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Archive for February, 2009

Federal Court Strikes Down Silly California Law

by Doug Mataconis @ Saturday, February 21st, 2009. Filed under Individual Liberty, Legal

In this case, it was a law banning the sale of supposedly violent video games to minors:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a California law that sought to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2005 [...]

Obama Administration Shoots Down Mileage Tax

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Economics, Politics

Well, that was fast.
Less than a day after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had suggested implementing a tax on miles driven as a way to pay for highway construction and maintenance, the Obama Administration has shot the idea down:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will not adopt a policy to tax motorists based on how many [...]

Eight Year Olds With Cellphones

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Technology

Consider this a sign of just how much technology is becoming a part of our lives:
Eight is the average age at which children are given their first mobile phone, according to a survey.
More than a third of children (35 per cent) own a mobile by the time they are that age, the charity Personal Finance [...]

Our New Robot Overlords ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Battlestar Galactica, Technology, Television

Apparently, some in the Pentagon are worried about the soon-to-be-increasing use of robots in warfare:
Autonomous military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict warrior code, or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands.
The stark warning — which includes discussion of a “Terminator”-style scenario in which robots [...]

Final Roll-Call Vote On Virginia Smoking Ban

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Individual Liberty, Virginia, Virginia Politics

As requested in this comment, here’s the final roll call on the smoking ban the Virginia legislature approved yesterday:
In the House of Delegates:
VOTING YES
Republicans (21)
Albo, Fairfax; Bell, Albemarle; Carrico, Grayson; Cosgrove, Chesapeake; Cox, Colonial Heights; Hamilton, Newport News; Howell, W.J. (Speaker), Stafford; Iaquinto, Virginia Beach; Jones, S.C., Suffolk; Knight, Virginia Beach; Landes, Augusta; Lingamfelter, Prince [...]

Congressman Alleges That Opposition To Stimulus Package Equals Racism

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Economics, Politics

He may deny it, but it’s fairly clear that Congressman James Clyburn was playing the race card when he said this:
Adhering to fiscal conservatism is difficult in this highly charged political environment, especially when opponents are likely to counter your argument with “the race card.”
At a press conference Feb. 19, Rep. James Clyburn, D – [...]

From The Department Of Incredibly Obvious Research

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under In The News, Science

You’ve got to wonder who convinced who to do this research:
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — It may seem obvious that men perceive women in sexy bathing suits as objects, but now there’s science to back it up.
New research shows that, in men, the brain areas associated with handling tools and the intention to perform actions light [...]

Meet The New Policy, Same As The Old Policy

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Legal, Politics, War On Terror

Reason’s Jacob Sullum notes that Obama is not going to end Bush’s policy of indefinite detention of terrorist suspects:
In Holder’s view, then, we are engaged in a war that started years before we noticed it and may never end, at least not in any definitive way. The enemy is not simply the guy who shoots [...]

Will Obama’s Mortgage Plan Reinflate The Housing Bubble ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Credit Crisis, Economics, Politics, Real Estate, Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis

There’s a fairly good argument that the answer is yes:
I think the proposal is intended to directly supplement mortgage payments for millions of people (using the 31%-of-pretax-income benchmark for mortgage affordability). There are reports that the plan will somehow facilitate refinancings at lower interest rates, which is somewhat similar in effect. If I’m right, this [...]

Money Talks, Others Walk

by Doug Mataconis @ Friday, February 20th, 2009. Filed under Politics

Not surprisingly, the banking industry has been very good at making friends on Capitol Hill:
In my weeks of research into understanding how America went from economic lynchpin to a wayward ship drifting on a sea of economic trouble, I find myself baffled and appalled by statements from Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate [...]

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