memeorandum: Government pensions, an obesity epidemic (Richard Cohen/Washington Post)

5:20 PM ET, February 22, 2011

Top Items:

Dennis Cauchon / USA Today:

Poll: 61% oppose limits on union bargaining power — The public strongly opposes laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employee unions as a way to ease state financial troubles, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. — The poll found that 61% would oppose a law …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, TPMDC, Ben Smith's Blog, The Plum Line, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, The Atlantic Online, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Prairie Weather, Daily Kos and Gawker

ThinkProgress:

Is Scott Walker Cutting Off Internet Access To Thwart Protesters? — Our guest blogger is Mike Elk, a freelance labor journalist and third generation union organizer based in Washington, D.C. You can follow him for more updates on Wisconsin on twitter at @MikeElk.

Discussion: Defend Wisconsin and Daily Kos

David Brooks / New York Times:

Make Everybody Hurt — Over the past few weeks we've begun to see the new contours of American politics. The budget cutters have taken control of the agenda, while government's defenders are waging tactical retreats. Given the scope of the fiscal problems, it could be like this for the next 10 or 20 years.

Discussion: The Monkey Cage, Ezra Klein, The Daily Dish, The New Republic, Washington Post, Yglesias, PostPartisan, The Plum Line, NewsBusters.org, DownWithTyranny!, Right Turn, TalkLeft, Balloon Juice and driftglass

Josh Dorner / ThinkProgress:

Priorities? GOP Governors Shift Burden To Poor, Middle Class To Pay For Tax Breaks For Rich, Corporations — State budgets across the country are in disarray as a weak economy, the end of tens of billions in Recovery Act funds, and a GOP-led House that is pushing for deep cuts to many programs …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Wonk Room and Firedoglake

Ezra Klein:
Wonkbook: Are Republicans overreaching? Or just negotiating effectively?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, American Power, Pajamas Media, The Caucus and The Daily Dish

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
What Did Walker Campaign On? — Last night, I heard on Fox News …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Firedoglake

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Government pensions, an obesity epidemic

Discussion: Yglesias, Hot Air and National Review

Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Billionaire Brothers' Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Plum Line, Parker Spitzer, Guardian, The Impolitic, Ben Smith's Blog, AMERICAblog News, Washington Post, Alas, a Blog, The Raw Story, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Taylor Marsh, CBS News and New York Magazine

CNN:
Pro-union website blocked in Wisconsin state Capitol

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Raw Story and The Page

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org:
Wisconsin State Senator Smacks Down Chris Matthews: 'You're Completely Uninformed'

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft, theblogprof, Politics Daily, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, UrbanGrounds and Badger Blogger

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
In Wisconsin, the gap widens between GOP and Dems

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Bloomberg, Hot Air, The Note, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, theblogprof and FrumForum

BooMan / Booman Tribune:
Wanker of the Day: Richard Cohen

Discussion: TalkLeft and Eschaton

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Rasmussen Poll on Wisconsin Dispute May Be Biased

Discussion: Daily Kos, TPMDC, Outside the Beltway, Hit & Run, CNN, The Raw Story, The Mahablog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing News, The Huffington Post, Scared Monkeys, Talking Points Memo, WisPolitics Budget Blog and Hot Air

Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:
AFL-CIO Polls Show Wisconsin Supports Protestors, Opposes Walker

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Wonkette, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Guardian, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and The American Independent

Jamison Foser / Media Matters for America:
George Will's Dishonest Assault On Unions

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Indianapolis Star:

Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown over anti-union legislation — House Democrats are leaving the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation, The Indianapolis Star has learned. — A source said Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky.

