TOBY HARNDEN ON THE LOOTING “STIMULUS” BILL: “The Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill badly miscalculated by treating the bill as a victor’s charter.”

OBAMA TO WASHINGTON, D.C.: You’re a bunch of wimps! “When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don’t seem to be able to handle things.” Having lived there myself, I have to say he has a point . . . .

“NO PROBLEM, LADY.”

CORMAC MCCARTHY’S CHILDHOOD HOME BURNS: “James Agee’s house in Fort Sanders was torn down years ago, so the childhood homes of both of Knoxville’s Pulitzer Prize winners are gone.”

A REASON NOT TO OVERPAY: Tax Refunds Now on Hold in California.

UPDATE: Reader Randy Tomer writes: “I overpaid, but am not concerned about a refund. I will apply my refund toward my 2009 taxes, and reduce my CA tax payments (can be withholding or quarterly payments) by that amount. I keep the cash now, CA gets its own IOU as a tax payment.”

THE WAY RUSH LIMBAUGH HAS BEEN BATTED AROUND LATELY, my high-school friend Joel sends this graphic.

On the other hand, Limbaugh’s influence doesn’t seem to be waning. “The Republicans are so bereft of elected leadership that the leader of the loyal opposition is an unelected talk show host on AM radio.” Ouch.

BOB OWENS: Bill Ayers Hits the Road Post-Election, Whitewashing His Past.

BUT STAMPS WON’T BE CHEAPER: “The U.S. Postal Service may be forced to eliminate a day of mail service because the economic downturn has led to plummeting volume and revenue, the postmaster general said Wednesday.” Read the story, though, and you’ll see that retiree health costs seem to be a big issue, too. It’s like GM delivering the mail, or something . . . .

ANN ALTHOUSE BETS THAT Obama won’t close Guantanamo in a year.

MMM. Bacon Pie.

WOULDN’T YOU REALLY RATHER have a Buick? “And you thought the Pontiac ‘screaming chicken’ Trans Am hood image was huge.. ha! These graphics covered the whole car.”

BUSINESS AT “BREASTAURANTS” hasn’t sagged with the recession.

JACOB SULLUM: “Even as President Obama promises that the federal government will spend the $1 trillion or so contemplated in the stimulus legislation in a utterly open, totally transparent, and absolutely accountable way, he demands that members of Congress vote for the 647-page monstrosity before they can possibly have time to read and digest it.”

STIMULUS PASSES HOUSE: All Republicans and 11 Democrats vote no. Among the Dems voting against were Tennessee’s Jim Cooper and North Carolina’s Heath Shuler.

UPDATE: Reader Mark Cates writes: “You might mention that it would be worthwhile to send these guys a Thank You for their vote. They probably need as much encouragement as they can get. I sent one to Shuler.”

Good suggestion.

THE CASE AGAINST impeaching Rod Blagojevich. So, does anybody think the law and evidence in this case matter to the outcome?

SOME EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE CIA? This bears watching.

PASSWORD SECURITY myths and realities.

SOME PARTS OF THE ECONOMY ARE DOING JUST FINE: 1 Million New Netflix Subscribers Forecasted for ’09 Due to Xbox 360.

A VIDEO TOUR of the International Space Station.

CALLING FOR A taxpayer march on Washington.

UPDATE: Rand Simberg:

The problem is that people who pay taxes are too busy working to earn the money on which to pay taxes to have time to go to Washington. Massive marches on Washington are reserved for those with no jobs, or nothing to do, or because they are on the dole of some kind, sometimes aided by federal subsidization of “community organizers” like ACORN.

That’s one of the reasons that big-government programs are a positive-feedback ratchet that are almost impossible to reverse. The programs have their own built-in constituencies, that are funded by the programs to allow them to agitate for more, while the ever-shrinking rest of us who are trying to actually earn a living get stuck with the bill. It can’t go on forever, of course, but it can go on long enough to ruin a nation.

Indeed.

OBAMA’S HONEYMOON has been downgraded from “Get a Room” to “Holding Hands.”

THE “STIMULUS” BILL: “A 40-year wish list.”

UPDATE: “Not a moment to spare.” Because given enough time, people might wise up . . . .?

FED IN UNCHARTED WATERS. So is frenzied activity when you don’t know what you’re doing better than doing nothing? I guess we’ll find out . . . .

AND YET, ALL THE STIMULUS MONEY PROBABLY WON’T FIX THE PROBLEMS: State of a Nation: The Latest Report on America’s Infrastructure.

AMAZON GETTING READY TO UNVEIL a second-generation Kindle. Of course, the biggest problem with the first-generation Kindle is that they’re having trouble keeping up with demand.