FREEZING OUT the major papers.

THEY SAID JEHOVAH! Stone them!

UH OH: An editorial cartoon on taxpayer-backed pensions. Note: I don’t have a cushy defined-benefit pension. Put my 403(b) right there in the water with the others. (Via PensionTsunami.com.)

ANNE APPLEBAUM: The Russian Reset Button Doesn’t Work.

ANOTHER BLOG REVIEW of Mark Levin’s new book.

GOOD QUESTION: “All of Europe, which has nationalized health care already, is also experiencing the current economic crisis. Why does Obama believe that bringing national health care here will in any way save us a similar economic crisis in the future? He keeps repeating that only if we get health care costs under control will we have ‘real’ prosperity, but the countries that have already ‘tackled’ this problem in the past were not spared their own economic meltdowns.”

In fact, as Obama noted, the dollar has stayed surprisingly strong because foreigners think the U.S. economy is stronger than others’ — others who have already introduced national health care. I’m just sayin’ . . . .

MARIA SHRIVER: Obama Needs To Be Educated on Special Olympics.

U.S. INFLATION THREAT worries Chinese.

A.P.: Obama having it both ways on economy?

WATCHING THE OBAMA PRESS CONFERENCE, the Insta-Daughter notes “He never answered the question.” She was talking about the one on shared sacrifice, even after the followup.

UPDATE: Related: “Obama’s round-robin with Chuck Todd over the issue of sacrifice is actually pretty interesting. Maybe I missed something, but it sure sounded like Obama is simply unwilling to really call for sacrifice from the American people.” If Obama’s looking for ideas, here are some thoughts on shared sacrifice.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Dave Bosserman writes: “Hey, I gave up half my wealth over the last year. Isn’t that enough? Are any government employees going to give up half their retirement funds in the name of ‘shared sacrifice?'” Well, I don’t have a defined-benefit plan, and my 403(b) is way down.

MORE: Alternative programming: Don Rickles roasts Congress and Obama.

STILL MORE: Michael Graham liveblogged:

Talk about “change.” The first question is “why should we trust you?” Two months ago, any reporter who asked that question would have been stoned by the rest of the press corps. The only question allowed in January was “why doesn’t EVERYONE trust you?”

8:12: Obama says the bonuses were contracts “before we took over.” Wrong. Bogus. This was Geithner’s deal all the way, and Obama’s team knew all about them. The stimulus bill that approved and protected them was Obama’s.

More at the link.

MORE STILL: What about those “net spending cuts” he promised?

Plus, reader Mike McDaniel writes:

I hate to break it to Mr. Bosserman, but the Federal Government went to a 401k-like system (the Thirft Savings Plan) 25 years ago. We’re losing our shirts…I’m down 40% in the last six months.

Not to mention that as a Department of Defense employee, I work over 50 hours per week, half on either a night or evening shift. Weekends and holidays included.

If we could get the civil sector and the politicians they elect working that hard, we wouldn’t have this problem.

Yeah, the shift to the Thrift Savings Plan is saving the federal government’s neck right now, though it’s not so great if you’re a worker. Most states, though, aren’t so well situated. . . .

We’d be better off if the politicians kept it under 50 hours per year.

Plus: “What was the news? What was his message?”

EVEN MORE: Dan Riehl replies: “The narrative on Obama all along was always that, for all his seeming openess, he has never been one to actually let people in on what’s going on. While there is obviously strategy going on underneath, the purpose of all these press overtures isn’t to reveal and discuss it. It’s to keep people discussing Obama while it’s going on. Any event is the strategy in that sense.”

JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION, award-winning cookbooks.

PRESIDENT ZOBAMA DOES THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno.

CHANGE: State Department Less Transparent Than Under Bush. “One government official said State and the White House have been discussing reducing the amount of information the State Department releases about the secretary’s words and meetings, which by long tradition is more expansive than what’s released by some other agencies.”

PAYOFF? U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers. The bill will make them nonpartisan — like NPR.

UPDATE: “Well, the MSM got their man elected last fall. And like any powerful lobby — or high-priced call girl — they should expect to get something for their services.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Dan Riehl writes: “Congress can’t make newspapers non-profit. For most practical purposes, they already are. It seems to me this would be better characterized as a way of changing the rules to permit them to continue to fail.”

MONEY FOR NOTHING: Jilted Wall Street donors should rethink future political donations.

FIXING THE ELECTRIC GRID.

HMM: Specter’s Opposition Could Kill Card Check.

IF YOU LIVE IN FLORIDA, you can now buy a a Ford Focus that runs on both gasoline and compressed natural gas.

EARMARKS, INC.: More on John Murtha.

BLOGGERS, TEA PARTIES, and the media. “This is what we’ve come to expect from the mainstream media.”

A BUNCH OF new releases on Blu-Ray.

STRANGELY, I’M NOT AFRAID AT ALL: Liquor stores fear grocery wine sales.

GRAND ROUNDS IS UP!

TAXPROF: 10 Things The I.R.S. Won’t Tell You. My favorite: “Just because we billed you doesn’t mean you owe us money.”

VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS: Not so great, maybe harmful.