Indianapolis Star:

3:40 PM — Governor says time to dump labor bill — Gov. Mitch Daniels signaled this afternoon that Republicans should drop the right-to-work bill that has brought the Indiana House to a standstill for two days and imperiled other measures. — Daniels told reporters this afternoon …

Discussion: The Hill, protein wisdom, Riehl World View and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Mitch Daniels: Indiana Republicans Should Drop the Right to Work Bill

Discussion: Cubachi, AmSpecBlog and Riehl World View

Thomas M. Burton / Wall Street Journal:
Indiana Democrats Stage Walkout

Discussion: Firedoglake, JammieWearingFool and Fox News

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Madison, Indiana? — At what point does the decision …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, USA Today, Common Sense Political Thought and Pajamas Media

News Item:

› - Statement from John and Kimberley Thune — For months now, my wife Kimberley and I have received encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters from across South Dakota and the country to run for the presidency of the United States.

Anjeanette Damon / Las Vegas Sun:

Harry Reid: ‘The time has come for us to outlaw prostitution’ — Left: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Right: Northern Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof tries to battle threats to his industry on Tuesday in Carson City.

Henry Brean / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Reid urges Nevada to outlaw prostitution — The oldest profession came under new scrutiny in Carson City Tuesday as U.S. Sen. Harry Reid urged state lawmakers to dismantle Nevada's legal brothel industry. — “If we want to attract business to Nevada that puts people back to work …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Booman Tribune

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
In challenge to Senate, House GOP drafting spending bill with cuts

Discussion: National Review and FrumForum

Scott Wong / The Politico:
Harry Reid spending bill exposes deep divide with John Boehner

Discussion: CNN and The Note

The Politico:
How a government shutdown could happen

Discussion: CNN, Washington Monthly, White House Dossier and Quick News

The Politico:

Ex-aide's book paints harsh portrait of Sarah Palin — A new memoir from an embittered former aide to Sarah Palin includes a trove of emails that vividly illustrate her intense focus on image and depiction in the media. — The emails, apparently from the former Alaska governor …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Indecision Forever, Salon, Hot Air and New York Magazine

Jack Stuef / Wonkette:

Sarah Palin Has Secret ‘Lou Sarah’ Facebook Account To Praise Other Sarah Palin Facebook Account — Sarah Palin has apparently created a second Facebook account with her Gmail address so that this fake “Lou Sarah” person can praise the other Sarah Palin on Facebook.

Discussion: TPM LiveWire, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish, Politics Daily, AOL News and Gawker

Al Jazeera Blogs:

Live Blog - Libya Feb 22 — on February 22nd, 2011. — Alleged mercenaries deployed by Gaddafi in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. — As the uprising in Libya enters its ninth day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Sky News Australia, Guardian, Washington Post, BBC, Libya February 17th, News Desk, Mish's Global Economic …, AMERICAblog News and Outside the Beltway, more at Mediagazer »

Robert Baer / Time:
Gaddafi's Next Move: Sabotage Oil and Sow Chaos?

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Weasel Zippers

CBS News:

4 Americans on hijacked yacht dead off Somalia — U.S. Navy warship shadowing seized vessel takes action after gunshots are heard; 4 hostages apparently killed by captors, some pirates dead — The four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia are dead.

Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:

Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can't Read Proficiently—Despite Highest Per Pupil Spending in Midwest — (CNSNews.com) - Two-thirds of the eighth graders in Wisconsin public schools cannot read proficiently according to the U.S. Department of Education …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Don Surber, PERRspectives, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Vox Popoli, BizzyBlog, Confederate Yankee and Weasel Zippers

Julie Hayden / KDVR:

Online Poll - Drawing Arrest … - HOT TOPICS - Carmelo Trade - Boy Arrested Over Drawing - Find Low Gas Prices - Libya Violence - E-470 Crash - ‘Heaven Is Real’

Discussion: Hit & Run, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Jawa Report, Pajamas Media, JONATHAN TURLEY and Don Surber

WISC-TV:

Madison Labor Group Prepares For General Strike — Group Says It Needs To Educate Public First — MADISON, Wis. — If Gov. Scott Walker and Republican legislators pass a union bill that restricts collective bargaining rights, some labor groups in Madison said they would endorse the entire …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and iOwnTheWorld.com