uvAggravator2.0

The Obama administration is changing the federal immigration enforcement strategy in ways that reduce the threat of deportation for millions of illegal immigrants, even as states such as Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Ohio and Texas are pushing to accelerate deportations.

This doesn’t sound good:

Secretary Sean T. Connaughton says the results of a months-long audit will soon be announced, showing serious mismanagement within VDOT.

“I will just tell you that in two weeks when we announce (the audit), it will make national news as to what we found,” Connaughton said during a business event in Northern Virginia Wednesday.

A while back I thought calls by General Assembly Republicans for a VDOT audit were no more than the the usual waste-fraud-and-abuse posturing. Perhaps I was wrong.

Damn. That would be—let’s see —a grand total of TWICE now. Embarrassing!

From today’s inbox, courtesy of what-in-God’s-name???!!—

The Center for North American Herpetology is pleased to announce that the recipient of

THE JOSEPH B. SLOWINSKI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SNAKE SYSTEMATICS for 2010 is

CHRISTOPHER M. R. KELLY
Molecular Ecology & Systematics Group
Rhodes University
Grahamstown, South Africa

Good to know!

Not that we didn’t know it before, but this piece provides a nice recap of how president Obama has adopted George W. Bush’s GWOT tactics, from indefinite detention to extraordinary rendition, pretty much wholesale.

Nothing could do more good for Israel than for the U.S. to declare war on it, as today’s column explains.

This video of NJ Gov Chris Christie is better than an MMA cage match.

Virginia congressman admits: ‘If you don’t tie our hands, we will keep stealing.’
By: Barbara Hollingsworth, Washington Examiner

Here’s what a major mid-term correction looks like:

On March 16, when confronted by members of the Jefferson Area Tea Party, Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Va., made a startling confession:

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned up here (in Washington) and I didn’t really need to come up here to learn it, is the only way to get Congress to balance the budget is to give them no choice, and the only way to keep them out of the cookie jar is to give them no choice, which is why – whether it’s balanced budget acts or pay as you go legislation or any of that – is the only thing. If you don’t tie our hands, we will keep stealing”

Incumbents running for reelection are expected to posture, inflate their accomplishments and embellish the truth. But the Yale-educated Democrat’s attempt to placate angry Tea Partiers by telling them that “If you don’t tie our hands, we will keep stealing” is shockingly, even brutally honest.

Perriello unwittingly gives voters in the Fifth District the most compelling reason to throw him – and the rest of his fellow Democrats, who have been in charge of Congress since 2006 – out of office in November. [link]

The man behind the Ground Zero mosque plan has finally surfaced after an overseas tour "building bridges" with the Muslim world on the American taxpayer's dime. ABC News reports on an interview he gave last night:

"If we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse," Rauf told CNN. "The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack.

"There is a certain anger here [in America], no doubt," he said later in the interview. "But if we don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world. If we don't do things correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis [over images depicting the Prophet Mohammed], which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world. And we have a much bigger footprint in the Muslim world."

What was initially marketed as a gesture of conciliation has turned into a protection racket: Give Rauf what he wants, he tells us, or there's no telling what those angry Muslim extremists might do. Rauf's outrageous comments ought to erase all doubt that the construction of the Ground Zero mosque would be a victory for terrorism.

ObamaCare bends the cost curve … upward
By Ed Morrissey

Remember when Barack Obama promised that his health-care overhaul would “bend the cost curve downward” and arrest rapid increases in costs?  The Wall Street Journal has an advance look at a report from the federal government that shows no slowing in costs to the government as a result of the ObamaCare bill.  In fact, the analysis will show that the bill’s passage actually results in an increase in outlays over what had been projected for the next decade ... [link]

The lag in women's pay
editorial

Studies routinely show that women make less money than men in the same occupation, but accounting for the gender gap is devilishly difficult.

Women can fall behind by choice -- jumping on the Mommy Track, switching jobs to advance a spouse's career, becoming a family caretaker, any number of personal reasons -- or because of differences in education and skill levels.

Or because of simple, insidious pay discrimination.

