Passive House in the Woods

Passive House in the Woods: "The exterior wall assembly of the Passive House in the Woods consists of 11” Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for structure, and an 11” Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) facade with an overall R-value of 70. Windows and doors are Passive House certified, come with high solar heat gain (64%), triple pane low-E coated glazings, as well as insulated frames for installed R-values of 8. The slab sits on 12” of extruded polystyrene insulation with an R-value of 60. The flat roof utilizes an average of 14” of polyisocyanurate insulation with an R-value of 95."

Education Race to Top Hits Bottom | Neal McCluskey | Cato Institute: Commentary

Education Race to Top Hits Bottom | Neal McCluskey | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Indeed, as Duncan conceded when he announced the victors, what put Delaware and Tennessee in the winners' circle wasn't embracing cutting-edge reforms, but getting all districts and teachers' unions to endorse their applications."

LOL!

The War on Drugs Is Lost | Patrick Basham | Cato Institute: Commentary

The War on Drugs Is Lost | Patrick Basham | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In prisons, drugs are plentiful and their use is widespread. No matter what they try, prisons can't keep drugs out - an important lesson for those who would turn Russia, or any country, into a prison to stop drug use.

The startling, deeply unpleasant, but equally unavoidable fact is that 80 percent of drug-related deaths aren't the result of drug use. They are the result of drug prohibition."

"filling prisons with substance abusers doesn't make any public policy sense. If we ended the war on drugs, drug addicts could be treated as patients, not as pestilence."

FEDERALLY SANCTIONED PROCESS FOR PUERTO RICO'S SELF-DETERMINATION

FEDERALLY SANCTIONED PROCESS FOR PUERTO RICO'S SELF-DETERMINATION: "(a) First Plebiscite- The Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct a plebiscite in Puerto Rico. The 2 options set forth on the ballot shall be preceded by the following statement: `Instructions: Mark one of the following 2 options:
`(1) Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of political status. If you agree, mark here XX.
`(2) Puerto Rico should have a different political status. If you agree, mark here XX.'.
(b) Procedure if Majority in First Plebiscite Favors Option 1- If a majority of the ballots in the plebiscite are cast in favor of Option 1, the Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct additional plebiscites under subsection (a) at intervals of every 8 years from the date that the results of the prior plebiscite are certified under section 3(d).
(c) Procedure if Majority in First Plebiscite Favors Option 2- If a majority of the ballots in a plebiscite conducted pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) are cast in favor of Option 2, the Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct a plebiscite on the following 3 options:
(1) Independence: Puerto Rico should become fully independent from the United States. If you agree, mark here XX.
(2) Sovereignty in Association with the United States: Puerto Rico and the United States should form a political association between sovereign nations that will not be subject to the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution. If you agree, mark here XX.
(3) Statehood: Puerto Rico should be admitted as a State of the Union. If you agree, mark here XX."

Why does the government want to force the people to choose between just those 3 choices? And they want them to keep voting until they make a choice that is acceptable. Also why can anyone born in Puerto Rico vote their with an absentee ballot even if they don't live there right now? This doesn't sound very democratic -- it sounds like they want them to "vote until they get it right".

The Coming Entitlement Tsunami | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Coming Entitlement Tsunami | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "If we really wanted to pay for the amount of spending to come, we would have to raise both the corporate tax rate and top income tax rate from their current 35 percent to 88 percent, the current 25 percent tax rate for middle-income workers to 63 percent, and the 10 percent tax bracket for low-income workers to 25 percent."

That is amazing! But who wants to take the hit of cutting spending when it can be left for the next guy?

FOXNews.com - Chicago Lawmakers: Call In the National Guard

FOXNews.com - Chicago Lawmakers: Call In the National Guard: "Two lawmakers who believe violence has become so rampant in Chicago that the Illinois National Guard must be called in to help made a public plea to Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday to deploy troops.

A recent surge in violent crime, including a night last week that saw seven people killed and 18 wounded -- mostly by gunfire -- prompted the request from Chicago Democratic Reps."

How is that gun ban working for you, Chicago?

FOXNews.com - Utah Sets Firing-Squad Execution for Killer on Death Row Since '85

FOXNews.com - Utah Sets Firing-Squad Execution for Killer on Death Row Since '85: "Ronnie Lee Gardner has been on Utah's death row for 25 years. After Reese said Gardner's avenues for appeal are exhausted and that he would sign the warrant, Gardner said 'I would like the firing squad, please.'

The 49-year-old Gardner would be the first death row inmate executed in Utah since Joseph Mitchell Parsons died by lethal injection in 1999."

Kitty Rhodes: April 23

April 23: "Raw Milk – On a bipartisan 60-35 vote, legislation that would allow the sale of raw milk passed the Assembly.� Although originally opposed to the bill, changes made in the Senate to protect consumers and address negligent farmers dramatically improved the legislation. I supported the bill."

Senator Russ Feingold: The Control Spending Now Act

Senator Russ Feingold: The Control Spending Now Act: "The IRS is permitted to charge taxpayers a fee for some of the services it performs, and is allowed to keep and spend that money even though its administrative functions are already funded by Congress. U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has proposed ending the slush fund"

FOXNews.com - Arizona House OKs Bill Requiring Presidential Candidates to Provide Birth Certificate

FOXNews.com - Arizona House OKs Bill Requiring Presidential Candidates to Provide Birth Certificate: "Supporters of the Arizona measure say it would help settle the controversy.

'I support this measure in order to remove this as any type of issue in the future,' said Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa."

That sounds like a good thing to do and a good reason to do it.