This is one of the NRCC‘s harsher web ads… if you define ‘harsh’ as ‘true.’ Something to remember, folks: if you think that campaigning on behalf of Republicans who may or may have not done enough is hard, imagine what it must be like for the netroots, who are all kind of glumly aware that they have to campaign on behalf of Democrats who have done quite too much already.
Text after the fold: open thread. Continue reading The Brutal NRCC ‘Every Day’ Ad.
Well, this is the Work Week of Political Hell on Earth, after all: a mind-bogglingly, soul-destroying debate on Monday; an incredibly mendacious State of the Union address on Tuesday by a President who visibly isn’t even trying to pretend that he cares about the 2008 agitprop that he shelled out; and another debate tomorrow, which will probably kill fleas at five hundred yards and will leave the earth barren and grey at its epicenter for unto the next ten generations.
So, yeah, time for some catching up on the e-reading. Himmler’s War, assuming that you care (although I bought is via Baen’s e-book service).
On the bright side, this was a startlingly good set of comments from Mitt Romney. Then again, someone once pointed out that you’re always most conservative about the things that are most important to you, and Romney always has been a businessman.
[UPDATE] AND IT AND THE MOUSE JUST FIXED ITSELF. BECAUSE APPARENTLY MY COMPUTER IS MESSING WITH ME.
My USB hub just apparently died, as did two mice in rapid succession. Given that the USB ports on my computer break if you look at them hard enough, this has been a kind of annoying last hour trying to get at least a mouse (the third, and half-broken one) and speakers hooked up.
Yes, FirstWorldProblems. Still, I banged my head on the underside of the desk, and hey! My blog, so I can grumble about this if I like.
There’s even a free hint.
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Ed Morrissey essentially asks that question while commenting on Obama’s SotU pledge to bail out underwater mortgages:
There are a lot of holes in this plan, not the least of which is why homeowners who are current on payments more than three years after the collapse need government assistance. They may be underwater on their mortgages, but if they are making their payments, then they are at no risk as long as they don’t need to sell. Their monthly payments gradually will eliminate the negative equity in their asset. Refinancing will speed that up slightly by lowering interest rates, but if these houses were bought during the bubble, the current interest rate is probably low from a historical perspective anyway. And to fix the negative equity, those homeowners would have to forego saving the $3000 a year to plow it back into the principal anyway.
Continue reading #rsrh What is Obama’s mortgage refinancing proposal?
For when Pachelbel just won’t cut it.
Glenn Reynolds, in the aftermath of his one comment on the SotU:
That’s my only SOTU liveblog. We’re going to watch Big Bang Theory. It’s a rerun, but so is this speech.
Well, that’s why he’s at the top of this particular game.
I hate Illinois Nazis.
That’s it. Just wanted to say.
If you’ve haven’t taken a look at Gov. O’Malley’s proposed Maryland budget yet, do so – and weep. There’s enough idiocy in it for everybody to get a piece: more taxes for the poor (in the form of increased tobacco taxes*); more taxes for homeowners (caps on mortgage deductions) and other wealthy members of the upper professional class (caps on charitable deductions); and, of course, an Amazon tax (because this time Amazon.com simply won’t drop its affiliate program in Maryland in response, surely**). But here’s the hidden time bomb:
In what O’Malley called one of his most “controversial” proposals, he recommended shifting half of the state’s $946 million tab for teacher pension costs onto the counties.
To help ease the pain of the shift, the state would pick up half of teachers’ Social Security costs, which the counties pay for entirely.
The change would save the state $239 million.
Continue reading Gov. Martin O’Malley (D, MD) proposes raising taxes on poor, homeowners.
