IN THE MAIL: From E. Thomas Finan, The Other Side.

THE RISE OF the gay bourgeoisie. This is no surprise to people who watch HGTV.

INSPECTOR GENERAL: IRS AUDITS CONDUCTED WITHOUT REQUIRED APPROVAL.

NOBODY’S PERFECT: Half-Cocked: Chris Christie Won’t Fight For Gun Rights. A disappointment, but really you can only expect so much from a New Jersey pol. This will probably limit his opportunities on the national stage, though.

CHART: K-12 Spending Per Student in the OECD.

SUCKERED: Harvard Missed Red Flags in Forged Application Materials, Newspaper Says. “Among other things, Mr. Wheeler forged a letter of recommendation from a counselor at Phillips Academy saying he had enrolled there as a junior, but submitted a fake transcript indicating he had attended Phillips for four years. He also submitted a grade report showing perfect scores on 16 Advanced Placement exams. Jeff Neal, a university spokesman, declined to comment on Mr. Wheeler’s application but said Harvard had taken steps to improve procedures.”

STEVEN HAYWARD: Here’s how serious people transcend ideological differences.

JAMES TARANTO: Fear Of A White Planet: They want us to paint our roofs but are alarmed by snow.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: How Did All That Happen?

MICHAEL BARONE: A Truce In The Culture Wars As Voters Focus On The Economy.

YEAR-END MARKDOWNS on DVD and Blu-Ray.

W.C. FIELDS TELLS OFF MAYOR BLOOMBERG. Who wears that dress pretty well.

HARDFOUGHT: A local government stupidity contest.

RICHARD FERNANDEZ ON JULIAN ASSANGE: “Baby look at me, and tell me what you see.”

THE NEW YORK POST EDITORIALIZES ON Mike Bloomberg’s Mosque Myopia.

A VENN DIAGRAM EXPLAINING three different kinds of junk-touchers.

COVERUP: The Hill: “The White House is taking extra steps to prevent photos of a shirtless President Obama on vacation in Hawaii.”

IN LIGHT OF MY EARLIER POST, TaxProf Paul Caron writes:

This is the 14th year in a row the GAO has been unable to give a clean auditor’s opinion on the Government’s books!

One wonders why the 112th Congress does not try to extend Sarbanes-Oxley to Congress and treat members as “signing officers” for the U.S. Budget, subjecting them to liability for the GAO’s inability to opine on the Government’s financial statements.

Fat chance. But heh.

DENIS DUTTON has died.

50% OFF ON select HP printers.

UPDATE: Reader Jon Lane notes the weak reviews and emails: “HP printer quality has slid so far they’re practically giving them away.” I keep hearing that, but I have 3 HP printers in my house and they’re all working well. Of course, one is a LaserJet 4L from 1993, but two are of fairly recent vintage — within the last two or three years.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Back-and-Forth on Faculty Salary Cuts in California.

BRR: Global Warming Skeptic Predicts Brutal Winter, Warns “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” I hope he’s wrong. Unfortunately, his predictions so far have been quite accurate.

A.P. STANDS UP FOR JOURNALISM. Well, it’s about time . . . .

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER THINKS REPUBLICANS should be holding a lot of hearings on ObamaCare. After the repeal vote.

RON RADOSH: David Remnick Joins the Israeli Haters and the Leftist British Intellectuals.