The Wall St. Journal has a web site called Opinion Journal’s Political Diary. It’s a pretty interesting combination of opinions & political rundowns, with the Journal’s political biases.

The site is not usually free but they are offering a free two-week trial.

But sometimes you get what you pay for.

From the June 21^st Political Diary –

Marylanders opposed to the state’s new Early Voting law reached a milestone this week with enough petition signatures to bring a November referendum into the realm of possibility. Not a happy omen for the state’s heavily Democratic legislature and its most blatant effort yet to club Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff participates in a 10:00 am ET panel sponsored by the Heritage Foundation: "’24’ and America’s Image in Fighting Terrorism: Fact, Fiction or Does it Matter?" The three "24" cast members who are expected to participate: Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian), Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida), and Gregory Itzin (President Charles Logan). Rush Limbaugh takes the day off from the radio show to moderate.

New York Legislature honors Pat Riley as homegrown star

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The Miami Heat’s Pat Riley was honored Wednesday by the New York Assembly as a homegrown New York star a day after he won his fifth NBA championship as head coach.

"I fondly remember the days many years ago, playing basketball with Pat, and working basketball summer camps with him," said Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, who grew up in Schenectady with Riley.

Riley was a basketball and football star at Schenectady’s Linton High School. With Riley, "The state of New York and its citizens," reads the proclamation, "offer good wishes, admiration and congratulations."

As another dismal session of the NY State Legislature comes to an end, it’s time to look way back in history to ………….. April! 

On April 25, Senate Dem Leader David Paterson announced a deal that he made with Majority Leader Joe Bruno regarding "member items" or as civilians call it – pork.

Part of the deal stated – "For this year, Senator Bruno has committed himself to making a full disclosure of member items according to the criteria described above on or before May 15."

It’s now June 20. I don’t recall seeing any press reports listing the full disclosure, does anybody else?

For those of you who have nothing better to do, than carry the “jocks” of those incompetent black-elected officials of Brooklyn-the ones I usually excoriate in my posts here and elsewhere on the blogs-I have a word or two for you. Firstly; stop attacking me while hiding behind those “anonymous” masks in the comment sections of my posts here, and on other blogs linked to Room8. It’s childish and cowardly. I am here, quite willing, ready and able to debate the issues and concerns that I raise. Use facts, history, context, logic, whatever, but don’t keep childishly calling me names. I do expect better. You are starting to look bad. Real bad, and petty also. You are turning out to be unworthy opponents. I am getting bored already.

There is a chorus of incomprehension about the decision by the federal Department of Homeland Security to reduce security funding for New York City by 40 percent, and redistribute the savings to other less populated areas.  Some people cannot understand how it can make sense to take money away from a city that has been attacked several times and is the subject of ongoing threats and plots.  That is because such people believe that the purpose of homeland security funding is to ensure homeland security.

In reality, for elected officials the provision of public services and benefits is incidental to the actual purpose of the expenditure of public funds, if not an impediment to it.  The purpose of public spending is to reward narrow groups of political supporters with more money in exchange for less effort than any of those paying would have agreed to voluntarily.  Taxes are not voluntary.