JON STEWART ON President Obama’s Tax Obsession.

MARK TAPSCOTT ON JOURNALISTIC PREJUDICE: Why is Gang of Six plan “practical” but Cut, Cap and Balance will never pass?

There are two things to note here: First, at least 67 members of the Senate have at one time or another in recent years promised to vote for either a balanced budget or a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. That count, according to Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, includes 22 Democrats.

So, to get to the second point, why is it a foregone conclusion that CCB can’t pass the Senate? By uncritically reporting that claim, journalists are in effect giving senators a pass on the balanced budget issue specifically and more generally of whether their previous declarations are worth anything at all.

And is it too much to ask our esteemed lions of the Fourth Estate toiling in the White House Press Corps to at least ask the president why he opposes a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget and a supermajority in both chambers of Congress to raise taxes?

No doubt he has a logical case to support vetoing such a measure, but why not just ask him to state it for the record? Don’t our readers deserve to know at least that much?

This is an illustration of why so many journalists covering the White House, Congress and national politics so frequently end up functioning like “Homers.” No, I’m not referring to the ancient author, but rather the derisive term for sports reporters who never write anything critical of the home professional teams.

Whether they intend to or not, too many journalists are little more than Homers for the Big Government team. And then they wonder why their credibility is in tatters.

Indeed.

SO HOW’S THIS BUDGET BRINKSMANSHIP POLLING FOR OBAMA? Obama In Perilous Shape: “Obama’s approval rating this month is 46% with 48% of voters disapproving of him. There are 2 things particularly troubling in his numbers: independents split against him by a 44/49 margin, and 16% of Democrats are unhappy with the job he’s doing while only 10% of Republicans give him good marks. Republicans dislike him at this point to a greater extent than Democrats like him and that will be a problem for him moving forward if it persists.”

U.S. NEWS: How Obama Blew A Big Debt Deal. “Obama has had plenty of chances to do something big about runaway spending and the mushrooming national debt, and he’s taken a pass every time.”

SINCE WHEN IS THE PRESIDENT SUPPOSED TO ENFORCE unenacted legislation? These days, it’s all the rage!

ENORMOUS UNDERWATER VOLCANOES discovered near Antarctica.

UNDERCUTTING RICK PERRY AT EPA: EPA Rule Threatens to Turn Out the Lights in Texas. It’s like it’s a political attack or something. Likely Perry response? Molon Labe.

MONEY: Following Third Largest Weekly Surge In M2, Expect Artificial Spike In Leading Economic Indicators.

NOTE THAT THEY’RE UNIONIZED: The Alameda incident: ‘First responders’ who don’t.

On Memorial Day, a suicidal man waded into San Francisco Bay outside the city of Alameda and stood there for about an hour, neck deep in chilly water, as about 75 bystanders watched. Local police and firefighters were dispatched to the scene after the man’s desperate mother called 911, but they refused to help. After the man drowned, the assembled “first responders” also refused to wade into the water to retrieve his body; they left that job for a bystander.

The incident sparked widespread outrage in Northern California, and the response by the Fire Department and police only intensified the anger. The firefighters blamed local budget cuts for denying them the training and equipment necessary for cold-water rescues. The police said that they didn’t know if the man was dangerous and therefore couldn’t risk the safety of officers. . . . After a local TV news crew asked him whether he would save a drowning child in the bay, Alameda Fire Chief Ricci Zombeck gave an answer that made him the butt of local talk-show mockery: “Well, if I was off duty, I would know what I would do, but I think you’re asking me my on-duty response, and I would have to stay within our policies and procedures, because that’s what’s required by our department to do.”

If you stand a better chance of being rescued by the official rescuers when they are off duty, then what is the purpose of these departments, which consume the lion’s share of city budgets and whose employees — in California anyway — receive exceedingly handsome salaries?

Widespread outrage is appropriate. And, you know, so are big budget cuts, so they’ll be off duty more . . .

UPDATE: A reader responds with this correction on the “first responders” bit:

(0th) Victim. Also sometimes has a later role.
(1st) Responder. Responds to victim’s need for help (which may not be actually requested by the victim.)
(2nd) Responder. Responds to 1st responders call for assistance. These days, a 911 operator.
(3rd) Responder. Dispatcher.
(4th) Responder. Driver.
(5th) EMT

And that’s if it works like it should.

Good point.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Tom Wheatley emails from China:

During my time working at summer camps, I personally witnessed counselors executing what would legally be considered lifesaving rescues of campers who were swimming and found themselves in distress. If 19-year-old college kids can do this at a private summer camp, surely union firefighters, with the full backing of the resources of the state of Califorina, can do the same. I don’t know whether to describe this situation as tragic or pathetic. It’s probably some combination of the two.

