The Ditches of Wonderland

Another great piece by James Jackson Kilpatrick, this one on the refusal of Federal courts to reign in the Corps of Engineers and its nonsensical -- and unconstitutional -- interpretation of its wetlands regulatory authority.

Happy New Year

She [America] has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart. She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right. Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force.... She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.... [America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty.

John Quincy Adams, 1821

Blair 'Knew Iraq Had No WMD'

Of course, Blair -- and Bush -- knew they were making a phony case. And one is hard pressed to find a war that was not similarly contrived.

QUANDOQUE BONUS DORMITAT HOMERUS! YOU BET

If you are not keeping up with the continued writings of James Jackson Kilpatrick, you are missing out on a real treat. Jackson, of course, is the author of The Sovereign States, Notes of a Citizen of Virginia, a classic of your editor's youth.

Jim Bradley, knowledgeable on the Austrian theory of Business Cycles, predicts Inflation Now, Deflation Later

I don't think he means deflation in any literal sense, just a credit contraction. Check out the prudentbear.com website.

To Your Health--Tax-free Health Savings Accounts

John Goodman finds a silver lining in the Medicare legislative debacle. I will look into this further and get back.

The Story Behind the All Night Medicare Vote

Stephen Moore's first-hand account of the Bush Administration's duplicity in the medicare debacle concludes:

"I really believe that if we could have won this vote against the most powerfulwhip operation in the history of House and a popular Republican president, it would have been a shot across the bow at the Republican establishment that conservatives are sick of the spending splurge that is going on inside Washington these last few years. The budget has grown by 27% in two years a faster rate of growth in the budget than at anytime since LBJ’s presidency. Republican leaders in the White House and the Congress seem entirely unconcerned about the orgy of spending and debt. They are in denial. A deserved defeat of this bill would have dropped an ice cold bucket of water on their heads and helped them snap out of it. So close!

"I’m convinced this is a phyric victory for the Republican party bosses. The bill could blow up in the Republicans’ laps when seniors see the details of the carved up turkey they’ve just been served. Worse, the bill threatens to further demoralize fiscal conservative voters who are infuriated by the GOP’s massive expansion of government. I know I’m demoralized. As Mike Pence told me last week, “We Republicans seem to have forgotten who we are and why voters sent us here.”

We now have two big government parties in Washington. And we only have 25 Republicans in the House and 4 in the Senate who are trying to pull the Republicans in an anti-big government direction."

That sounds like things are about as bad for (small government) Republicans as the year 1935 as the fascist New Deal steamroller went full bore. And Bush's domestic policy reeks of the me-tooism of an Alf Landon, the original progressive, compassionate conservative.

Expert Warned That Mad Cow Was Imminent

The New York Times story (free registration) starts out as a slam on the USDA for failing to take the mad cow disease sufficiently serious (actually the re-write guy trys to lay it on the administration rather than the careerists, but we know who runs things). Thereafter, the story gives some interesting facts. Conclusion: Eat veal and avoid processed ground beef products.

No limits for House appropriators who pile on pork

Novak reports on business as usual in Washington DC, as our public servants rob the country in order to drive us all into the poor house. Where even the most junior back-bencher learns the first rule of the Potomac: One must go along to get along.

Court Backs IRS Political Disclosure Law

Tax exempt="tax subsidy." To not be taxed is to be subsidized. If you want to assert your 1st Amendment rights, you may be required to give up your "subsidy." Clear enough?

A federal appeals court has upheld a law requiring some nonprofit political groups to report contributions and expenditures to the IRS, saying the Constitution does not guarantee what amounts to a tax subsidy.

"Congress has enacted no barrier to the exercise of the (political groups') constitutional rights," the court wrote. "Rather, Congress has established certain requirements that must be followed in order to claim the benefit of a public tax subsidy."

Billionaire Soros, Independent Groups Target Bush

These are the target groups whose 1st amendment rights are going to go through the wringer.

Court Blocks Changes to Clean Air Act:

A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked new Bush administration changes to the Clean Air Act from going into effect, in a challenge from state attorneys general and cities that argued they would harm the environment and public health.
The rule would have made it easier for utilities, refineries and other industrial facilities to make repairs in the name of routine maintenance without installing additional pollution controls. And people wonder why the US has blackouts. As companies defer maintenance, the actual consequence of the delay -- or denial of the rulemaking -- will lead to dirtier air.

The George W. Bush - Libertymeter

With the passage of the Drug Benefit boondoggle, wrapping up the complete socialization of health care for those over 64 -- or rather the socialization of benefits, the profits remain, temporarily, private, the Liberty Meter drops 2 more points to the Left.

FEC Leader: Political Groups Face Limits (washingtonpost.com)

AP wire story, quoting the incoming Republican chairman, suggests that the Federal Election Commission may assert its jurisdiction over any organization or group which attempts to influence a federal election. And under the O'Connor ruling there is no longer a "bright line" between explicitly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate and mere commenting on current issues -- the mere comment can be construed as attempting to influence the election.

Thus, any such group would be automatically characterized as a PAC (political action committee) and would be subject to the rules, contributuion limits ($5000), reporting requirements, and regulations of the FEC.

What hath O'Connor wrought?

The Supreme Court's Double Standard

Nat Hentoff sums up the Supreme Court's anti-Free Speech decision of the so-called Bipartisan Election Reform Act. That's twice in a month or so that Sandra Day O'Connor has joined with the predictable left-statists to change the course of political history by a 5-4 margin. The other case, involving the Court's approval of racial preferences, is probably the more far-reaching in a negative way as it promises to promote animosity and back-lash reactions among those who perceive they are being wronged by these policies.

The Bush Betrayal

According to David Boaz of Cato, "Federal spending has increased 23.7 percent since Bush took office. Education has been further federalized in the No Child Left Behind Act. Bush pulled out all the stops to get Republicans in Congress to create the biggest new entitlement program -- prescription drug coverage under Medicare -- in 40 years.

"He pushed an energy bill that my colleague Jerry Taylor described as "three parts corporate welfare and one part cynical politics . . . a smorgasbord of handouts and subsidies for virtually every energy lobby in Washington."

"It's a far cry from the less-government, "leave us alone" conservatism of Ronald Reagan."

In Court v. Congress, Justices Concede One (washingtonpost.com) (This link probably requires free registration.)

"Legal realist" Cass Sunstein gets it all wrong about the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002" and the Supreme Court. In the first place, both Congress and President Bush were on public record as being (at best) indifferent as to the act's constitutionality, so the idea of giving any "deference" to their so-called judgment in passing and signing the legislation is completely misplaced.

Randy E. Barnett on Raich v. Aschroft on National Review Online The 9th Circuit has ruled that the Commerce Clause does not extend to medical merijuana grown privately and not intended to be sold. A modest victory for the principle of federalism.

Steve Chapman, an acquaintance dating back to 1978, on the difference between Ronald Reagan and Bush the Younger

The curious issue is what has happened to the early Cheney, who, in my recollection, was a smart and reasonable person.

GOP pulled no punches in struggle for Medicare bill Novak reports on the corrupt Medicare bill passed by a browbeat House of Representatives.