As the city of Oakland grapples with a budget crisis, a glance over the 2009–11 budget proposal reveals a telling example of irresponsible public spending. Despite recent controversy surrounding lavish travel budgets for politicians, city officials still haven’t learned their lesson.

Significantly, the city is now set to impose a 3 percent hotel tax surcharge beginning in January, which will generate around $2.7 million annually. Voters approved the surcharge

The recently released Pew Global Attitudes Project poll shows that President Obama has lifted America’s image around the world to pre-9/11 levels. “Opinions of the United States are now about as positive as they were at the beginning of the decade before George W. Bush took office,” according to the Pew project. That’s the good news.

However, opinion in the Muslim world—while showing some positive movement, particularly in Indonesia—remains largely unfavorable. Ultimately, Pew concluded “the perception remains widespread among many Muslims that the U.S. could pose a military threat to their country.” Moreover—with the

La recientemente publicada encuesta del Proyecto Pew sobre Actitudes Globales muestra que el Presidente Obama ha levantado la imagen de Estados Unidos ante el mundo a los niveles que tenía antes del 9/11.

An editorial in this month's 2009 AARP Bulletin repeats the same bromide heard almost nightly on the MSM news: That there are currently 47 million Americans without health insurance. The AARP editorial goes on to argue that this situation is disgraceful, that all Americans should have "affordable health care choices," and that in terms of reform, "the time to act is now."