conservatism

Kristin Fisher at WUSA9 News:

Alison Capo was cited for unlawfully taking a migratory bird and now she’s been slapped with a $535 fine.

What did Capo do? Well, her daughter saved a bird from the jaws of the family cat. Yep.

They released the bird after it recovered, and the bird flew away as they’d hoped. After this, they reported it to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, who rewarded their good stewardship by graciously serving her a citation for violating the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Does the spirit of the law have no bearing on its enforcement?

Jonathan Allen & John Bresnahan at Politico:

“We have negotiated with terrorists,” an angry Doyle said, according to sources in the room. “This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.”

What the Tea Partiers wanted: a balanced budget achieved through a cut in spending.

What we are getting: more debt, “promised” cuts in the budget that have no immediate effect and no binding power on future sessions of Congress.

Doyle & Biden, where is the terrorism? I won’t stoop to your level and call my opponents terrorists, but I’ll willingly point out your own party has been fear-mongering to get your way.

Peter Beinart at The Daily Beast:

Liberals are furious that President Obama agreed to massive spending cuts, and the promise of more, without any increase in revenue.

As usual, a great piece of comedy from Peter Beinart.¹. My favorite joke is the one about the Bush tax cuts not spurring economic growth:

They should be: Given how much the Bush tax cuts have contributed to the deficit (and how little they’ve spurred economic growth), it’s mind-boggling that they’ve apparently escaped this deficit-reduction deal unscathed.

Let’s take a look at the facts, shall we?

More crucially, after the 2001 initial tax cuts, the annual growth rate went from 0.3% in 2001 to 2.5% in 2002. By 2004, GDP growth was the highest in 20 years. (Source)

Likewise, after the 2003 tax cuts, the unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since World War II. Let me repeat that: the Bush economic program created the lowest unemployment level ever. In fact, economists liken it to full employment given the demographic composition of those who were left on the unemployment line.

(Via RedState.)

Also comical is his bit about how the Tea Party won because Obama agreed to spending cuts over a period of ten years, and how he’s getting a raise in the deficit immediately. Silly Tea Partiers. They asked for us to live within our means, and instead we got a plan that will borrow more money and slowly cut spending over a decade—which only really works if future sessions of congress decide to stick to the plan.

In all seriousness, it’s not the Liberals that have been played. The joke’s on us.

Stephen Dinan and Sean Lengell at The Washington Times:

“Today we, and everyone we have worked to speak for and fight for, were thrown under the bus,” Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who is co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Sunday as top senators began to describe the deal they are trying to strike with Mr. Obama.

The Republicans negotiated well—sort of, mostly due to pressure from their constituents. Obama has been forced into a corner to some extent. He has to get the debt ceiling extended to cover our spending beyond the 2012 elections, and that comes with a price. Besides, no one is really happy with where this is going. Conservatives would like only to be granted the reasonable request to live within our means. Liberals want to spend the country into financial oblivion. Neither side is getting what they want. We’re heading towards the compromise all the Liberals were asking for. Quit griping.

Marc Hujer and Gregor Peter Schmitz at Spiegel, interviewing Mark Meckler:

Meckler: The compromises that we have witnessed on debt have taken our country to the brink of financial collapse. Currently, the American government is spending 44 cents of each dollar on interest payments. We have compromised our way into disaster. None of the budget plans proposed have real cuts in them — only promises to cut. The reality is that legally one Congress cannot bind the future Congress to cut, so these promises are actually a lie. We need real and immediate cuts.

You can take that to the bank.