While a month old, this AP story sums up Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's judicial philosophy. Scalia even makes a fine retort to those who see the Constitution as a living document--one in which its meaning changes with the whims of society:
My Constitution is a very flexible document. You want a right to abortion? Pass a law. That's flexibility.
This week at Marquette University, Scalia reiterated his stance by telling law students, "The Constitution is not an organism; it is a legal document." W
Sean: ? Assuming all 50 Republican Senators voted for the bill that means 33 Democrats voted along with them. Are they "pro-business puppets" too?
Kevin: Yeah, I'd say so. I'd be the first to admit the Democrats have lost their moorings. The DLC have made a Faustian bargain - act like Rockefeller Republicans, and you'll win elections. So, yeah, sadly a lot of 'em are pro-business hacks. W
I hope this is the last post I make on bankruptcy legislation for some time. If Kevin thinks the Senate GOP are a bunch of "pro-business puppets," then what about the 83-15 vote to pass the bill? Assuming all 50 Republican Senators voted for the bill that means 33 Democrats voted along with them. Are they "pro-business puppets" too?
While ignoring the predictable political blather by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) ("Reforming the bankruptcy system will help usher in a new era of greater personal responsibility.") and ex-Senator Howard Metzenbaum--who I didn't think was still alive--("In all of my years in and out of the Senate, I've never seen a bill that was so one-sided."), I'll finish with this pithy quote from U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Thomas Donohue who said, "People who can't afford to pay their debts have nothing to fear from bankruptcy reform, but those who can better start worrying." W
In regards to the Buckley piece Sean blogged, the Godfather of Conservatism writes "Laws forcing fuller disclosure of the consequences of indiscreet purchasing through credit cards should be welcome." Apparently, the Senate GOP, pro-business puppets that they are, don't concur. I refer you to today's New York Times: "Democratic amendments defeated over the last two days would have, among other things, placed a $2,500 credit limit on credit cards issued to most people under 21 without a parent's approval; forced some minors to get a parent's co-signature on a credit card application; and required credit card companies to provide consumers more information about the costs of borrowing. [my emphasis.]" Oh, but you see, that would impede on the lenders' ability to prey on the desperate and/or uninformed. W
Speaking of Bill Buckley, another conservative ideologue who's similarly obscures his often-flimsy arguments under a patina of droll is columnist George Will. (Ooh...a double whammy ad hominem transition. Do I get extra points?) Today, Will rails against permissive liberalism again (what else is new?), specifically recent calls for the SAT's demise. I blog it mainly for this great anecdote: "Asked to share the best prayer he had ever heard, a parishioner recited this: 'Dear God, please help me be the person my dog thinks I am.'" W
In his post on the bankruptcy bill, Kevin failed to mention that people only need protection when they spend beyond their means. Fortunately, William F. Buckley recifies that.
W
But the news stories should cover the gluttony not only of the credit card companies, but also of credit card consumers.
Jeffery Tucker sees Dinesh D'Souza's The Virtue of Prosperity to be a virtue itself. W
OK, we're home for matter of minutes between flights - just got in safe from Austin and we're leaving for Dublin in just a few short minutes. We've had many great times so far with some of the sock-rocking folks and many important others (Anil, Brad, Dan, Dinah, James, Jess, Jish, Julie, Nikolai, Rebecca & Jesse, and Tim - just to name a few - definitely more to come!), and both Dineen and I look at the web a little differently than we did Friday morning.
Very little blogging likely from Ireland. Keep giving it up for Sean and Kevin, and we'll see you in eleven days. In the meantime, enjoy tales of our past travels: Ten Days in Spain. W
Read his lips: Dubya breaks a much-touted campaign pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, despite the protestations of his EPA head, Christine Todd Whitman. W
All your weblog awards are belong... ah, nevermind. Just go see. W
Village Voice writer Nat Hentoff, who supported the Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Gore, now declares them "in contempt of the Constitution" for deciding 5-4 that state employees cannot sue their state under the Americans with Disabilities Act. W
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the liberals." A party in absolute disarray, the California Republicans look to Conan to be their gubernatorial champion. W
J. Bishop Grewell offers a personal case study on the effects of the death tax.
The federal estate tax is levied when property worth more than $675,000 passes from one generation to the next upon the owner's death. While this sounds like a large inheritance, the unexpected income is often not a liquid asset.
Grewell also notes that "the funds taken in from the tax barely cover the costs of assessing it and yet the tax remains." W
As the McCain-Feingold bill looms on the horizon, it seems each Senator is performing a gut check to see if they can quit their soft money habit cold turkey. In fact, David Broder thinks there's a good chance a number of Senators will defect to Chuck Hagel's alternative plan, which still allows all kinds of campaign finance loopholes for our elected reps to get their money fix. W
Bring back the debtor's prison! It looks like our compassionate conservative President will sign a Republican-backed "bankruptcy reform" bill that will make it easier for credit card companies to squeeze money from struggling families. A return to individual responsibility or the usual corporate quid pro quo? In your analysis, consider this: "MBNA America, the nation's largest single credit-card issuer, was also the nation's single-largest single supporter of the George W. Bush campaign, with $240,700 in hard-money donations." W
Former Commerce chief and Gore flunky Bill Daley suggests reorganizing the Federal government along functional lines to eliminate redundancy. Makes sense to me. W
Mike's ghost is all around. It's a little spooky.
Anyway, back to blogging.
There's a heated debate over whether hunting and fishing rights should be protected in the state constitution. Sportsman see this as protection from animal-rights nuts. It seems kind of silly for a outdoors state like Wisconsin to have such an amendment, but some codification may be appropriate for future sportsmen. W
I am not blogging from SXSW.
I am not blogging from SXSW.
I am not blogging from SXSW.
OK, I am blogging from SXSW. But Dineen and I are having a great time - we have met dozens of folks - links and incriminating pictures to come later - and we've enjoyed meeting everyone and liked everyone we met. (Not at all the same thing!)
I'll turn it back over to Kev and Sean who, as I had hoped, are keeping the kitchen heat turned up. W
Richard Florida thinks Milwaukee is cool. His girlfriend didn't believe him. She said, "Come on." Milwaukee in particular and Wisconsin in general wonder where they fit in the New Economy. I see the Madison area as a potential hot bed for biotech and food science. But Milwaukee, I'm not sure where it fits. W
A few days ago, Kevin mentioned some OSHA ergonomic rules that the Congress rightfully nuked. Tama Starr calls the rules "one of the most destructive legacies of the Clinton administration." W