Only 36,000 Jobs Lost

Senate majority leader Harry Reid provides us with one of the great quotes of our time. Enjoy:

Now this is one of those ‘taking people out of context’ moments, but it is still funny as hell to watch. Perhaps losing 36,000 jobs is better than expected, or even a sign of a recovery (which I doubt), but needless to say, it’s hard to spin losing 36,000 jobs as good news.

Spying on Our Trash

In Britain, 2.5 million trash cans (or excuse me, rubbish bins) have had electronic microchips installed to measure the amount of trash each home throws away. According to the Daily Mail,

“This is an increase of nearly two-thirds in just a year. The bins, which can be electronically identified and weighed, are designed for ‘pay-as-you-throw’ rubbish tax schemes. Under such schemes  -  which are likely to be hugely unpopular  -  families who put out more waste will pay higher taxes to their local council.”

While no tax has yet to be introduced, it would seem obvious that a tax is the plan. This does make some sense; people who throw away more should probably be charged more. But to me, the scheme comes across as just  another method for the government to extract money from its citizens and intrude into their private lives.

Selling Judicial Appointments?

In a disturbing story, Barack Obama has appointed Scott Matheson to the 10th Circuit Court of appeals. That would appear rather innocuous, but at the same time he is hosting congressman Jim Matheson–Scott Matheson’s brother–to convince him to change his vote on healthcare. Now Scott Matheson is very qualified, but so are a lot of other people. And given the shady dealings in Nebraska and Louisiana, it begs the question: coincidence?