The Marriage Ideal  —  Here are some commonplace arguments against gay marriage: Marriage is an ancient institution that has always been defined as the union of one man and one woman, and we meddle with that definition at our peril.  Lifelong heterosexual monogamy is natural; gay relationships are not.

Why I'm Not Hiring  —  When you add it all up, it costs $74,000 to put $44,000 in Sally's pocket and to give her $12,000 in benefits.  —  With unemployment just under 10% and companies sitting on their cash, you would think that sooner or later job growth would take off.  I think it's going to be later—much later.

Palin's Homer Moment: Celebrity Sarah Confronted by Citizen (WATCH)  —  I'm really proud of my home town.  When I say, “I'm just a girl from Homer” on my blog, radio or television show, I like to think it's not so much self-deprecation as it is a friendly warning.

GQ Exclusive: Rand Paul's Kooky College Days (Hint: There's a Secret Society Involved)  —  When the Lexington Herald-Leader reported last week that Rand Paul was, in effect, a college dropout, it looked like the 2010 midterms might feature yet another fabulist.

SOAK THE VERY, VERY RICH  —  The fight on Capitol Hill over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts is about many things: deficit reduction, economic stimulus, supply-side ideology.  But at its core is a simple question: who counts as rich?  The Obama Administration's answer is that you're rich …

The tea party's growing money problem  —  Some leading tea party activists are concerned their efforts are undermined by a shortage of cash.  AP  —  Some leading tea party activists are concerned that their efforts to reshape American politics, starting with the 2010 elections …

Frum: Bristol-Levi more significant that Prop 8 ruling  —  Editor's note: David Frum writes a weekly column for CNN.com.  A special assistant to President George W. Bush in 2001-02, he is the author of six books, including “Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again,” and is the editor of FrumForum.

America Goes Dark  —  The lights are going out all over America — literally.  Colorado Springs has made headlines with its desperate attempt to save money by turning off a third of its streetlights, but similar things are either happening or being contemplated across the nation, from Philadelphia to Fresno.

Some Companies Struggle to Fill Jobs  —  In Bloomington, Ill., machine shop Mechanical Devices can't find the workers it needs to handle a sharp jump in business.  Job fairs run by airline Emirates attract fewer applicants in the U.S. than in other countries.

Rep. Maxine Waters charged with three violations  —  The House ethics committee released its formal charges against Rep. Maxine Waters Monday.  AP  —  The House ethics committee released its formal charges against Rep. Maxine Waters Monday, accusing her of three counts of violating the letter …

“Public Internet,” Private Plan: Verizon, Google Announce Joint Broadband Policy  —  Oh, now I get it....  (photo: tantek)  —  Google and Verizon have announced their joint policy agreement on the Internet and broadband, seeking a continuation of the free and open policies around …

Avg.  Midterm Seat Loss 36 for Presidents Below 50% Approval  —  Presidents above 50% lose average of 14 House seats in midterm elections  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Presidents who retain majority job approval from Americans at the time of midterm elections are much less likely …

Republican Party starts to kill its own: S.C. Rep. Bob Inglis ousted for not hating Obama enough  —  There are landmarks all over our city named after LaGuardia and Javits and Rockefeller, names out of the city's great Republican past, when the party was one of intelligence, not fear-mongering and hate.

Self-induced Paralysis  —  Reading Jon Hilsenrath's column today, I was initially a bit skeptical about this assertion: … I knew that I had pushed that option (pdf); I was less sure that Bernanke had, since he often focused more on quantitative easing.  But Hilsenrath is right …

Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is out of control  —  Two unpleasant topics of conversation most of us avoid are the epidemic of HIV/AIDS among prison inmates and a variety of sometimes violent events resulting in transmission of the disease.  Some states long ago implemented policies …

Where Americans Are Spending More..  —  Since the recession started in the fourth quarter of 2007, the common theme has been about Americans cutting back on their spending.  But the latest numbers from the BEA show aggregate personal consumption expenditures are up 2.9%, or $285 billion.

In Austin, Obama touts higher education goals  —  President Obama reiterated his commitment to improving American higher education in a speech at the University of Texas Monday.  —  Stressing the link between students' educational achievement and national competitiveness …

Taliban execute pregnant woman in Afghanistan  —  HERAT, Afghanistan — The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by firing three shots into her head for alleged adultery, police said on Monday.  —  Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days …

Early Struggles of Soldier Charged in Leak Case  —  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — He spent part of his childhood with his father in the arid plains of central Oklahoma, where classmates made fun of him for being a geek.  He spent another part with his mother in a small, remote corner of southwest Wales …

Boehner's Deficit Blather  —  If you're advocating permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts, and you get asked about the impact on the budget, you have a few options.  The first is to insist that deficits don't matter.  The second is to argue that tax cuts cause revenues to rise. #1 …