HMM: Lefty bloggers irked that SOPA activism is moving Republicans and not Democrats in Congress. From the comments, an explanation: “They did the same thing with Obamacare. Told the electorate to piss off and passed it so they could see what’s in it.”
Meanwhile, righty bloggers are gloating.
LOOKING INSIDE the mind of a Neanderthal.
ROGER SIMON REPORTS FROM CHARLESTON: South Carolina Report: Republican Chaos Yields New Candidate?
21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Being A Lesbian Doesn’t Mean I Can’t Enjoy Sex With Men. Celebrate diversity!
WITH ALL THE TALK ABOUT ROMNEY AND THE CAYMANS, you might be interested in this Dan Mitchell interview from a while back on tax havens and so on. Plus, video from my undercover PJTV investigation among the Caymanian criminal element.
LEGAL EDUCATION UPDATE: ABA Accreditation Committee Proposes Fuller Law School Disclosure of Job Placement Data.
RETHINKING THE “Out Of Africa” Hypothesis.
GOOD: Iowa lawmakers consider ban on traffic cameras.
Gov. Terry Branstad said Wednesday he would sign legislation to ban traffic-monitoring devices if the General Assembly sends him a bill this session.
A group of 24 House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday to prohibit the traffic-monitoring devices, effective immediately, and to have all the automated traffic law enforcement equipment removed from Iowa roadways by July 1.
Also Wednesday, a Des Moines radio talk show host and the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa delivered petitions bearing more than 10,000 signatures of Iowans opposing the red-light or speed cameras operated by a growing number of cities in Iowa, including Davenport and Muscatine.
More bipartisan support for civil liberties.
ANSWERING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: What Happens If I Put Rocket Fuel In My Gas Tank?
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: The Coming Higher Ed Revolution:
In recent decades, key sectors of the American economy have experienced huge and disruptive transformations — shifts that have ultimately yielded beneficial changes to the way producers and customers do business together. From the deregulation that brought about the end of AT&T’s “Ma Bell” system, to the way entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs forever changed the computer world once dominated by IBM, to the way the internet and bloggers have upended the business model of traditional newspapers, we have seen industries completely remade — often in wholly unexpected ways. In hindsight, such transformations seem to have been inevitable; at the time, however, most leaders in these fields never saw the changes coming.
The higher-education industry is on the verge of such a transformative re-alignment. Many Americans agree that a four-year degree is vastly overpriced — keeping many people out of the market — and are increasingly questioning the value of what many colleges teach. Nevertheless, for those who seek a certain level of economic security or advancement, a four-year degree is absolutely necessary. Clearly, this is a situation primed for change. In as little as a decade, most colleges and universities could look very different from their present forms — with the cost of a college credential plummeting even as the quality of instruction rises.
If this transformation does come to pass, it could have profound and beneficial implications. It could significantly increase the international competitiveness of American workers in a world in which we need higher skills and productivity to compete. It could sharply improve the employability of those on the bottom rungs of America’s income ladder, giving them the tools they need to move up. And it could do much to restore the American Dream for those who have begun to believe that opportunity in this country is disappearing. In other words, such a change could hardly come too soon.
Indeed.
WALTER OLSON: Courts, FCPA, and Runaway Federal Prosecutors. “Efforts to reform the substance of FCPA are picking up steam in Congress, and that’s all to the good. But equally or more vital to the public liberty is countering the danger of out-of-control federal prosecution, which we’ve seen lately in fields ranging from environmental enforcement to dubious obstruction-of-justice charges. Isn’t it time for Congress to use its oversight powers more vigorously?” We need a private right of action against abusive prosecutors. And — to guard against abusive plea bargains — it should either be non-waivable, or exercisable by third parties. Problem solved!
HEH: Sh*t DC Says.
THE REAL SOPA BATTLE: Innovators vs. Goliath. “So if ‘content’ vs ‘technology’ doesn’t capture what’s going on in this fight, what does? Well, SOPA makes much more sense if you look at the debate as big companies unwilling to accept change versus the innovative companies and startups that embrace change. And if we accept that startups are created to find new ways to create value for consumers, the debate is actually between the financial interests of ‘big content’ shareholders versus consumer interests at large.”
IN THE MAIL: Honor’s Paradox.
MICHAEL SILENCE returns to blogging.
NOT DEAD YET: What’s Next for SOPA and PIPA? “With popular sites all over the Internet ‘going dark’ to protest well-intentioned but ill-considered antipiracy legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT-IP Act are shedding supporters faster than Anthony Weiner on a Twitter spree. But as I explain in a Cato podcast today, neither is dead yet: Rep. Lamar Smith has pledged to continue marking up SOPA next month, and PIPA is still set for a cloture vote next week.”
If you haven’t done so, you may want to tell ’em how you feel.
MICKEY KAUS: Has Obama Abandoned (Private Sector) Unions? “Obama may be closer to Walter Russell Mead–and Mitt Romney– than we think. … It’s almost as if Bain-like consultants are behind it all!”