Illinois faces a massive budget crunch. In fact, a day or two ago the Chicago Sun-Times had an editorial proclaming that only a massive tax increase could save Illinois from bankruptcy.
Or, y'know, here's a thought: cut spending. Government is the only entity which can unilaterally decide to raise its own income, and it can make it stick. Sure, individual politicians might get voted out of office, but the government remains--and so do the taxes.
If you doubt me, just take a look at the US tax code. It hasn't been a hundred years since the Constitution was amended to make the income tax constitutional, and just look at how much money disappears into the federal government every year. On average, the taxes are higher every year, and the government takes a cut of every transaction.
The solution to the budget shortfall is very simple, so deceptively simple that it evades the grasp of the politicians: stop spending so much goddamned money.
Democrats in Washington, D.C. also want to increase taxes rather than cut spending. Of course.
* * *
There is "paralysis at the top" but I don't think it's because of Obama's "Chicago mafia"; rather I think it's because Obama is not a leader.
* * *
We are going to get ObamaCare whether we want it or not.
The Anchoress gives us an update on it.
Dennis thinks it's not going to happen.
The Cumudgeon Emeritus at Eternity Road explains why "ObamaCare 2.0"--if it's allowed to pass--is still going to lead to socialized medicine in the United States.
* * *
Michelle Malkin again demonstrates that liberals are the real racists.
* * *
This post by Dan (of Dan's Data) reminds me of a couple of times, a few years ago, where I discussed major science fails in shows from science-related cable networks.
And then there is this, which is linked in one of the comments on Dan's post. It's an "energy breakthrough"! It can power your house! It doesn't require any power lines!
...it's a freakin' generator. Okay: it doesn't use an internal combustion engine to turn a generator or alternator; it's a fuel cell. But it still requires oxygen and fuel and it still emits carbon dioxide.
*sigh*
* * *
If you look at the righthand side of the periodic table, you see a column of elements--gases--which are extremely nonreactive. Helium, neon, argon, etc--the so-called noble gases.
If you then take one small step to the left, to the next column in, you're looking at the halogens--flourine, chlorine, iodine, etc. It's kind of strange, how the difference of one proton and electron can change the behavior of an atom; becuase right next to the least reactive elements on the periodic table are some of the most reactive.
Flourine in particular is pretty scary stuff. It's poisonous and reacts readily with water to form hydrflouric acid; inhale some flourine gas and you're pretty much dead. That is apart, by the way, from the fact that it is itself a potent oxidizer and is highly corrosive, in its own right, to boot.
So now you'll understand what is so scary about Derek Lowe saying, "At seven hundred freaking degrees, fluorine starts to dissociate into monoatomic radicals, thereby losing its gentle and forgiving nature."
His "Stuff I won't work with" posts are the entire reason I read his blog; bonus points have been awarded to this post for an extra-effective use of the ironic voice.
* * *
Finally (though I am actually writing this part first) we have another bad song from my crazy tech school story:
I gotta girl named Boney Maroney
(sax riff)
She's as skinny as a stick of macaroni
(sax riff)
So I took her to an eating disorder clinic
(sax riff)
She's diagnosed as anorexic-bulimic
(sax riff)
No?
