WOULD LESS GOVERNMENT ATTRACT MORE TALENT? There are sometimes gold nuggets to be found where least expected. Take for example R Street Institute Senior Fellow Casey Burgat’s five excellent non-salary suggestions to the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.

Burgat is focused on how to attract more talent to congressional staff and reduce the constant turnover that saps efficiency. He wisely notes that there is much more to attracting smart people to work on the Hill than simply handing them bigger paychecks.

And then comes Bret Bernhardt, a former chief of staff to senators Don Nickles of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who further points out in an analysis of Burgat’s suggestions on HillFaith that much of the turnover from Hill staffs is to K Street lobbying and government relations shops.

“The allure of work off the Hill is directly proportional to the growth and pervasiveness of government itself. Chart a line that shows the growth and pervasiveness of government alongside the growth in the number of lobbyists and you’ll find in it an interesting parallel,” Bernhardt writes. “Bringing this into equilibrium will cure most of the problem.”

Reality is so attractive when stated in such common sense terms.

THERE IS SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T FIT THE LIBERAL NARRATIVE IN NEW MAGA HAT ASSAULT STORY:

Okay, what’s being left out is that the victim is a legal immigrant from Togo. Whether intentional or not, I’ll let y’all debate that, it’s just another example of how the Left’s narrative about the Trump coalition is wrong. People of color can and do support President Trump. They will do so again in 2020. Trump did better with black voters than Romney and I think he’ll do better with this bloc next year. The Daily Caller has more.

“Whether intentional or not, I’ll let y’all debate that.” Just think of the media as Democratic Party operatives with bylines, and it all makes sense.

FFS: Christine Blasey Ford Makes TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019.

Her Footnote to History Moment was in 2018, and it’s difficult to imagine her topping even that.

ILYA SOMIN SAYS NO, BUT I’M NOT SO SURE: Does Yale Law School’s Antidiscrimination Policy on Subsidies for Student Employment Discriminate on the Basis of Religion?

Here’s the thing: a neutral antidiscrimination rule that happens to impinge on religious organizations isn’t “discrimination” against religion. However, its is religious discrimination when you are enforcing or expanding such a rule because of hostility to religion (as may be the case at Yale), and being deliberately indifferent to the interests of religious people in a way that you wouldn’t be for any other group with a minoritarian perspective also would be (as may be the case at Yale). Yale hasn’t provided detailed guidance on how it’s going to apply its antidiscrimination policy and what exceptions if any will be made, so we will just have to see how it works out. Meanwhile, the Law School, like all law schools, discriminates on the basis of race in admissions, so I’m not buying the line that principled opposition to discrimination allows for no accommodations for perceived social needs.

LUXURY: 2019 Lexus ES350 Is an Attractive Luxury Sedan with a Single Frustrating Flaw. “You can point this Lexus down a freeway, one hand on the wheel, and quietly cruise for hours with minimal steering inputs. This is for the best, given how much attention you’ll need to pay to Lexus’s frustratingly awkward 12.3-inch infotainment system.”

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KING OF COMEDY UPDATE: State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Refers to Jussie Smollett As ‘Washed Up Celeb Who Lied To Cops’ in Newly Revealed Text Message.

I think Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro intended The King of Comedy to be satire, not a how-to guide to obtaining superstardom, but who knows?

OF COURSE SHE DOES:

Dana Loesch quips, “Looking forward to seeing media rally to protect press freedom again.”

You might have to wait a bit longer, Dana.

SO LIKE THE REST OF US, THEN: Facebook shareholders are getting fed up with Zuckerberg but can’t do anything about him.

FINALLY: Google’s Pixel 3 uses AI to detect when you’re kissing someone in a selfie. “The Pixel 3’s selfie camera now detects kissing and facial expressions including duck face and surprise.”

Google being Google, I wonder what else it detects and who has access to that data.

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: “Bigotry Is Popular. Being anti-American and anti-Israel is working well for Ilhan Omar. The Star Tribune reports that she is far and away the biggest fundraiser among Minnesota’s eight House members.”

Meanwhile, “Rashida Tlaib Hosts Another Extreme Anti-Israel, Terror-Affiliated Activist On Capitol Hill.”

(Classical reference in headline.)

LABORATORY OF DEMOCRACY: California city begins universal basic income experiment.

The city of Stockton, Calif., has begun piloting a universal basic income (UBI) program for 130 residents over the next 18 months, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Under the program, the recipients will receive $500 a month with no conditions such as work or sobriety requirements, according to the Times. The organizers of the project have kept the identities of the beneficiaries secret.

