Quote of the Day
Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned.
Milton Friedman
First Attempt to Extend Patriot Act Fails: Thumbs UP!
To provide some context: House passage of a bill is fast-tracked when rules are suspended. Suspension of the rules requires a two-thirds majority (290 votes). The vote for suspension of HR 514, the Patriot Act extension, was 277-148, hence failing. This doesn't mean HR 514 won't eventually pass under rules (requiring simple majority vote), and the leadership is accordingly aiming for a vote later this week. What is notable is that 26 Republicans, including most members of the Tea Party Caucus (except, notably, leader Michelle Bachmann), voted against suspension. The "limited government" mantra of the Tea Party is naturally suspicious of Big Brother invading our privacy or risking our individual rights.
This is one issue where my libertarian side trumps my conservative side: I believe that there are ways to engage to deal with combating terrorism without abandoning the Bill of Rights; the devil is in the details. Basically, libertarians argue that different sections of the Patriot Act violate the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments. Without getting into the legalese, among the objections is that "terrorism" is defined so broadly that Americans suspected in criminal activities could be classified as terrorists, which could trigger a number of legislative mechanisms bypassing "probable cause" and/or other end runs across ordinary Constitutional protections. There have been a variety of First Amendment challenges and/or correlated privacy concerns: e.g., the expression of legal advice to alleged terrorists, intimidation of journalists, and gag orders with respect to relevant searches; the basic issue is the limited nature of evidence (e.g., a false positive fingerprint match), and/or judicial oversight in protection of individual liberties for terrorism versus comparable criminal activities.
From my standpoint, the Patriot Act must be consistent with the broad American context of individual liberty protections. However well-intentioned the purpose, the Patriot Act sets up in theory, if not in fact, a slippery slope, a loophole of potential tyranny by whomever occupies the Oval Office. The administration says, "Trust us; we'll use our special powers wisely. If you are an ordinary citizen, this doesn't apply to you."
Congressman Christopher Lee (R-NY26)
Resigns Over Craigslist Scandal: Thumbs DOWN!
Here is another case where I'll go against most conservatives. The 46-year-old Congressman, married with child, started flirting with a 34-year-old single woman, whom had placed an ad on Craigslist. He lied about his job, age and marital status and sent a bare-chest photo of himself. Under pressure of House leadership, Congressman Lee quickly resigned as the scandal broke.
I do get the point of the hypocrisy of a family-values Congressman clearly setting the stage for cheating on his wife. I have no doubt that the Republican leadership really doesn't want a sex scandal distracting voters from the main agenda of budget reform. As a fellow Christian, I find Lee's conduct morally unacceptable.
However, my personal opinion is that what a Congressman does on his own time, if it doesn't directly affect his professional performance and responsibilities, should not affect his status. I'm sure that other members of Congress or the White House may likewise have compromised their personal ethics while in Congress: they simply didn't get caught. In particular, I don't like the idea that the people of NY-26 are now without representation until after a new special election.
Political Humor
President Obama urged private businesses to hire more workers. He didn’t realize that only the government hires more people than it needs. - Jay Leno
[He's figuring on the multiplier effect. For instance, when Obama hired Geithner as Treasury Secretary, Geithner had to bring his own tax accountant with him...]
There was a power outage at Newark Airport. Who wants a TSA pat-down with the lights off? - Jay Leno
[Have you seen some of the passengers, Jay? Even their spouses don't want to go to bed with the lights on...]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Bee Gees, "Massachusetts"