A study by the progressive Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, released last week in advance of Labor Day, suggests Virginia might have some work to do regarding the latter. The findings bear further investigation. [link]

Hiding the Truth About the Pay Gap Between Men and Women
A study on the gender wage gap has been removed from the website of the Labor Department — and the timing is suspicious.
By Michael J. Eastman

Paying someone less because of their sex is illegal and two federal laws, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, provide the framework whereby victims of pay discrimination can seek redress. However, some argue that these two laws are not effective at eradicating pay discrimination and that the laws must be changed. Central to their argument is the so-called “pay gap,” the difference between the average earnings of men and women.

The argument that the pay gap must be closed rests on the assumption that the pay gap is largely attributable to employer discrimination. However, if the pay gap is to be used to justify such significant changes in the law, it seems entirely appropriate to examine the pay gap itself. Does it really measure employer discrimination? Do other factors play a greater or lesser role?

Economists who have studied the pay gap have observed that numerous factors other than discrimination contribute to the wage gap, such as hours worked, experience, and education. For example, Professor June O’Neil has written extensively about how time out of the workforce, or years spent working part-time, can reduce future pay. Likewise, economist Diana Furchtgott-Roth, in her book Women’s Figures, has written about the decisions that women are more likely to make to choose flexibility, a friendly workplace environment, and other nonmonetary factors as compared to men.

Recognizing the importance of unbiased research on the pay gap, the Labor Department recently contracted with CONSAD Research Corporation for a review of more than 50 existing studies as well as a new economic and statistical analysis of the pay gap. CONSAD’s Report, which was finalized on January 12, 2009, found that the vast majority of the pay gap is due to several identifiable factors and that the remainder may be due to other specific factors they were not able to measure.

CONSAD found that controlling for career interruption and other factors reduced the pay gap from about 20 percent to about 5 percent. Data limitations prevented it from considering many other factors. For example, the data did not permit an examination of total compensation, which would examine health insurance and other benefits, and instead focused solely on wages paid. The data were also limited with respect to work experience, job tenure, and other factors.

The Labor Department’s conclusion was that the gender pay gap was the result of a multitude of factors and that the “raw wage gap should not be used as the basis for [legislative] correction. Indeed, there may be nothing to correct. The differences in raw wages may be almost entirely the result of individual choices being made by both male and female workers.”

The Labor Department’s new report is clearly an important contribution to the debate over pay equity. But where is it? Although it was posted on the Labor Department’s web site just days after it was finalized, it was apparently removed as the transition in power was occurring between former President Bush and President Obama. We don’t know why the report was taken down, but certainly the timing is suspicious.

If the debate over pay equity is to be at the forefront of the Congressional agenda, then the Labor Department and the new administration need to acknowledge that the overwhelming evidence is that the pay gap is not based primarily on employer discrimination. Disclosure of the Labor Department’s report would be a good first step. [link]

Griffith tours Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center
St. Paul - Today, Morgan Griffith, the Republican candidate for the 9th Congressional District, visited Dominion Virginia Power's Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County.

The clean-coal power construction site is employing over 1,800 workers and is an economic boost to Wise County and the surrounding counties in the coalfields of the 9th District.

"I was very pleased today to be able to tour this amazing construction project that is over 70 percent complete and has employed so many men and women of the 9th District," says Griffith. "In the year that Congressman Boucher is trying to pass Cap and Trade in Congress, it's important that Southwest Virginians can still count on coal as being an important tool in the nation's energy mix."

Virginia City will be one of the cleanest power stations of its kind. The circulating fluidized bed unit will use coal and up to 20 percent biomass for its fuel.

A Virginia Tech economic impact study concluded that the station will generate about $440 million a year in tax revenues and other benefits for Wise County. When operating, the facility will consume 2 million tons of coal annually from local mines.

"If Boucher and his friends, Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Waxman and Congressman Frank, are successful in passing Cap and Trade - we will have to give up on building more clean-coal plants such as the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center," says Griffith.

The company says the site will be fully functional by the summer of 2012.

