The Exercise of Vital Powers

Of course, banking wreckage is good political fodder for the guy responsible for increasing the Senate Democrat’s margin of majority. FromBloomberg.com:

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will run a successor institution, IndyMac Federal Bank FSB, starting next week, the Office of Thrift Supervision said in an e-mail yesterday. The regulator blamed U.S. Senator Charles Schumer for creating a “liquidity crisis” after a letter on June 26, in which he expressed concern that the bank may fail.

Congress’s incompetence may be a self correcting problem.

Here is your stupid government regulation of the day:

Mayor Dave Heilmann said the Illinois Department of Transportation determined the signs violated the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. He said had Oak Lawn not removed the signs, the city could have lost federally funded projects.

The public safety campaign to cut down on speeding through stop signs began in September 2007. Slogans such as “right there pilgrim,” “and smell the roses,” “do not pass go” and “means that you arent moving” were placed near or under 50 stop signs.

At the time, Heilmann said he thought the remarks would get motorists to pause, if for nothing else, to read the phrases.

Baby tax needed to save planet, claims expert:
A WEST Australian medical expert wants families to pay a $5000-plus “baby levy” at birth and an annual carbon tax of up to $800 a child.

I like this idea. Instead of taking money out of a tax payer’s wallet to support dead-beats who have kids, we’d slap them with a fine/tax instead. Get rid of the assinine incentives created by LBJ’s “Great Society” for poor people to have more kids they can’t support so they get more money from the government.

9/11 and Government incompetence claim two more victims

I can’t tell if this guy is seriously proposing this as a public policy solution, or presenting a horrific plan in an effort to show that a complete gun ban would be undesirable. Either way, I’ll be watching from Costa Rica.

The disarmament process would begin after the initial three-month amnesty. Special squads of police would be formed and trained to carry out the work. Then, on a random basis to permit no advance warning, city blocks and stretches of suburban and rural areas would be cordoned off and searches carried out in every business, dwelling, and empty building. All firearms would be seized. The owners of weapons found in the searches would be prosecuted: $1,000 and one year in prison for each firearm. (toledoblade.com — The disarming of America)

wsbradio.com: News Councilman Disputes Account of Apartment Entry

Three schools in the north Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek were on lockdown for about 45 minutes Wednesday morning after a student at Desert Arroyo Middle School reported seeing a person dressed as Batman run across campus, jump a fence and disappear into the desert, (source)

Ok, this lockdown thing is getting a bit ridiculous.

I’ve gone ahead and created a category of Stupid Government Tricks.

“I hope they can see this cause I’m doing it as hard as I can”