TAXPROF: The IRS Scandal, Day 229.
Archive for 2013
December 24, 2013
DEMOCRATS SEEK “SKIN IN THE GAME” ON STUDENT LOANS. “One of the more controversial new proposals, to be introduced by Reed, would require colleges with high student loan default rates to pay a penalty to the government that is proportional to the defaulted debt. Reed said the legislation is aimed at holding colleges more accountable for student loan defaults by having them share the risk of those defaults.” This is very similar to some of my own proposals.
PROTESTS ERUPT As Turkey’s Crisis Deepens. “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finds his cabinet in disarray after a police corruption probe resulted in the arrests of high-profile officials and their family members. Erdoğan responded swiftly last week by firing top police officials—at least 70 at last count—but it wasn’t enough to quell anger over government corruption. The political crisis deepened over the weekend as protests broke out and the police intervened with water cannons and tear gas. . . . As usual, Erdoğan’s international conspiracy-mongering is mostly intended to deflect attention from the accusations against his government and to maintain his popularity across the country, which remains high at around 50 percent. But the signs of a rift between leaders of the AKP party, Turkey’s most powerful Islamist political group, and his former ally Gülen, who commands wide respect and has millions of followers across the world, could have serious implications for Turkish politics.”
A CARTOON PLUG for Sarah Hoyt.
I THINK THE DESIRE TO SPY COMES FIRST, THE EXPLANATION SECOND: National-security officials insist new violations of privacy are essential for keeping Americans safe from terror—but there’s no evidence the programs have stopped any attacks.
AT AMAZON, the Dockers Sale for men.
Also, today only: Klipsch HD Theater SB 3 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer, $449.99 (44% off).
And, lightning deals galore. Just because they won’t come before Christmas doesn’t mean they aren’t good deals!
LIFE IS ALWAYS FAT IN CAPITAL CITY: It’s a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders. “I particularly like his common sense explanation that Washington’s wealth comes at the expense of everyone else. The politicians seize our money at the point of a gun (or simply print more of it) to finance an opulent imperial city. So if you’re having a hard time making ends meet, remember that you should blame the crowd in Washington.”
BYRON YORK: GOP should try again to delay Obamacare’s individual mandate:
Last July, after President Obama unilaterally delayed the Obamacare employer mandate for a year, House Republicans asked why the break should apply only to businesses. Why shouldn’t individuals be relieved of the burden, too?
So the House voted, 251 to 174, to delay the individual mandate. Twenty-two Democrats joined Republicans in voting for delay. A total of 174 Democrats voted to keep the mandate as is.
Of course the move went nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But that was before Obamacare implementation began Oct. 1. It was before the canceled policies, the higher premiums, the higher deductibles, and narrower doctor networks that have come to define Obamacare for millions of Americans.
In light of that, it seems possible that in recent months some House Democrats might have changed their minds on the individual mandate. After all, in the Senate, six Democrats last week asked the Department of Health and Human Services to delay the mandate for people whose policies had been canceled. It was a focused “hardship exemption,” but when the administration agreed, it became the first hole in the individual mandate. It seems likely there will be more.
That should be a message to House Republicans: It’s time to take another vote on the individual mandate. Would those 174 Democrats who stood firmly behind the mandate in July still be there now? Or will the 22 who voted to delay the mandate be joined by more who are worried by what they’ve seen since October?
If House Republicans want to highlight Democratic nervousness about Obamacare, focusing on the individual mandate is a good way to do it.
Indeed.
EVERY TIME I MENTION MY FORTHCOMING BOOK, people write to ask where the Kindle version is. It’ll be there, but for some reason, it won’t appear on the Amazon site until the book is about to be released. But relax, Kindle-users. You’re not forgotten.
MICHAEL BARONE: Is Mark Warner Seeing Dangerous Numbers? “I couldn’t help noting that Mark Warner, the Democratic senior senator from Virginia, was one of the six Democratic senators calling for “hardship exemptions” for people finding Obamacare insurance policies too expensive, and also one of the 13 Democratic senators who co-sponsored the bill imposing tougher sanctions on Iran if, after the six months of negotiations under the not-yet-final interim agreement, it doesn’t agree to certain conditions. . . . I wonder whether Warner isn’t seeing some bad poll numbers. . . . Warner has a reputation as a moderate, and in interviews he’s shown some skepticism about some Obama policies. But he did cast the 60th and thus the deciding vote for Obamacare (the same can be said of any of the 60 Democratic senators). And both Obamacare and the administration’s Iran agreement are getting negative responses in national polls — and, thus, are likely to be getting a negative response in the bellwether of Virginia.”
HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Poll: Support for Obamacare at new low as Jan. coverage deadline hits.
WELL, HOW LIKELY ARE THEY TO HAVE A PLAN B WHEN THEY DIDN’T REALLY EVEN HAVE A PLAN A? White House: No backup plan if Obamacare fails.
THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR MITT ROMNEY, THIS WOULD HAPPEN — AND THEY WERE RIGHT! Civil Rights Leaders Call On White House To Withdraw “Insufficiently Diverse” Judicial Nominees.
Civil rights leaders and members of the Georgia congressional delegation on Monday called on President Obama to withdraw his nominees for federal courts in the state over concerns about their views and lack of diversity.
“The group cites serious concerns that the proposed candidates do not adequately reflect the diversity of the northern district and that the selection process lacked meaningful community input,” the office of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said in a statement.
“Additionally, the coalition finds it troubling that several nominees include persons who have advocated in favor of Georgia’s voter ID laws and for including the Confederate Battle Emblem as part of the Georgia State Flag.”
Boy, when I vote for a Republican, it sure has an impact!
INEQUALITY: Government Is A Perp, Not A Bystander.
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Only Republicans can prevent a conservative renaissance.
December 23, 2013
DANIEL DREZNER SAYS GOODBYE TO BLOGGING. He’ll be back. At least, most bloggers who say goodbye to blogging wind up coming back.
NOT HERE: Half The U.S. Is Already Covered With Snow. “Last week, snow covered more than half of the continental United States, the highest this measure has reached by this date in a decade, according to government scientists.”
TEN THINGS TO CONSIDER about the business of Duck Dynasty.
A FESTIVUS-THEMED REPORT on the ObamaCare debacle.
AT AMAZON, the Levis Store for Men.
MEGAN MCARDLE REVIEWS CAPPUCINO MAKERS, at prices from $50 to $2500.
ALI AKBAR: I Cannot Be a Feminist: I will always be pro-woman. “Being the eldest of three boys with a single mom struggling to survive, I know what it means to be for the empowerment of women. . . . Feminists do not believe in the equality between the genders, not alone anyway. These fringe activists believe in degrading men until they’ve received reparations and only then, can equality be achieved. They’ve mainstreamed their titles so artsy celebrities and coastal elitists adopt the title too. ‘Hi, I’m Dr. John Doe (Feminist-at-large), because… equality.’ See, the feminist believes that in tearing down men, the irreplaceability of fatherhood, male bosses, and the dissolution of any separation (or recognition) between the genders.”