Fresh Air Sweeps DC

Mother nature ship. APOD. A storm cell from the heartland.

Kirk takes office. New GOP leaders challenge The One on job-killing taxes. Hearing the voters loud and clear:
They want us to stop the spending binge, cut the deficit and send a clear message on taxes and regulations so small businesses can start hiring again.
Over in bankrupt Greece, The Goracle admits ethanol was a mistake. This chimera is costing us billions and counting, with other ill-conceived eco-jobs fizzling. Let the ethanol subsidies expire:
ethanol costs more than gasoline to make, raises food prices, increases tailpipe pollution and encourages cultivation of fragile lands.
And it's a huge water hog. Kill it.

Entitlement reform is on the table.

Americans are watching the weather in Washington.

More. A federal pay freeze is just a starting point--and it requires Congressional approval. Don't expect Dems to put this through, it will have to wait for the new GOP House, which wants a hiring freeze as well. But, as Heritage points out, this freeze merely locks in already high salaries:
As The Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk has extensively detailed, federal pay gives the average federal employee 30–40 percent greater total compensation (wages and benefits) than a comparable private sector worker. Worse, the current federal pay system does little to reward performance. As a result, the federal government is both overpaying underperforming workers and underpaying the most skilled federal employees.
As for cutting spending--it's not nearly substantive enough. More:
We're keeping a weather eye on y'all.

More. (If Obama thinks the outmoded and pernicious START treaty with Russia is our most pressing national security issue he's delusional.)
Tom Bevan
Conroy: Obama Faces Big Test In Meeting With Republicans