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Archive for March, 2009

Historic Cleveland Catholic Parish Fights Closure Decision

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under In The News, Personal

Late last week, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland announced the closing of several dozen churches throughout the diocese, but there’s one parish that isn’t taking the order to close sitting down:
The altar, crucifix and lectern at St. Colman Church on West 65th Street were draped in purple for Lent. Funereal black would have been more [...]

Did Tim Geithner Lie About What He Knew And When He Knew It ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Credit Crisis, Economics, Politics

According to Time Magazine, the answer appears to be either “yes” or “my department was too incompetent to know the answer”:
Although Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told congressional leaders on Tuesday that he learned of AIG’s impending $160 million bonus payments to members of its troubled financial-products unit on March 10, sources tell TIME that the [...]

Ron Paul: Time To Get Rid Of The Fed

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Credit Crisis, Economics, Politics, Ron Paul

Ron Paul spoke on Bloomberg television Tuesday about the role of the Federal Reserve Board in the economic crisis and made the point that the only real solution is to get rid of the Fed altogether.
My favorite part of the interview, though, came when the anchor asks Paul if legal action should be taken against [...]

Federal Reserve Board To Pump Another $ 1 Trillion Into Economy

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Credit Crisis, Economics, Politics

Today, the Federal Reserve Board announced plans to pump yet more money into the economy:
WASHINGTON — Saying that the recession continues to deepen, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would pump an extra $1 trillion into the mortgage market and longer-term Treasury securities in order to revive the economy.
“Job losses, declining equity and housing [...]

Obama’s Teleprompter Embarrasses Him At Reception

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Dumbasses, Politics

Last night, President Obama got a little lesson in the dangers of relying on a teleprompter too much:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was [...]

Creationism: It’s Not Just For Wacky Americans Anymore

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Evolution vs. ID, Science

The Canadian Science Minister apparently has an interesting definition of science:
Canada’s science minister, the man at the centre of the controversy over federal funding cuts to researchers, won’t say if he believes in evolution.
“I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion [...]

What Does Jeff Frederick Consider Victory ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Virginia, Virginia Politics

Given all the forces arrayed against him, one has to wonder what Jeff Frederick thinks he can accomplish even if he survives on April 4th:
What would a win look like?
The party rules say that his detractors need to have 75% of the vote at the smackdown to remove him.
What if they fail by one vote [...]

Meet The New Big Spender, Same As The Old Big Spender

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, George W Bush, Politics

When it comes to spending, President Obama is picking up where his supposedly Republican predecessor left off:

President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Obama would add another $1 trillion.
President Bush began a string of expensive finan­cial bailouts. President Obama is accelerating that course.
President Bush created a Medicare drug [...]

John Galt Would Not Be Supporting Those “Going Galt”

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under Ayn Rand, Books, Politics

Over at The Liberty Papers, Stephen Littau presents the definitive refutation of the conservative appropriation of Ayn Rand’s archetype:
John Galt is not someone who merely caps the limits on his productivity to avoid being pushed into a higher tax bracket. What Galt does in Atlas Shrugged is much more radical: going on strike by refusing [...]

Republicans Take Lead In Generic Congressional Ballot, Or Do They ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Wednesday, March 18th, 2009. Filed under 2010 Elections, Congress, Democrats, Politics, Republicans

The latest Rasmussen poll would seem to provide some good news for Republicans:
Support for the Democratic Congressional candidates fell to a new low over the past week, allowing the GOP to move slightly head for the first time in recent years in the Generic Congressional Ballot.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 41% [...]

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