Are you as surprised as I am that the New York Times believes in “graciousness and reconciliation” toward Confederates? Well, that’s not quite true, since it extends that olive branch only to Confederates who are long dead ... and to self-described “moderate” Muslims who want to build a Mosque near Ground Zero.

If you’re interested, take a look at what I have to say, here on Pajamas Media, about the interesting Times editorial.

Perhaps compared to other Muslims those Muslims are “moderate,” much as the segregationist White Citizens Councils were “moderate” compared to the Ku Klux Klan. Thinking back to those civil rights days also reminds me of Laurie Pritchett, then the sheriff in Albany, Georgia (pronounced all-BENNY, where I
had and have relatives). He, too, was described as a “moderate” white Southern sheriff .. because he only beat up civil rights workers when he was mad at them.

The late Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, argued that American civic education should teach global citizenship, not patriotism. Panelists will discuss Zinn’s legacy and the purposes of civic education. Q&A will follow. 

I wanted to shoot these facts over to you, the article in the Washington Post this morning was incorrect. Hope this helps clear it all up.
* There is no 4% tax increase as part of the staff ABC privatization recommendation
* Newspaper reports that say this are incorrect
* Specifically, there is no 1.5% fee on all outlets that sell alcohol
* Under the staff recommendation all restaurants and hotels will have the option of paying an additional 2.5% "Restaurant Convenience Fee" that would allow them to buy discounted distilled spirits directly from private wholesalers and receive on-site delivery
* Buying direct from private wholesalers will save restaurants money, and on-premise delivery will add convenience
* But it is optional
* If they choose not to participate they will buy and pick-up direct from private retailers, just like they currently do with ABC stores
* Because of the benefits that restaurants would gain from dealing directly with private wholesalers we anticipate the overwhelming majority would choose to participate in the 2.5% "Restaurant Convenience Fee"
* The staff privatization plan keeps ongoing revenue to the state equivalent to what is received in the current monopoly set up
* The state is projected to bring in $324.2 million in FY 2011 from alcohol sales
* After privatization, under the staff recommendation plan, the state will bring in $301.8 million
* That is a slight difference of only 6.9%
* In the context of a $37.9 billion annual budget this is a difference of .059%
* Additional government reforms proposed by the Administration will easily fill that gap
* This ABC privatization plan keeps ongoing revenue to the General Fund equivalent to the current monopoly system
* It does not contain a tax increase, newspaper reports stating this were incorrect
* It will produce $500 million for transportation while eliminating an outdated government monopoly

J. Tucker Martin
Director of Communications

Rachel Maddow takes the NRCC and Andy Sere in particular to task over the disclosure of staffers’ personal addresses on Twitter.

"I was shocked and offended by her dishonesty. She outright denied giving me permission to table at Club Rush simply because she disagreed with my beliefs! The fact is, she was using her administrative power to silence the conservative opposition." said Christina Beattie.
Other groups on campus attended the event and tabled, but had not registered with the student activities coordinator. These groups remained untouched and were allowed to recruit even without permission. The Film Club, one of the groups not authorized to participate in the event, declined to comment for fear of reprisal from college administration.

Large majorities are supposed to allow their members comfort. Strength in numbers and all that. At least, that's the theory.
In their responses to the 2000 Census, 74% of Americans self-identified as Christians. That qualifies as a very large majority. Nor is it likely that the 2010 Census will deliver a far smaller number. Yet many Christians regularly report a sense of marginalization, of being held in contempt, even of being under siege.
If their experiences have been anything like mine, they have good reason to feel as they do.
"You're much too smart to believe all that superstitious crap."
"It's all about money."
"What makes your religion better than any other?"
"So explain to me about the Crusades and the Inquisition."
"You're just afraid to die."
All of the above have been said to me, when the speaker became aware that I'm a practicing Catholic who takes his faith seriously. The raw disdain for the Christian faith was always undisguised.
In a recent exchange at a party, which began as a discussion of political subjects, my companion startled me by announcing that his low opinion of President George W. Bush is because of Bush's Christianity. To him, it means that Bush is wooden of intellect; that he needs "the comfort of an imposed structure." I was struck speechless, though only for a moment.
"Are you aware that you're speaking to a practicing Catholic?"
It was his turn to be speechless. Our conversation had been conducted on a very high intellectual plane up to then. He wanted to say "but you're much too smart for that." I could see the "but" forming on his lips. He refrained, turned away, and sought another conversation elsewhere.

