Random Government Atrocities

Item: The proposed health care legislation is full of weird earmarks--one proposed amendment would extend tax relief "to any state with a name that begins with the letter U."

Item: The CBO says the Waxman-Markey climate change bill would cost more than doing nothing.

Item: Fidel Castro is a fan of Obama's climate change policies.

Item: Palo Alto, California, has banned plastic grocery bags.

Item: Environmentalists are lobbying for a ban on "plush" toilet paper.

Item: The World Health Organization claims a condom shortage exacerbates global warming:

In Rwanda, where only 10 percent of adults have access to reproductive health-care services and protection such as condoms, demographic pressures are forcing a migration to less- populated areas already prone to drought and desertification.

Item: Social Security starts running in red ink -- a cash deficit -- as early as next year.

Item: The Post Office is dying too:

Amid challenging economic conditions and a changing business environment, USPS is facing a deteriorating financial situation in which it does not expect to cover its expenses and financial obligations in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. . .

USPS urgently needs to restructure to address its current and long-term financial viability. USPS has not been able to cut costs fast enough to offset the accelerated decline in mail volume and revenue--particularly costs related to its workforce, retail and processing networks, and delivery services.

Item: Tucson, Arizona, public schools are reverting to "separate but equal":

The board is calling for a two-tiered form of student discipline. One for Black and Hispanic students; one for everyone else.

With the goal of creating a "restorative school culture and climate" that conveys a "sense of belonging to all students," the board is insisting that its schools reduce its suspensions and/or expulsions of minority students to the point that the data reflect "no ethnic/racial disparities." . . .

The board approved creating an "Equity Team" that will oversee the plan to ensure "a commitment to social justice for all students." . . .

Offenses by students will be judged, and penalties meted out, depending on the student's hue.

Item: Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-sponsored amendment that would have required the healthcare bill to be available on-line at least 72 hours before a committee vote.

Item: Europe is no model for Obamacare:

The French government is looking at ways to plug a gaping hole in its health care budget and may charge patients more for hospital stays, Budget Minister Eric Woerth said on Monday.

France's health system is largely financed by the state and has been hailed as the best in the world by the World Health Organization. It is also one of the most costly and the government constantly struggles to control spending.

After a 4.4 billion euro ($6.31 billion) shortfall in the health budget in 2008, Woerth said he expected the deficit to hit 10 billion euros this year and 15 billion next.

Item: Last month, Congress held hearings to explore "alternative funding options for newspapers in our new and ever-changing electronic age."

(via Critical Condition, twice, Planet Gore, Instapundit, Right Wing News, Power Line, Maggie's Farm)