True MVPs

I personally find Rick Reilly often obnoxious. Here, however, he connects with the sweet spot of the bat. His current column names who really should have won some baseball MVP awards if we take away the ill-gotten trophies from those who later admitted to being on steroids.

Hint: Albert Pujols comes out pretty well.

CBO: Recession to End Later This Year... With Absolutely no Stimulus

That's right, the highly respected, non-partisan Congressional Budget Office not only says that the recession should end on its own during the second half of this year, but unemployment will stay below the levels seen during the '81-'82 recession.

CBO anticipates that the current recession, which started in December 2007, will last until the second half of 2009, making it the longest recession since World War II. (The longest such recessions otherwise, the 1973–1974 and 1981–1982 recessions, both lasted 16 months. If the current recession were to continue beyond midyear, it would last at least 19 months.) It could also be the deepest recession during the postwar period: By CBO’s estimates, economic output over the next two years will average 6.8 percent below its potential—that is, the level of output that would be produced if the economy’s resources were fully employed (see Figure 1). This ecession, however, may not result in the highest unemployment rate. That rate, in CBO’s forecast, rises to 9.2 percent by early 2010 (up from a low of 4.4 percent at the end of 2006) but is still below the 10.8 percent rate seen near the end of the 1981–1982 recession.

There is no need for this country to go an additional $800 billion in debt. This is simply a convenient crisis for the party currently in power.

Jokes

Last night, after watching the news on the local NBC affiliate, The Tonight Show came on.

The gist of the opening monologue joke:

~ "Boy, those Democrats sure don't pay their taxes."

The gist of the second joke:

~ "Why are Democrats going to a luxury resort to do some strategery, when there is this place called the Capitol Building where they can do the exact same thing?"

The gist of the third joke:

~ "The stimulus is itself a joke. There's an actual appropriation in there for $2 million for neon light installation for Las Vegas"

The fourth joke was then an easy Blago corruption joke.

Later, during a skit featuring Fred Willard as a Postmaster "Colonel," Leno asked why he hasn't been promoted to Postmaster General. Answer: "I didn't pay my taxes."

No jokes on Bush. None on McCain or Palin, or Republicans in general.

The water in the tub may have sloshed the Democrats way lately, but what I unexpectedly happened on last night is a sign that it may slosh back to Republicans much sooner than normal. By making the foundation of their entire governing philosophy the past eight years a crude "not-Bush," the removal of Bush has now also removed the foundation on which Washington Democrats stood.

All they've got now are a gaggle of -- admittedly usually sincere -- liberal special-interest groups pressing them one way (aka: money for appropriations in the "stimulus"), desires for grubby fat-laden pork pushing them another (aka: money for appropriations in the "stimulus"), a startlingly unimpressive leadership class among high ranking Democrats, and no true philosophical guide to guidance.

It's actually not that funny.

No Smoot-Hawley v2.0? Hopefully

It looks like President Obama has come out against the Buy American clause of the bailout.

This is good news. While I still consider the bailout an unconscionable ratio of fat to beef, the removal of this potential trade-war-inducing bit makes the bill at least somewhat more palatable.

You take what you can get. I'll gladly take this.