Here we are: a majority of our nation, clear on what our faith means to us, and capable of expressing our convictions sensibly. Yet we're being marginalized culturally and politically. Our positions on various social and political issues are dismissed as inherently illegitimate. Those of us who put ourselves forward, whether for elective office or merely as representatives of a significant viewpoint, are routinely treated roughly, dismissed and insulted because of our faith. The upshot is we're growing ever more reticent about the things that nominally matter most to us.
A haughty minority of self-nominated ideological and cultural critics is intimidating us into silence and passivity.

Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Afghan workers enter a walkway on March 3, 2009, at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
The unsolicited Bibles sent by a church in the United States were confiscated about a year ago at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because military rules forbid troops of any religion from proselytizing while deployed there, Lt. Col. Mark Wright said.
Such religious outreach can endanger American troops and civilians in the devoutly Muslim nation, Wright said.
"The decision was made that it was a 'force protection' measure to throw them away, because, if they did get out, it could be perceived by Afghans that the U.S. government or the U.S. military was trying to convert Muslims," Wright told CNN on Tuesday.
Troops at posts in war zones are required to burn their trash, Wright said.

As it turned out, what the Greeks wanted to do, once the lights went out and they were alone in the dark with a pile of borrowed money, was turn their government into a piñata stuffed with fantastic sums and give as many citizens as possible a whack at it. In just the past decade the wage bill of the Greek public sector has doubled, in real terms—and that number doesn’t take into account the bribes collected by public officials. The average government job pays almost three times the average private-sector job. The national railroad has annual revenues of 100 million euros against an annual wage bill of 400 million, plus 300 million euros in other expenses. The average state railroad employee earns 65,000 euros a year. Twenty years ago a successful businessman turned minister of finance named Stefanos Manos pointed out that it would be cheaper to put all Greece’s rail passengers into taxicabs: it’s still true. “We have a railroad company which is bankrupt beyond comprehension,” Manos put it to me. “And yet there isn’t a single private company in Greece with that kind of average pay.” The Greek public-school system is the site of breathtaking inefficiency: one of the lowest-ranked systems in Europe, it nonetheless employs four times as many teachers per pupil as the highest-ranked, Finland’s. Greeks who send their children to public schools simply assume that they will need to hire private tutors to make sure they actually learn something. There are three government-owned defense companies: together they have billions of euros in debts, and mounting losses. The retirement age for Greek jobs classified as “arduous” is as early as 55 for men and 50 for women. As this is also the moment when the state begins to shovel out generous pensions, more than 600 Greek professions somehow managed to get themselves classified as arduous: hairdressers, radio announcers, waiters, musicians, and on and on and on. The Greek public health-care system spends far more on supplies than the European average—and it is not uncommon, several Greeks tell me, to see nurses and doctors leaving the job with their arms filled with paper towels and diapers and whatever else they can plunder from the supply closets.


Where waste ends and theft begins almost doesn’t matter; the one masks and thus enables the other. It’s simply assumed, for instance, that anyone who is working for the government is meant to be bribed. People who go to public health clinics assume they will need to bribe doctors to actually take care of them. Government ministers who have spent their lives in public service emerge from office able to afford multi-million-dollar mansions and two or three country homes.


Oddly enough, the financiers in Greece remain more or less beyond reproach. They never ceased to be anything but sleepy old commercial bankers. Virtually alone among Europe’s bankers, they did not buy U.S. subprime-backed bonds, or leverage themselves to the hilt, or pay themselves huge sums of money. The biggest problem the banks had was that they had lent roughly 30 billion euros to the Greek government—where it was stolen or squandered. In Greece the banks didn’t sink the country. The country sank the banks.