No, we don’t.

Glenn Reynolds:

...Ignorance and incompetence are on regular display among our political class.  Its members are good at what they do — but what they do, really, is raise money and win elections.  There’s no particular correlation between those skills and any other kind of competence.  In fact, given their record of passing increasingly dumb laws, if there’s any correlation at all, it’s a negative one.

So let me get this straight:  Our problem is that we have an ineffective government run by idiots, and the fix is an effective government run by ‘‘smart’’ people?

Um... I don’t think so.

Think about the kinds of people who are attracted to the levers of power.
Then think about the horror that a truly ‘‘effective’’ government might be.


Gratuitous Snark Dept.:

‘‘...The number-one job facing the middle class... happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs.’’ - Joe Biden

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Still a lot of work to do

The Hill:

Senate votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty

And why only 53 votes?

UPDATE:

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Watch what they do, and act accordingly.

Glenn Reynolds:

If I were a Republican in Congress, I’d introduce a bill — tomorrow! — banning, and, in fact, criminalizing, such seizures in the United States.  That would be popular, and if the Democrats were dumb enough to oppose it, it would make people wonder what they were up to.

Bill Quick:

Neither Boehner nor McConnell would ever permit such a bill to reach the floor.

It might be too embarrassing to their Democrat friends.  And we certainly wouldn’t want anything to interrupt the ongoing GOP cave to the Democrats.

Concern over ‘‘embarrassing Democrats’’ is only a small part of it.  Such a bill will go unintroduced, let alone unconsidered, for the same reason that Rand Paul couldn’t get a straight answer out of Eric Holder about using drones to kill American citizens on American soil.

It’s called ‘‘keeping options open.’’  Because always remember, if the choice is between doing what’s right for the country and doing what’s necessary to maintain privilege, establishment Republicans and progressive Democrats are as alike as peas in a pod.

Tyler Durden:

This should leave any individual in Europe under no illusion that the political elite will enact whatever it deems fit to protect their positions in the name of the euro and their own positions of power.

MORE:
Sheila Bair^[1] whistles past the graveyard- loudly:

This would never happen in the U.S. because we respect the rule of law and we have a very strong agency called the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that stands up for insured depositors and protects them.  And so having not just a single deposit insurance that’s in place, but a strong agency handling that program and standing up for insured depositors -- I think that is really crucial and this really underscores why they need that in the eurozone.

‘‘Rule of law,’’ huh?  Like this...?
Inverstors Business Daily:

Already Congressional Democrats are plotting the expropriation of Americans’ private 401(k) and IRA retirement savings accounts in favor of ‘‘a guaranteed income.’’  If bank accounts can be casually expropriated in Cyprus to pay for big-spending governments and bailouts, there is no reason a nice slice of the $19 trillion in retirement accounts [held by Americans] can’t get the same treatment.

If it happens, it will signal the end of individual freedom and the return of feudalism.

Another UPDATE (130322 16:50):
Instapundit reader Mark Jones:

Rep. Billy Long’s introduced resolution against a Cyprus-like raid on bank deposits is nice–certainly a lot better than no resolution on the point at all.  But it’s only a resolution.  Which means exactly nothing, legally speaking.  Congress passes resolutions all the time, on matters both profound and frivolous.  We need legislation, not resolutions...

Related:

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Here we go again...

(via Insty ‘‘It would be better P.R. to schedule these only in July’’, via Washington Examiner)

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Playing the ‘‘supervision’’ game

Gem of an idea, found in the discussion of Jazz Shaw’s Hot Air post on the Voting Rights Act litigation:

At one time there was a need for the Voting Rights Act, but it’s an antiquated law now, rendered irrelevant by the advance of time, demographics, attitudes, and communications.

I tell you what we do need... A ‘‘Second Amendment Rights Act.’’  And I can think of a bunch of states that ought to come under a greater than standard scrutiny when passing laws that relate to this right.

Dusty on March 3, 2013 at 1:18 PM

I agree with Dusty.

We also need a ‘‘Voter ID Act’’...

Lourdes on March 3, 2013 at 1:24 PM

How about a ‘‘Freedom of Speech Act?’’  That one could apply federal monitoring to any state entity (I’m looking at YOU, universities, but also the Indiana Court of Appeals (More on the latter here.)) that attempt or have attempted to limit First Amendment rights on spurious grounds such as ‘‘hatred’’ or ‘‘unfairness.’’^{[1 UPDATE]}

Hey, this could get to be fun!

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When you can’t do your job, then...

Pair o’headlines from the UK:


Seems to me that ‘‘broad coalition of UK health organizations’’ who uttered the alcohol proposal could better spend their time straightening out the NHS.  But then calling on the government to limit other people’s liberty has always given the ruling class more jollies than getting their own houses in order.

Related:

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That’s telling ’em...

Going out with style!  Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the ‘‘morons’’ will suffer any consequences, except to whine uselessly when Tesco moves in, demolishes the vacant shops, and builds a monster store (with its own parking lot).

S.Weasel has the backstory.

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Yeah, just keep on thinking that...

THE WEEK, January 25:


‘‘The NRA’’ (stolen from Tam):

...and this (from one of William Jacobson’s readers):


Maybe it’s an advantage that progressives get their news from the MSM, too.

Elsewhere:
Related:

LATER (130121 15:00):  I know, I know... ND 1500?

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Topic for discussion...

Instapundit, January 11:

A SUPERIOR PREDATOR: Baby Sharks Can Sense Danger, Even Before They’re Born.

Posted at 2:00 pm by Glenn Reynolds

If an unborn baby shark can sense danger, just what might an unborn human baby sense?

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Well, *THAT’s* encouraging!

Iowahawk:

A Briton is 5 times more likely to die from government health care than an American is to die from a gunshot.

Assuring in this time of Obamacare.

(Via Ace’s sidebar)

For any who care, my check on his statistics is below the break.
more...

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