That’s an enormous lowering of expectations, and a reminder to liberals about the formidable barriers to further expansion of the welfare state. The public has long been skeptical of the political system’s practical ability to do the things progressives say they want to do. A health care website that comes in months late, over budget, […]

Via Reuter’s Scot J. Paltrow Part 1 Defense Finance and Accounting Service, or DFAS (pronounced “DEE-fass”). This agency, with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, has roughly 12,000 employees and, after cuts under the federal sequester, a $1.36 billion budget. It is responsible for accurately paying America’s 2.7 million active-duty and Reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. […]

Obstructionism has been the modus operandi by Republicans in Congress to oppose President Obama with special emphasis in the Senate. Through the use of the filibuster, the Senate Republican minority has been able to block presidential appointments or sway them to less likely candidates, block the appointment of Federal Judges to the bench, and obstruct […]

Religious liberty, [Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals] Judge Tymkovich wrote, cannot turn on whether money changes hands. “Would an incorporated kosher butcher really have no claim to challenge a regulation mandating non-kosher butchering practices?” he asked. — Court Confronts Religious Rights of Corporations, Adam Liptak, New York Times, today Why, yes, Judge Tymkovich, of course […]

Lambert Strether and Bob Goodwinn via Naked Capitalism offer a point of view on how law is being implemented through large system programming, as it played out in the MERS system of property ownership fait accompli, and other systems.

One party’s perspective of Healthcare. Hat Tip to Hullabaloo Answer the question, what is the alternative to the PPACA??? Neither the Republicans, the Healthcare Industry, or Healthcare Insurance has come forth with a solution.

Robert Schiller began a look at executive compensation: Last Wednesday, we presented our findings, “The Squam Lake Report: Fixing the Financial System” (Princeton University Press). Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of theFederal Reserve, helped introduce the book at a conference at Columbia University. He said he agreed with the principle that “the stakeholders in financial firms — including […]

Skeptical Science offers a nice, concise history of climate science: Two Centuries of Climate Science: part one – Fourier to Arrhenius, 1820-1930 Two Centuries of Climate Science: part two – Hulburt to Keeling, 1931- 1965 Two Centuries of Climate Science: part three – Manabe to the present day, 1966-2012 (h/t reader Jan)

Senator Elizabeth Warren says it well: Transcript is found at Floor Speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren The Retirement Crisis November 18, 2013 As Prepared for Delivery.

by Dale Coberly PERNICIOUS IGNORANCE ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY A REPLY TO KRASTING Bruce Krasting in comments to Bruce’s post on Social Security made a number of claims that deserve a fuller answer than I was able to give in comments.  Below in quotes are Krasting’s claims followed by my replies.  I hope I am reasonably […]