FURTHER DOWN THE REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Hugo Chavez Goes After Hoarders and Wreckers.

TERRY MCAULIFFE’S GLOBAL CROSSING CONNECTIONS COME UP: “This is a bad time to have a reputation for making lots of money, primarily due to your personal connections. Ten years ago, McAuliffe turned a $100K stock buy into $18M thanks to his relationship with the CEO of Internet firm Global Crossing. Shortly thereafter the company went bankrupt, the stock price collapsed and 10,000 employees lost their jobs. This was not the only questionable deal he was associated with. But it was part of a pattern in his business life of using insider connections that made him very wealthy.”

TOPSY TURVY: “Communist China is more friendly toward capital than Obama? Yup. No capital gains tax there.”

A TAX REVOLT in California?

DAN RIEHL WONDERS: Why all the Obama dropouts?

SO WOULD THIS BE A GOOD EXCUSE TO PAY YOUR OWN TAXES LATE? State says hold on tight for your tax refund. “Raleigh, N.C. — Dwindling revenue and a widening budget shortfall mean that North Carolina taxpayers will wait longer for their tax refunds, Secretary of Revenue Kenneth Lay said Thursday.”

Well, there’s their problem: Secretary of Revenue Ken Lay? Heh. I actually double-checked to be sure this wasn’t some kind of cruel joke. Especially when I saw this paragraph:

“We have a temporary backlog due to the fact that we’re having difficulty garnering funds that we’re using to manage cash flow,” he said.

A “temporary backlog due to the fact that we’re having difficulty garnering funds that we’re using to manage cash flow.” Uh huh. It’s flowing out faster than it’s flowing in. Well, I’m pretty sure it’s a different Ken Lay, but . . . .

Anyway, with all these states having trouble paying tax refunds on time, I think I’d be sure not to overpay. You might not get it back anytime soon. A North Carolina reader emails: “Here is a link to what is going on in my state regarding tax refunds. We haven’t filed yet, although we will be due a refund – which I might add, we were planning on using towards what we will owe the Feds. Think I can tell them to wait while we manage our cash flow?” Good luck with that.

UPDATE: A reader emails:

Great. Just bleepin’ great.

Our state taxes is one area where I haven’t paid much attention — so for the last couple of years, we’ve paid in more than we needed to and have gotten four-figure returns. Including this year.

Eh, nice play money in normal times. But since I got laid off this week, well, it ain’t chump change no more.

It’s not critical, we’re not going to miss any bills or our mortgage because it’s coming later. But holy freakin’ bleepedy %$$^&%$#!!!!

It’s my damn money, not theirs. Yeah, my fault for being too lazy or disinterested to have fixed my withholding so this wouldn’t happen — but it’s still MY DAMN MONEY.

Sorry. Just needed to vent. Oh, and a couple other points.

1) This might make for a good tea party protest at the state level.

2) They might want to be careful. Some of us “too busy to protest because of work” types are suddenly becoming alarmingly un-busy. And alarmingly not very happy about it.

Indeed.

AT AMAZON, a big grocery sale. Remember, shopping online is environmentally-friendly!

MORE ON “FRIEND OF ANGELO” FRANKLIN RAINES: “Former Fannie Mae Chief Executive Officer Franklin Raines was offered a 4.125 percent mortgage from Countrywide Financial Corp. in 2003, more than a percentage point less than the national average at the time, according to documents provided by a congressional committee. . . . Raines, Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd and Senator Kent Conrad were among prominent Americans accused of receiving favorable treatment on loans from Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.”

TOO MANY czars?

TEA PARTY UPDATE: Tax Day Tea Party Organizers Readying For April 15.

Plus, protests planned for Tucson and Phoenix.

Plus, Columbus, Ohio.

And a battle-cry: No representation without taxation!

HERE’S SOME ACTUAL good economic news. No, really. Well, kinda.

500 BILLION TO COVER BANK DEPOSITS? “If an appendage of the banking industry like Chris Dodd is being instructed by his owners to increase their credit line by 1700% (!!!), it’s a dead (pardon the term) giveaway as to what shape the bankers think their businesses are in.”

THE DOW-JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE, SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE STIMULUS BILL:

Guess I can see why they’d rather talk about Rush Limbaugh.

UPDATE: Indeed: “The president compared the stock market to a tracking poll the other day. Somehow I think that if his tracking polls had slipped as much as the market has, he would be a bit more concerned.”

JIM CRAMER’S TURNAROUND.

Plus, where did the pleasant Cthulhu go?

CNN: Obama tax plan: Democrats push back.

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, AND STILL SCORING POINTS: Obama’s Teleprompter Addiction — Advantage, Dean Barnett.

Meanwhile, reader Patrick McNiff writes: “Can you imagine the disparaging comments that would be made against George Bush’s intellect if he couldn’t make a simple six minute announcement without a TelePrompter….”

FROM “SMART DIPLOMACY” TO “THAT SMARTS” DIPLOMACY.

From the comments: “Didn’t Obama campaign on strengthening our ties with our allies? Or was that the other guy?” Indeed.

DAVID CORN: White House Freakout? “You know things are bad when the administration’s economic aides see health care reform as the easy part of their day.”

UPDATE: Reader Leland Hutchinson writes: “So they know the economy is the problem. It is the most damning thing I have yet read. Why no pro-growth policies? Ideology trumping reality equals incompetence. They all need to read ‘Reagan In His Own Words.'” Good luck with that.

ANOTHER UPDATE: “Chaos.” Yes, everything is seemingly spinning out of control.

WHO IS JOHN GALT? Congressman: We’re Living in ‘Atlas Shrugged’.

STEVE JURVETSON on nature’s nanotechnology.

ANOTHER BUSTED APPOINTMENT: Sanjay Gupta withdraws name for Sugeon General.

But wait, there’s more: Geithner’s choice for deputy secretary withdraws.

UPDATE: Ouch: “That makes … how many appointments to fail in the Greatest Transition Evah?” I’ve lost count. This morning, I forgot Zinni. It’s gotten so you can’t remember all the transition screw-ups without a cheatsheet.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Thomas Prewitt writes: “I am struggling to identify any area in which Obama has demonstrated competence since he became president. Seriously can you name one? Hell, he can’t even speak without using a teleprompter.” Hmm. Ending the medical marijuana raids was a good idea, but that’s not really about competence. Anybody got a suggestion?

MORE: Reader Fred Butzen writes:

Normally, I’d rather damn Obama than praise him. But since you ask, I think he’s shown a degree of competence in managing the war in Iraq. Retaining Gates, and maintaining continuity with the Bush administration policies that were working. He had to make a show of setting a deadline, I guess to keep his supporters happy, but he eased under the bus the “mad dash for the exits” strategy that he had trumpeted during the campaign.

Obama could have shown just a smidgen of grace and made a nod in the direction of his predecessor, who, despite the unwavering opposition of people like Senator Barack Obama, managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat; but Barry doesn’t do magnanimity.

Nope, that’s the “graciousness deficit.” Born of insecurity, I’d say. But, yeah, he’s been better than I expected on Iraq.

STEVE CHAPMAN: Obama’s Retreat on Iraq: Whatever Happened to the Antiwar Candidate? I’m not unhappy with this broken promise, but I can see why some Obama supporters might be.

HOW THE STIMULUS PLAN will work.

U.S. NEWS: Are You Ready for This? A Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party.

ROGER SIMON: What are your plans for the new depression?

Roger is reading The Forgotten Man.