Reversing the spending......we will see.

President Barack Obama plans to announce in next year's State of the Union address that he wants to focus extensively on cutting the federal deficit in 2010 – and will downplay other new domestic spending beyond jobs programs, according to top aides involved in the planning. The president's plan, which the officials said was under discussion before this month’s Democratic election setbacks, represents both a practical and a political calculation by this White House. On the practical side, Obama has spent more money on new programs in nine months than Bill Clinton did in eight years, pushing the annual deficit to $1.4 trillion. This leaves little room for big spending initiatives...Link

A personal 'carbon allowance'...............

Lord Smith of Finsbury believes that implementing individual carbon allowances for every person will be the most effective way of meeting the targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It would involve people being issued with a unique number which they would hand over when purchasing products that contribute to their carbon footprint, such as fuel, airline tickets and electricity...Link

"structurally deficient or functionally obsolete".

Here's some bad news for all of us: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." And get this, there are less than 598,000 bridges in America. That means 25.7% aren't in very good shape. It turns out that the state with the most structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (SD/FO) bridges is Texas, with 9,564 such bridges. However, Texas is ginormous – almost half the size of Alaska – and therefore has a lot of bridges, but the percentage of Texan SD/FO bridges is 19%. And that's significantly lower than the national average...Link

Pfizer and Kelo's Ghost Town..........

The Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London stands as one of the worst in recent years, handing local governments carte blanche to seize private property in the name of economic development. Now, four years after that decision gave Susette Kelo's land to private developers for a project including a hotel and offices intended to enhance Pfizer Inc.'s nearby corporate facility, the pharmaceutical giant has announced it will close its research and development headquarters in New London, Connecticut...Link

Man killed by VP's Secret Service vehicles.

Two U.S. Secret Service armored vehicles used to protect Vice President Biden struck and killed a pedestrian in Temple Hills early Wednesday morning, authorities said. The vehicles were traveling together from Andrews Air Force Base at about 2:30 a.m. when the pedestrian was hit at the intersection of Suitland Parkway and Naylor Road in Temple Hills, U.S. Park Police said...Link

Shaking Up the Kentucky Senate Race.....

But now the younger Paul, an ophthalmologist, is making his own bid for office, and he is doing so in the family tradition: Making Republicans uncomfortable. Paul is running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, his home state since 1993. He is leading in the most recent poll and raising buckets of money. He is outperforming Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who has the support of Kentucky’s most powerful pol, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Like his father who became an Internet phenomenon during his presidential run, Rand Paul also seems to be somewhat of an Internet sensation. But whether he can actually win is an open question...Link