The first payments under the program were distributed on credit cards in February, with organizers soon able to collect data on how it was spent from a subgroup of “storytellers” among the recipients, according to the Times. While final results will not be available for the next few years, the program’s backers hope to be able to illustrate its progress with individual anecdotes as the data take shape, according to the newspaper.

That seems like maybe not the most accurate way to collect data.

EVOLUTION IN ACTION: Socializing drove the evolution of the modern human face. “Early human ancestors were capable of relatively sophisticated tool usage, and Neanderthals made cave art. So what set modern humans apart? Some suggest it was a predilection for communication — a predilection that encouraged cooperation and ultimately language. . . . The modern human face, authors of the new paper claim, evolved to facilitate communication.”

BREAKING: Sol Pais Dead: Massive Colorado Manhunt Over.

She is dead from possible self-inflicted wounds, according to a law enforcement source at a command post in Clear Creek County. The FBI tweeted “THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY.”

The 18-year-old female suspect was on the run after after making threats that led to the closure of school for more than half a million students on Colorado’s Front Range Wednesday.

“I’m deeply grateful for the support of the Denver metro area superintendents and other state leaders. While Jeffco was the epicenter of this threat, it extended across the whole metro area and affected us all,” Jefferson County School Superintendent Jason Glass said.

We’ve been on pins and needles on the Front Range, even 45 minutes south of Columbine here on Monument Hill. Our local school district didn’t close today, but they did announce “security measures” this morning. They correctly declined to mention what those might be.

I won’t celebrate the apparent suicide of a troubled person, but I will take some small relief in that she took her troubles out on herself, rather than on a bunch of high schoolers.

BUT THE NARRATIVE! “Trump’s current Gallup approval rating (45%) is higher than Barack Obama’s was in April of his 3rd year (44%) and only a hair below Bill Clinton’s (48%).”

Worst. Most-Hated President. Ever.

NEARER MY GOD TO MIES: Architects and historians wonder: Maybe the new Notre Dame should be less “overburdened” with Christian meaning.

(Classical reference in headline.)

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WELL, THAT OUGHT TO PUT THOSE NASTY ACCUSATIONS ABOUT HER ANTISEMITISM TO REST: Nation of Islam Defends Ilhan Omar With 9/11 Truther Video Featuring Anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. “I Stand With Ilhan.”

WEIRD, BECAUSE AS FEMINISM HAS BLOOMED, WOMEN ARE LESS HAPPY TOO: Why Am I Unhappy? Because All American Men Are Getting Sadder.

Hypothesis: Changing society in ways that the minority of women who identify as feminists found congenial has made society worse for the large majority composed of everyone else.

Related thoughts here.

OH, CANADA! United Conservative Party Wins Alberta Election, Sweep Socialists From Power To Form MAJORITY Government.

FLASHBACK: If Jason Kenney wins Trudeau may be in for a headache, experts warn.

Kenney has publicly attacked Trudeau’s Liberals numerous times over issues such as pipelines and the federally imposed carbon tax. He has even vowed a legal challenge of the tax if elected.

“Carbon tax is going to be an issue in the October election and we are seeing that on display in the Alberta election,” Andrew McDougall, a lecturer of political science at the University of Toronto Scarborough, said. “Right now we have court cases launching against the federal carbon tax. And I think this something the government will have to deal with.”

I’d love to see Ottawa forced to pursue sane energy policy.

SHOCKING NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCE: Workplace wellness programs largely ineffective, study says.

GO FUND ME: Seventh District Baptist Church Fires St Landry.

Three historically black churches have burned in less than two weeks in one south Louisiana parish, where officials said they had found “suspicious elements” in each case. The officials have not ruled out the possibility of arson, or the possibility that the fires are related.

“There is clearly something happening in this community,” State Fire Marshal H. Browning said in a statement on Thursday.

The Seventh District Baptist Association lead by President Freddie Jack, is comprised of approximately 60 Baptist churches from seven parishes in Southwest Louisiana, which includes the three churches affected by the recent fires. The District meets on a quarterly and annual basis emphasizing Christian Education, Evangelism, Discipleship and fellowship in the Body of Christ.

The District’s annual session is held the first week in June where we celebrate our legacy and plan continual ministry events to reach the lost and edify the Saints. The District will be holding its 149th Annual Session in Lake Charles, Louisiana the week of June 2nd.

President Jack requested that a Go Fund Me campaign be initiated to show our support for our church families and the communities affected. We are unequivocally committed to aiding our Sister Churches. The donations received are earmarked specifically for the Seventh District’s member churches – St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

They’ve already raised just over a million dollars towards the $1.8 million goal.

DEMOCRACY DIES IN DISINFORMATION: Washington Post Allows Discredited NYU Instructor Talia Lavin To Smear Ben Shapiro.

Read the whole thing.