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:
- The Senate again failed to repeal Obamacare’s 1099 tax on small businesses last night.
- According to Gallup, most Americans prefer debt reduction to increasing taxes and spending.
More. (If Obama thinks the outmoded and pernicious START treaty with Russia is our most pressing national security issue he's delusional.)
TomBevanRCP Tom BevanConroy: Obama Faces Big Test In Meeting With Republicans http://bit.ly/dMBNlF
