AN ANALYSIS of what went wrong with Saturn. My take: Unions and managers at GM saw Saturn as a threat to their rice bowls, and killed it. Sure it killed the company, too, but so what?

FROM TOM MAGUIRE, thoughts on Vitamin D.

THE IMPORTANCE OF Omega-3s.

IN THE MAIL: From Peter Schweizer, Architects of Ruin: How big government liberals wrecked the global economy—and how they will do it again if no one stops them.

IS ACORN a faith-based organization?

OH, GOOD GRIEF: Harvey Weinstein: Hollywood Has the Best Moral Compass. Stop digging, Harvey.

JOHN STOSSEL: No matter what the numbers say, it’ll be called a success.

This Friday, September’s job-loss total will be announced. Whatever the numbers, administration officials surely will tell us that life is better — because of them. “We brought the global economy back from the brink,” President Obama said at the close of the G-20 meeting last week. “(B)ecause of the bold and coordinated action that we took, millions of jobs have been saved or created; the decline in output has been stopped; financial markets have come back to life”.

This has been the president’s theme: His so-called stimulus package, bailouts for politically connected banks and industries, ludicrously wasteful programs like Cash for Clunkers, etc. have saved America from the greatest disaster since the Great Depression.

But this theme runs up against some rather unfortunate facts.

Read the whole thing.

FABIUS MAXIMUS: Update on our government’s deteriorating solvency.

VERONIQUE DE RUGY: The Bush-era deficits were bad. I know. I spent eight years complaining about them. How does President Obama stack up?

“VERY HEAVILY NORTHEASTERN IN OUR MENTALITY:” Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.

TAXPROF: 47% Will Pay No Income Tax in 2009. See, I think that’s wrong. Everyone who votes should pay something — and that something should rise when spending does. Skin in the game . . . .

MICHAEL YON on what’s going wrong in Afghanistan. “The coalition is weakening. While the U.S. has gotten serious, the organism called NATO is a jellyfish for which the United States is both sea and prevailing wind.” The Bush folks listened to him on Iraq. Will the Obama folks be smart enough to listen to him now?

RON BAILEY ON MEDICAL INNOVATION: A new report finds that medical innovation boosts life expectancy, but doesn’t cost more.

TIM CAVANAUGH: Another Fiscal Year Older and $1.65 Trillion Deeper In Debt.

THE INSTA-WIFE REVIEWS J.D. Johannes’ Fit For Combat.

JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: Obama’s Not-So-Secret Plan to Raise Taxes. “Does President Obama have a secret plan to raise taxes on middle-class Americans — and,well, pretty much everybody else — with a European-style, value-added tax? Actually, it’s not such a big secret. . . . Obama’s campaign promise to not raise taxes on households making less than $250,000 a year was always considered a joke here inside the Beltway.”

CHICAGO OLYMPIC OPPONENTS: THEY SURE DON’T LOOK LIKE part of a vast right-wing conspiracy.

UPDATE: But I think they’re racists for not appreciating this sacrifice.

WHY THE BANK OF AMERICA was funding ACORN for years. “In this sordid tale, the unsympathetic banks are more victims than villains. The Community Reinvestment Act gives groups like ACORN considerable power over the institutions. It can accuse them of economic discrimination against minorities, forcing them to defend their business practices and reputations against de facto charges of racism. The penalties can be hefty fines and even blocked mergers. ACORN perfected this ‘pay for protection’ business model in the 1990s. And it is a business.”

TOWN HALL PROTEST CRITIC BUSTED:

Two officers of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department removed Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer from a February 2005 town hall event hosted by then-President George W. Bush at the request of the owner of the property, a spokesman for the Police Department tells NowHampshire.com.

The revelation contradicts statements made by Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter as recently as this week that she was not removed from the event. . . . Shea-Porter has been criticized in recent weeks by state Republicans and national conservative media for her incendiary rhetoric and behavior aimed at constituents who oppose health reform measures in Congress. She has referred to participants in so-called taxpayer tea parties as “tea baggers” and refused to apologize when made aware of the sexual connotation of that phrase.

Her hypocrisy in criticizing the town hall protesters is just that much more notable now.

THE N.R.A. VS. the mayor of Quincy, Illinois.

NICK GILLESPIE: Krugman on Obama’s Deficits: Blame Reagan!

DAVID CORN: Is Obama Serious About Afghanistan?

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, Child Advocate.

Well, not an advocate advocate. . . .

PAWLENTY PREPS 2012 Campaign Team.

JENNIFER RUBIN: Wolf vs. Holder.