President Obama and The Meaning of “The”
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on January 27th, 2013 12:08 am by HL
President Obama and The Meaning of “The”
Emily Bazelon, Slate
Would you believe me if I told you that President Obama is in constitutional trouble—with hundreds of decisions of the National Labor Relations Board from the last year now potentially invalid—over the meaning of the word the?That’s what three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said Friday. The president has constitutional egg on his face because the judges have blocked his appointments of three NRLB members on Jan. 4, 2012. The president said that on that day, the Senate was in recess, which meant he could exercise his authority to…
World Is Right to Worry About US Debt
Kenneth Rogoff, Financial Times
Many foreign observers look at the US budget shenanigans with confusion and dismay, wondering how a country that seems to have it all can manage its fiscal affairs so chaotically. The root problem is not just a hugely elevated level of public debt, or a patently unsustainable trajectory for old age entitlements. It is an electorate deeply divided over the direction of government, with differences compounded by changing demographics and sustained sluggish growth. It is hard to escape the notion that today’s budget battles are but a skirmish in a much longer-term war that…
The Motor City Roars Out of Washington’s Shadow
Henry Payne, WSJ
The 2013 North American International Auto Show here in the nation's auto capital is proof that the industry is back at full throttle. Cobo Hall convention center is filled with manufacturers catering to every corner of a diverse consumer market. Automotive forecasting firm R.L. Polk & Co. predicts new vehicle registrations””a key indicator of auto sales””will hit 15.3 million in 2013, up 6.6% from 2012.From sport utes to sports cars to soccer-mom vans, every industry segment is thriving””with the notable exception of the…
How Obama Is Unraveling Reagan Republicanism
Robert Reich, Salon
Soon after President Obama's second inaugural address, John Boehner said the White House would try “to annihilate the Republican Party” and “shove us into the dustbin of history.”Actually, the GOP is doing a pretty good job annihilating itself. As Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal put it, Republicans need to “stop being the stupid party.”