House Killed Funding For Pork Boehner Wanted To Bring Home

House Speaker John Boehner has already shown his indifference to jobs. He apparently doesn’t want budget cuts, either, if the cuts come from his district.

Today’s surprising House vote to kill the extra engine for the supersonic F-35 is another sign that it’s not exactly business as usual in Washington. For the second time in a week, Republicans bucked their new House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

“I think it’s our obligation that we’re not going to go along with leadership on everything they put forth,” Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) said in advance of the vote.

First, fiscal conservatives …

Republicans Wave Bible; Why Not Democrats?

by Gabe Berman

Gabe is the author of Live Like a Fruit Fly.

As soon as I learned my ABCs, my dad began clipping out articles for me to read from the New York Times. But ever since my parents became snowbirds, I see a fair share of cutout columns on the kitchen table from Floridian newspapers. This morning’s version was a letter to the editor from Fort Lauderdale’s Sun-Sentinel by a resident named Jack Newton.

I continue to be amazed at the middle-and lower-income people who vote Republican against their own self-interest. If I am struggling to …

Karl Rove Says “Stop The Birthers”; It’s A “Trap” By The White House

Karl Rove told Bill O’Reilly that Republicans have to confront the birthers and is troubled by the poll showing the majority of Republicans fall in that category.  (via Political Wire)

ROVE: Republicans had better be clear about this.

We had a problem in the 1950′s with the John Birch Society, and it took Bill Buckley standing up as a strong conservative and taking them on.

Within our party, we’ve got to be very careful about allowing these people who are the birthers and the 9/11-deniers to get too high a profile and say too much without setting the …

Police Attack Anti-Government Protesters In Bahrain

Bahrain has Egypt fever.

Troops in armored vehicles took control of Manama on Thursday after police attacked anti-government protesters, killing three people and wounding 231 in Bahrain’s worst violence in decades.

After riot police had cleared protesters from Pearl square before dawn, soldiers in at least 40 trucks and armored vehicles took control of the road junction demonstrators had tried to turn into a protest base like Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

The crackdown by the Bahraini authorities appeared designed to snuff out the protests before they could gather momentum, unlike the sustained unrest that unseated Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.

Bahrain is as …

Minnesota Rep. Says Burning Coal Is Fine; Isn’t That Why God Gave Us Coal-Fired Power Plants?

Minnesota State Representative Mike Beard wants to end the moratorium on coal-fired power plants. He believes God would never let us run out of natural resources. Beard told Don Shelby of the Minnesota Post that the planet isn’t warming and we shouldn’t be afraid of coal. Beard, however, isn’t a scientist like Dr. John Abraham is.

Climate scientists say burning more coal could result in catastrophic harm to the planet and widespread human suffering. Most of them are convinced that there is a point at which we will never be able to put it all back together again.

Dr. John …

Your Value Is Going Up

by Stuart Shapiro

It’s rare that something I teach about makes the front page of the New York Times but indeed that was the case today. The paper reports on how federal agencies have increased the value of a statistical life, a key input into cost-benefit analysis (CBA).  CBA is used by agencies to evaluate their regulatory efforts.  The value of a statistical life is not really the value of life, but rather the value of reducing risks; but calling it “valuing life” is much sexier and makes it much more controversial.  Businesses have historically supported CBA as a …

Rep. Peter King Introduces Anti-WikiLeaks Legislation, Democracy Rolls Over In Its Grave

By Cate Regan

Just when I think that this democracy can’t become any more “in name only,” I read stories like this (via Raw Story).

Legislation aimed at helping the United States prosecute WikiLeaks and other sources of leaked information was introduced to the House of Representatives by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) Tuesday.

“Julian Assange and his associates who have operated and supported WikiLeaks not only damaged US national security with their releases of classified documents, but also placed at risk countless lives, including those of our Nation’s intelligence sources around the world,” Rep. King, the chairman of the Committee

…

Michael Vick Cancels Oprah Interview

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick has decided he doesn’t want to sit down with Oprah, at least not now.

“Mike postponed the taping because of the timing of the interview for personal and professional reasons,” says Vick’s spokesman Chris Shigas in a statement. “He does not have a reschedule date at this time.”

Radio host Richard Hunter, who adopted one of Michael Vick’s dogs, tried to get Vick to talk to him, and met with little success. Hunter recorded the attempt when he ran into Vick before the recent Super Bowl XLV.

…

Why Republicans Won’t Denounce Birthers

A Public Policy Polling survey actually shows that a slight majority of Republicans, 51%,  believe President Obama wasn’t born in the United States.

The survey looked at whom these “birthers” prefer in the 2012 Republican presidential primary contest. Among the 51 percent of Republicans who think Obama was born outside of America, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was preferred by 24 percent, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin by 19 percent, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) by 14 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 11 percent.…

Republican Congressman Wants To End Funding For President’s Teleprompter

Republican Congressman Steve Womack of Arkansas is really taking a scalpel to the budget. He proposes to cut funding for President Obama’s teleprompter.

Womack told Fox News Tuesday afternoon that he pulled his amendment because he wasn’t able to get an estimate on how much it would save.

“I think we made our point,” Womack said. “We’re asking people to do more with less. And I think the president ought to lead by example. He is already a very gifted speaker. And I think that’s one platform he could do without.”…

On Wednesday’s Radio Show…

• Empty Promises: Alan exposes the truth behind the Republican pledge to “defund Obamacare.”

• Alan speaks with South Dakota state Rep. Phil Jensen, whose bill would make killing someone to protect a fetus “justifiable homicide.”

• Shawn Ray, who was fired from Walmart for disarming a gunman, shares his story.…