Category — News

by Jacob Sullum

There was a time when Barack Obama seemed more honest than Bill Clinton. While Slick Willie notoriously claimed he smoked pot but “didn’t inhale,” Obama candidly admitted, “When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”

Lately I have not been so impressed by Obama’s truth-telling tendencies. Three incidents last week vividly illustrated the president’s Clintonian desire to have things both ways, even if it means insulting our intelligence. [Read more →]

By Sen. Tom Davis

A couple of weeks ago, a new congressional plan for South Carolina pushed by the Myrtle Beach business community, in general, and by a Myrtle Beach state representative, in particular, unraveled in the South Carolina Senate. Much to their dismay, the state Senate approved a redistricting plan that creates a new 7th District with the counties of Beaufort, Berkeley and Dorchester — three of the fastest growing counties in the state — as its core. [Read more →]

You may have heard about Rep. David Simpson’s (R-Longview, TX) bill which “would make it a crime of official oppression if federal employees perform a search that involves touching a person’s private parts without probable cause to believe the person has committed an offense.” (Republican!) Texas Speaker Joe Straus was a key player in killing this badly-needed bill.

Becky Acker’s scathing commentary on Texas’ cowardice is worth a read:

Predictably, Simpson’s effort “died in the regular legislative session in the wake of warnings [sic for ‘blackmail’] from federal officials that it would conflict with federal law” – whoa! Who knew federal law allows “touching a person’s private parts without probable cause”? And now that we do know, what will we do about it? – “and could force flight cancellations if the safety of passengers and crew could not be assured.”

This is manure of nauseating degree, Piled High and Deep. “The safety of passengers and crew” is never at greater risk than when the TSA is groping, robbing, beating, and killing victims – to say nothing of when it damages their planes or traumatizes the pilots on whom depend the lives of everyone aboard. Indeed, if the TSA were actually concerned with protecting us rather than its $8.2 billion yearly budget and 60,000 make-work jobs, it would disband tomorrow.

By now, only morons swallow Our Rulers’ lie that the TSA has anything to do with safety….

And this was the real kicker:

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst asked the state attorney general’s office for guidance to ensure the measure is in line with the U.S. Constitution and federal law. You can calculate how far we’ve travelled down the road to serfdom when Our Rulers actually pretend that they must “make sure” legislation barring bureaucrats from pawing us doesn’t conflict with the Constitution. Try to imagine James Madison’s reaction to such insult. Even the anti-Federalists would grab their horsewhips rather than remind Jemmy et al, “We told you so.”

All that, in a Republican-controlled Texas Legislature. I don’t think South Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly would be any better at all. If Speaker Bobby Harrell is any less evil than Texas Speaker Joe Straus, it is only because he is more politic and devious.

by John O’Connor, The State

Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed $213 million in state spending Tuesday, including $76 million for K-12 education and $12.4 million to buy new school buses.

Among the governor’s other vetoes were:

• The entire $2.1 million budget for the state Arts Commission budget • Using state money to pay for the 2012 Republican presidential primary • The state’s entire $107 million capital reserve fund, which includes money for economic development, tourism and millions for building maintenance, particularly on state college campuses.
[Read more →]