HOT5 Daily 2/9/2011

1. "Bad romance: ranking Obama's most difficult relationships" Pretty good list.

Representative Sample: if there is one theme that runs through every corner of the Obama presidency it is that he has been forced into partnerships that are so complex, difficult, and undependable that it must leave him yearning for the relative simplicity of good old fashioned enmities. This was illustrated yesterday as the president made the short walk across Lafayette Park to visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

2. "The Unseen Consequences of "Green Jobs"" Job-killing rather than job creation.

Representative Sample:many green job studies have no analyses of job losses. Clean energy costs more than conventional energy, which means consumers and businesses will have less income with which to buy and invest. This reduces their consumption of other goods and services, resulting in job losses in those sectors

3. "No, Atheists Don't Have to Show "Respect" for Religion" Not even liberal, ecumenical forms of religion.

Representative Sample: it's ridiculously hypocritical to engage in fervent political and cultural discourse -- as so many progressive ecumenical believers do -- and then expect religion to get a free pass. It's absurd to accept and even welcome vigorous public debate over politics, science, medicine, economics, gender, sexuality, education, the role of government, etc... and then get appalled and insulted when religion is treated as just another hypothesis about the world, one that can be debated and criticized like any other.

4. "All Aboard the T-Rex Express" We don't need high-speed rail, and we shouldn't be wasting taxpayer money on it.

Representative Sample: high-speed rail is exactly what we don’t need to spend money on, for reasons Robert J. Samuelson explained with his usual clarity a year and a half ago. The countries that have bullet trains also have: (1) high population density — Japan has 10 times the number of people per square mile as the U.S., and France three times; (2) very high gas prices; (3) unitary governments that don’t have to fear endless court battles over environmental issues, etc.; and (4) relatively small national territories. France, the largest country in Western Europe, is smaller than Texas.

5. "Why Small Business Wants Repeal of ObamaCare" Not working as advertised.

Representative Sample: If the law’s tax credits help small business owners, then why do these business owners favor repealing the law? The January 2011 Discover survey shows that 55 percent of owners favor repealing the healthcare law and 36 percent oppose repeal. Moreover, despite the availability of tax credits encouraging small business owners to provide health insurance, 46 percent of them feel that the new law will hurt their business, and only 27 percent think it will help.

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