It’s garbage like this that prompts me to support the tea party. It is abundantly clear that the vast majority of government employees are completely useless, and no one would notice if they were relieved of their modest duties immediately.

I fear this summer is just a warmup. Next summer is going to be very, very ugly. I’m glad I live abroad.

Perhaps I should plan an extended trip. Though I’m not sure next summer in China will be any picnic, either.

JIM TREACHER: Jonnie Marbles Speaks.

THAT WOULD BE QUICK: Lights Out For McConnell-Reid? “A letter being circulated by freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R., Ill.) could effectively take the contingency plan being crafted by Senate leaders Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) — it’s being referred to as ‘McConnell-Reid’ — completely off the table in debt-ceiling negotiations.”

NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Gunwalker: Testimony Reveals Eric Holder’s Obfuscation Tactics. “Attorney General Eric Holder continues to duck responsibility for Operation Fast and Furious, which allowed more than 2,500 weapons, including thousands of AK-47 variants and .50 caliber sniper rifles, across the Mexican border and into the hands of the cartels. The weapons were used to murder Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and an estimated 150 Mexican nationals.”

KATIE GRANJU IS still unhappy with the way law enforcement responded to her son’s death.

DAVID FRENCH: Why The Michele Bachmann hit piece was wrong. Plus this: “Michele Bachmann has a personal story that Hollywood would love if she were liberal. A mother of five took in foster child after foster child, grew alarmed at the poor quality of their mandatory public education, and then launched herself into the political process to improve their lives. They’d pitch Julia Roberts for the part if Bachmann had only been crusading against a power plant or land development. As it is, she has to settle for the Palin treatment — from the Left and the Right.”

FIRST, THEY CAME FOR THE LIGHT BULBS: I, Light Bulb: A Death-Row Testimonial. (Bumped).

IT’S COME TO THIS: Role reversal: Latin America taunts US on debt woes. Hope and change!

UPDATE: Federal Reserve Actively Preparing For The Possibility Of U.S. Default. Somebody needs to be sure that banks have plenty of cash on hand, because if there’s a default, I expect we’ll see bank runs, and the only way to deal with those is to shovel out the cash until people feel secure.

Plus, Ron Paul: We Will Default, Because The Debt Is Unsustainable.

RACISTS: Democrats Demand Allen West Apologize For Criticizing White Woman. I guess they figure he doesn’t know his place.

Hey, I didn’t make the racial rules for political discourse. I’m just following their previous application.

UPDATE: Reader Patrick Carroll emails:

It wasn’t until I read your post that I realized West is black. You couldn’t have gathered that from any of the news coverage here in Atlanta.

I really haven’t listened to any of Wasserman Schultz’s pronouncements, but the pictures of her in the article to which you linked give the impression of Pippy Longstockings on crack. For that incredibly shallow reason, I am willing to give West the benefit of the doubt.

If the parties were reversed, you’d know Allen West’s race.

HAPPY APOLLO DAY: Gallery: Incredible Things NASA Did To Train Apollo Astronauts.

THE REBIRTH OF the internal combustion engine.

YES, “CAYLEE’S LAW” IS A DUMB IDEA: But that’s a safe bet for pretty much any law named after a dead child. Not that this is stopping the geniuses in our political class: “The proposed law is now under review in over 30 states.”

“CRY ME A RIVER:” Fooled by sharp-creased pants and a Harvard degree, and now feeling betrayed. Yeah, life’s tough. It’s tougher when you’re stupid. That was stupid.

STILL COUNTING CALORIES? THEY’RE NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL: Well, if you eat too much, you’ll get fat. But it turns out that it does matter what you eat, as well:

Despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period. . . . But, consistent with the new study’s findings, metabolism takes a hit from refined carbohydrates — sugars and starches stripped of their fiber, like white flour. When Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston compared the effects of refined carbohydrates with the effects of whole grains in both animals and people, he found that metabolism, which determines how many calories are used at rest, slowed with the consumption of refined grains but stayed the same after consumption of whole grains.

Overall, this sounds pretty consistent with Gary Taubes’ thesis, which has become pretty popular in the blogosphere. Personally, I lost about 10 pounds last semester through a combination of the Livestrong app for my iPhone — which does count calories — and an increased avoidance of refined carbs, per Taubes advice. It was pretty painless.

WHEN DOES THE PRESS THINK THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT IS BAD? When it’s undermining the narrative instead of advancing it.

ARE THE MEDIA TRYING TO TAR ALLEN WEST with the “angry black man” stereotype?

Because I’m pretty sure that makes them racist.