King Politics

Two good posts from Ezra Klein

Presidential Approval and Disapproval

Glen Beck on "white culture."

Labels: Blogs, Media

While I disagreed with most of his political views, William Safire's passing saddened me deeply. I always appreciated his grammar and wordsmith columns and books, On Language. He was a master at crafting and critiquing language to maximum effect. It is largely from his lessons, that I tried to instruct my students why good grammar and word choice matters.

But, he also tried protecting you, the reader, from us, the political pundit. You should check out his rules on reading a political column.

Labels: William Safire

Gun rights advocates, predictably say no. Their interpretation of the second amendment insists that there should be an unfettered right to bear arms wherever and whenever they please.

Gun control advocates, recognizing the danger guns pose; not guns themselves mind you, but the dangerous and reckless individuals who turns into killing machines. But, really, when you think about, the purpose of a gun is to kill.

I've never understood it when gun advocates say, "Guns don't kill, people kill." But, really, people are just using guns the way they were designed - to kill.

The Supreme Court once again enters this thicket. Last year, the Court ruled DC's ban on gun ownership over-broad and unconstitutional. Now, the Court investigates "whether the constitutional right of individuals to own firearms trumps state and local laws." In other words, do states and local governments have the authority to carry guns at all?

What do you think?

Why should guns be so special? Just because it is in the Constitution does not make any right an absolute right.

My take is that states have a right to regulate and circumscribe anything as long as they do so in an equal manner for all citizens. For instance, we do not have an absolute right to free speech (1st amendment), nor are media freedoms absolute (first amendment); and Heaven knows that there is not a strict separation between church and state as Thomas Jefferson envisioned.

My take on the Second Amendment follows the text.

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

I've always supported the right of the state to organize a militia to defend itself from outside intruders. My understanding is that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," is strictly to the extent that those people serve in a militia to defend the state. Otherwise, the right to bear an arm is not absolute. Well, certainly people can bear arms, but just as well, so can the state regulate that right.

Labels: Courts, Guns

A massive coal plant in West Virginia is set to start the complex engineering feat of carbon sequestration. This calls for taking coal, and instead of releasing into the sky where it inevitably damages the Earth's atmosphere and leads to global warming, instead will that effluent and send it deep, deep, deep into the Earth's core. About 7,800 feet down. If all works well, the skies above us clear up a bit.

Environmentalists remain concerned that the carbon dioxide will simply seep into our water supply. That's a bad. Further, real effort should, according to leading environmental groups, should focus on clean technology like wind and solar instead of retrofitting unhealthy technology like coal.

Labels: Entertainment, Environment

The Washington Post calls her A Team Player Who Stands Apart.

Analysis
Like many, I'm quite surprised at how little you hear from Secretary Clinton. Partially, it's because Obama's star, his orbit is just so large. In some ways, Obama needs to slow low down and not micromanage. That was the undoing of President Carter. For instance, Obama did not need to attend the U.N. opening session last week. Sure, it was great that he asked the world to tone down the anti-Americanism, but Clinton could have done that too. Maybe not to the same effect, but really, I'd rather have Obama twisting the arms of Blue Dog Democrats so that we can have meaningful health care reform.

Labels: Barack Obama, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, United Nations

In a positive move for consumers, Bank of America and other banking giants have announced a reduction in overdraft checking fees. These exorbitant fees, which have no purpose other than to add to the bank's profit margin are onerous. Small fees, to be sure, should exist, and banks have a right to punish profligate bad check writers. But, $35 fees for small overdrafts often punishes penury.

Perhaps, the ears of many banks were still stinging from President Obama's recent speech in which he lashed private lenders for grievous and galling student loan contracts. Often, students are signed into contracts with opaque terms, are unsure of who the actual lender is, and have terms stretching payback over 30 years when students believe the terms to be just 10 years.

Labels: Banks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his ridiculously false claims that the Holocaust is a hoax. Classic rebuttal.

Labels: Iran, Israel, United Nations

President Obama will fly to Copenhagen on Friday to assist Olympic bid city Chicago's attempt to host the 2016 Olympics.

Analysis
I'm a huge fan of Chicago. It's one of my favorite non-Texas cities. Before anyone starts boo-hooing Obama's decision to brief the IOC, just note that the heads of state of Spain, Japan and Brazil will also be in attendance. While the actual dollars that will accrue to Chicago for hosting the Olympics are a nebulous unknown, no city with a realistic chance at capturing the Olympics should shirk the opportunity to do the most in capturing the bid.

To be sure, Chicago needs work. It has an aging, creaking infrastructure. The Loop is old, slow and needing expansion. Crime, especially in the Southside (and especially near schools) is alarmingly high. Let's hope a successful Olympic bid will push Chicago to embrace and embark on the change it needs.

Labels: Chicago, Sports

Unfortunately, few politicians have the cajones to admit it. Instead, politicians and the public continue to delude themselves into believing that we can bail out the banks, reform health care, and fight two wars simultaneously without raising more funds.

Read the rest at The Loop.

Labels: Barack Obama, George Bush, Health Care, Taxes, The Loop