Bloggers vs. Righthaven

The Media Bloggers Association has filed an amicus brief against a company which exists for the sole purpose of suing bloggers.

Under Obama, Taxes Are Lower Than Ever

Since Barack Obama took office, federal taxes have been lower for pretty much everyone.

Redistribution from the Feds? Not Really.

There really isn’t a lot of redistribution happening in the United States.

House Moves to End Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns

The House has voted to repeal the broken system of financing presidential elections.

Bipartisan Budget Busting

It is always easier to compromise on more spending and less taxes.

Recommended Reading on the Drug War

The US drug policy gang: Dopey, Boozy, Smokey and Stupid?

Deficits, the CBO and H.R. 2

When determining the effects on the deficit of a certain legislative action, both revenues and spending have to be accounted for. Indeed, you can’t determine whether there is a deficit, surplus or balanced budget without both variables.

Viacom: YouTube Ruling ‘Completely Destroys’ Copyright

Viacom says a lower court ruling in favor of Google “would radically transform the functioning of the copyright system and severely impair, if not completely destroy, the value of many copyrighted creations.”

WikiLeaks Booted From DNS, Reappears Elsewhere

WikiLeaks domain name service was terminated for violating terms of use.

Fixing the Copyright System

The American copyright system is broken. Cory Doctorow offers some useful suggestions for fixing it.

Feds Seize Domain Names

In an effort to combat illegal file sharing, the US Department of Homeland Security is seizing domain names.

Palin Beats Gawker in Book Suit

federal judge on Saturday ordered the website Gawker to pull down unauthorized excerpts from Sarah Palin’s forthcoming book, “America By Heart.”

Rand Paul, The Tea Party, And The Phony “War On Earmarks”

Rand Paul is taking some heat for remarks that may or may not indicate that he’s backtracking on his previous vow not to seek earmark spending for Kentucky. Yes folks, the phony war on earmarks is back.

Copyright Stupidity

Too many copyright owners are stupidly invoking their rights to keep short clips off of YouTube and other services, losing potential customers in the process.

Worst. Debate. Ever. But, Advantage Angle

Last night’s one and only Nevada Senate Debate was an embarrassing affair all around, but it most likely sealed the electoral doom of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Howard Fineman to HuffPo

In yet another sign of how rapidly the media landscape is changing, longtime Newsweek stalwart is leaving for the Huffington Post.

Lady Gaga Stole My Pie

The super rich have a lot larger share of total income than they did a generation ago. Are they taking it from the rest of us?

The Risk of a Fiscal Crisis

The CBO sees a clear threat of a fiscal crisis during the next two decades unless we’re saved by magic ponies.

Iraq War Cost Less Than Stimulus!

FOX reports that the entire combat phase of the Iraq War will cost less than President Obama’s stimulus. That’s not a useful comparison.

Most Sexist Ad Ever Isn’t An Ad

The webmaster of a local Republican chapter linked a YouTube video that implies Democratic women are ugly.

Blogging and Professional Ethics

When professors blog, they send signals to their students about their attitudes. Where do we draw the line between free expression and unprofessional conduct?

Caption Contest Winners

The Sturgis or Bust Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Wonk’s Fallacy: Media Edition

The extra effort it takes to go from modestly informed to well-informed is tremendous and, for 99% of the public, a ridiculous waste of time.

Marvel Sues to Keep Spider-Man, X-Men Copyrights

Marvel Comics is suing the estate of its second most famous figure in order to keep the rights to its most lucrative properties.