Lethal Force Used Against Activist at Hospice

The St. Petersburg Times reports:

Dow Pursley, 56, of Scranton, Pa., dashed through police lines on a beeline for the hospice's front day. Unlike symbolic civil disobedience in recent days, Pursely seemed determined to actually enter the hospice.

Pinellas Park police officers tackled him near the front door, then shot him with a Taser gun when he refused to obey orders.

He was charged with burglary to an occupied dwelling and resisting arrest without violence, and was held Tuesday night in Pinellas County Jail on $20,500 bail.

Toilet Paper Tax?

The AP is reporting that there is a proposal in Florida to tax toilet paper.

I suppose the attraction is a perceived inelastic demand curve. This, of course, assumes that smugglers don't go across state lines and create a black market in toilet paper. This also assumes that consumers don't substitute away to other products, which may be even less sewer-friendly than toilet paper.

A Democrat is proposing this, yet ...

1. This tax could be described as "regressive"-- I don't think a rich person consumes more toilet paper than a poor person.
2. Don't women use more toilet paper than men? I smell an Equal Protection challenge.
3. This tax sticks it to the sick. It would likely have a disproportionate impact on those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome and similar afflictions.

UPDATE: Let nothing go untaxed, Ravenwood facetiously suggests, refering also to a NJ tax proposal on poker television shows.

UPDATE: Mr. Berthoud of NTU points out the hypocrisy of the NJ tax proposal and links to a CNN article.

Thanks to Mr. Drudge for the link.

Fairfax's "Hit & Run" Connolly Laments: Taxpayers Bear Burden of Politician's Good Intentions

Well, not quite.

The WP reports that "Hit & Run" Connolly is complaining:

Fairfax spent $543 million last fiscal year complying with federal mandates to provide cleaner water and air, collect and dispose of solid and hazardous waste, incarcerate illegal immigrants, provide health care for the uninsured, implement new voting rules and pay for No Child Left Behind, President Bush's signature education law. But the government reimbursed the county for just $148 million, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the rest.

It is not that Connolly disapproves of these programs. Connolly says, "You're asking local taxpayers to bear the burden of your good intentions."

I doubt that Connolly actually embraces federalism and really believes that certain policy decisions should be made by the states and their counties instead of the federal government. He is not arguing against the federal mandates in toto. Rather, he wants Congress to write him a bigger check. It seems as though he simply wants more money under his control.

Is the problem really that the "wrong" taxpayers are paying for these programs? Aren't substantially all Fairfax taxpayers also federal taxpayers? If Congress decides to make the farmers in Kansas pay for Fairfax's water, safety, education, etc., will Connolly cut Fairfax taxes accordingly (not just nominal decreases in the rate, but actual decreases in taxes paid)?

Notwithstanding speculation about Connolly's motivations for his subsidized housing policy and his Tysons policy, assuming arguendo that Connolly has good intentions, his question can be generalized to be made applicable to him: Should Fairfax taxpayers bear the burden of Connolly's "good intentions"?

"Courage"

Whatever. RatherBiased reports.

Trial Lawyers Create Societal Value Tracking Down Al Qaeda

Prof. Tabarrok points to a U.K. Times article that identifies a South Carolina plaintiff's law firm as "having the best database on Islamic terrorism in the world." Imagine if CIA, FBI salaries were anywhere near salaries at law firms...

Fairfax's "Hit & Run" Connolly's Subsidized Housing Motivations Revealed

Steve of ThoughtsOnline points to a WP article about a subsidized housing pow-wow "Hit & Run" Connolly attended. Steve provides this on-the-money insight:

And of course, they lament the fact that County employees can't all afford to live in the County. See, they're not really upset over the private sector workers who drive in from neighboring jurisdictions. They're more concerned with getting reelected - all the thousands of county workers who live outside the county and thus can't vote for the likes of Connolly in Fairfax County elections. They want to throw these County employees some more money - through either subsidies or loans - in order to build up their political support base.

Fairfax's "Hit & Run" Connolly Criticized for Conflict of Interest on Tysons

Scott McPherson questions why Connolly seemed so "giddy" in an interview he gave on the topic of Tysons and the Metro. Finally someone else suspects that the reason for "Hit & Run" Connolly's excitement isn't really a skating rink.

CHAIN MAIL: American Fumbles With Passport Visiting France

At a French airport...A group of American retired teachers recently went to France on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, was part of the tour group.

At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible!" barked the officer. "Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France."

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained, "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any Frenchmen to show it to."

Fairfax's "Hit & Run" Connolly Calls My 30% Tax Bill Increase a "Cut"

The WP reports:

As Northern Virginia governments cut property tax rates to stave off taxpayer rebellions against high assessments, Fairfax County board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly opened a competition yesterday with neighboring Prince William County over who is proposing the "Biggest Tax Rate Cut."

Even if Fairfax's rate changes from $1.13 to $1.03 per $100 of assessed value, my taxes are still going up. I calculate I will be paying 30% more this year.

Fairfax's School Budget to Increase 82 Times Faster than Enrollment

Fairfax County's school budget is set to increase 8.2%, while enrollment has increased only 0.1%.

Juxtapose this excerpt from one WP article from February 15:

Fairfax's school enrollment will show a minuscule increase this year -- 186

with this excerpt from another WP article from March 1:

Most of the plan's 6.9 percent spending increase would go to schools in a move that could resolve several weeks of tensions between the county board and school officials over the first budget presented by new superintendent Jack D. Dale. Dale's proposed 9.7 percent increase, pared slightly by the school board, far exceeded what the county said it would give the schools next year. But Griffin's proposed school spending increase of 8.2 percent brought the two sides far closer.

(Since the WP failed to provide current enrollment statistics for FCPS, please feel free to check the FCPS website, which reports that current enrollment is 166,275.)

Ohio Woman Arrested for Failure to File Tax Return With 96 Cent Liability

The interesting quote from this Mansfield News Journal article is the following:

"I bailed myself out of jail."

Somehow, even though Ms. Gould claims she only had $55 of income in 2001, she was able to afford bailing herself out of jail. Maybe her income situation has greatly improved since then. (The article did note pregnancy-related medical difficulties in 2001.) I don't know, but my eyebrows are raised.


Thanks to Prof. Caron for the link.

Prof. Balkin Makes 10 Commandments Prediction

Prof. Balkin predicts Justice O'Connor will uphold five and strike down five. Perhaps considering the contents of the Ten Commandments, the prediction isn't all that far-fetched.

Thanks to Prof. Volokh for the link.

Does the Constitution REALLY Demand that this Missouri Cannot Execute this Murderer?

The WP reports. An earlier edition of the article noted that Mr. Simmons bragged after murdering Shirley Crook that his age would prevent his execution.