congress looked like a clown show this week is an insult to self-respecting clowns. Painful though it may be, let's review what just happened. Our august legislators -- aided and abetted by President Obama -- manufactured a fake crisis. They then proceeded to handle it so incompetently that they turned it into a real one. The bogus … [Read more...] about Our Clown-Around Congress
Who Are These “Celebrities”?
Saw this magazine cover while shopping today at Costco. The cover says it has the scoop on, "What Tore Them Apart." My first thought? "Who are they?" I wasn't interested enough in learning who they are to do a Google search. It just struck me what our celebrity culture has come to. Once upon a time, there were a few people who were celebrities: leaders in … [Read more...] about Who Are These “Celebrities”?
Irish Newspaper Group New Synonym For Chutzpah; Demands Licensing Fees For Hyperlinks
This extraordinary story comes from an Irish solicitor that represents an organization on the receiving end of dunning "letters, emails and phone calls." Recap: The Newspapers’ agent demanded an annual payment from a women’s domestic violence charity because they said they owned copyright in a link to the newspapers’ public website. The definition of chutzpah: "insolence" … [Read more...] about Irish Newspaper Group New Synonym For Chutzpah; Demands Licensing Fees For Hyperlinks
113th Congress (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about 113th Congress (Cartoon)
Quote of the Day: the Political Courage of Boeher and McConnell
It won't make MSNBC fans happy, but Walter Shapiro (who I've long felt is one of the country's best columnists, back from the days when he wrote a superb column in USA Today) says the country needs to give credit where credit is due: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner showed quite courage in the passage of the fiscal cliff … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: the Political Courage of Boeher and McConnell
Doubling Down On Stupid
Well the 112th Congress is history and the 113th Congress is busy. What was the first bill offered up? If you guessed repeal of Obama Care you would be right. The 112th Congress gaveled to a close on Thursday afternoon without passing a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy or reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, but Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) isn’t too … [Read more...] about Doubling Down On Stupid
Editorial of the Day: Tea Party Rejection of Debt Deal a Good Sign
Tea Party rejection of debt deal a good sign: Editorial (via NJ.com) If there is a silver lining to this week’s flawed deal on the nation’s debt, it is this: Republican leaders allowed a vote on the measure even though most of their members were opposed. In other words, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) refused to follow the tea party over the cliff. He let … [Read more...] about Editorial of the Day: Tea Party Rejection of Debt Deal a Good Sign
Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act — With ‘Objections’ (Updated)
UPDATE: The Defense Department news release on the President’s signing of the the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (below) does not include some of the restrictions placed on the President by the Bill nor the signing statements by Mr. Obama claiming that he has the constitutional power to override various provisions of the Act. Some of the restrictions placed … [Read more...] about Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act — With ‘Objections’ (Updated)
Minus 9 Republicans Boehner Re-Elected Speaker
Nowhere do you have a better example of how our politics is milked for every drop of drama as in the story about House Speaker John Boehner. So much for all of the breathless stories and blog posts yesterday about Boehner losing his job as Speaker: Pep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was reelected Speaker of the House on Thursday after a week of rumors of a possible GOP revolt. … [Read more...] about Minus 9 Republicans Boehner Re-Elected Speaker
Time Warner Dumps “Current” After Gore Sells It to Al Jazeera
The big media news yesterday was that former Vice President Al Gore sold his struggling liberal cable channel "Current" to Al Jazeera, the network originally launched as an Arabic news and currrent affairs cable channel. The big news today is that Time Warner has now dumped it from its line up -- and Time Warner is now under fire for doing so. But the bottom line is this: Al … [Read more...] about Time Warner Dumps “Current” After Gore Sells It to Al Jazeera
A Nice Moment On Opening Day
Sometimes it's nice to see humanity win over partisanship. Today we saw Illinois Senator Mark Kirk return to the Senate a year after he suffered a stroke. As Senator Kirk slowly made his way up the Capitol steps he was cheered on by most of his Senate colleagues as well as Vice President Biden. … [Read more...] about A Nice Moment On Opening Day
A Couple Small Observations On Opening Day Of Congress
Watching the vote on Speaker we are seeing defections from both sides, though more from the GOP. What I found interesting is that even though they vote in alphabetical order the votes still seemed clumped by party. Do similar sounding last names determine your party affiliation now ? On the other side of the hill we have Vice President Biden performing the ceremonial … [Read more...] about A Couple Small Observations On Opening Day Of Congress
3 Lessons Learned from My Recent Health Issues
[This was prepared to be shared with the people of the Logan Cancer Recovery Group this evening.] Since my last visit with you several years ago, a few things have happened in my life. In 2010, I suffered a heart attack that took out 40% of my heart. Since then, a stent was implanted in an artery that had been 100% blocked and in 2011, as a precautionary measure, I … [Read more...] about 3 Lessons Learned from My Recent Health Issues
What (Almost) Everybody Lost at the Fiscal Cliff
The Capital Bowl ends in overtime with John Boehner being sacked in his own end zone as Tea Party teammates led by Eric Cantor scramble away from him still praying for a Hail Mary pass. The metaphor comes with apologies for comparing the high skill level of college amateur football with what went on in Washington this weekend. The play in the Capitol was more like a series … [Read more...] about What (Almost) Everybody Lost at the Fiscal Cliff
Two Reasons Why House Republicans Don’t Like the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Rep. Peter King be damned, there are two reasons why House Republicans don't like the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Marc Ambinder explains why HERE. … [Read more...] about Two Reasons Why House Republicans Don’t Like the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill
Scarborough: GOP Planting the Seeds of the House Republican Majority’s Destruction (Video)
Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough -- he who is often blasted by the right and the left -- didn't mince words when commenting on the ongoing slow car crash that the American public has been watching in the behavior of the House Republicans. Scarborough says the new group of GOPers being sworn in are "underway to make Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House." Scarborough is talking about … [Read more...] about Scarborough: GOP Planting the Seeds of the House Republican Majority’s Destruction (Video)
Congress and Sandy Victims (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Congress and Sandy Victims (Cartoon)