The Conservative Political Action Conference, meeting this weekend, can be reliably expected to embarrass every decent and sane conservative in America. In the past, it was a conspiratorial extremist co-sponsor, like the John Birch Society, or a certifiable kook giving the keynote address, like Glenn Beck.  Sometimes the problem is just vicious bullying of gay conservatives, who have been officially expelled from the conference.

But this year the annual Washington showcase of the Far Right has sunk to new depths of disgrace, by featuring "white nationalists" among its speakers. [The Fire Marshal has prohibited the burning of crosses and such in the crowded auditorium]

To explain the perils of multiculturalism and nonwhite immigration, the CPAC organizers have invited several avowed white nationalists who will disgorge their bigotry and hatred in the same conference hall that will host speeches by Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul [who believes Iran should be allowed to have nuclear weapons].  The conference has already been visited by Herman Cain, former owner/founder of the 8^th largest pizza chain in America, who complained about the damage being done to the nation by "stupid" people.  [Apparently the mirror in Mr. Cain’s hotel bathroom is broken]

It will be very, very interesting to hear what Mitt and Newt and the Sweater Boy have to say to the rabid crowd.  Just how far Right can a prospective Republican nominee go before guaranteeing the reelection of President Obama?  Are they prepared to please the kooks and lose the election?  Wanna bet?

The $5 million check that casino mogul Sheldon Adelson wrote to help his friend Newt Gingrich win his party's presidential nomination is expected to be followed by much more support aimed at helping the GOP's eventual winner, including several million dollars for a Karl Rove-created group.

For the full and very interesting story, click here.

Should all Americans be required to have health insurance? ObamaCare said yes, and the issue is now central to the Republican presidential primary. Mitt Romney championed an individual mandate as governor of Massachusetts. Newt Gingrich once backed the idea too, egged on by several conservative think tanks, though he's now opposed. Its constitutionality aside (that'll be decided soon by the Supreme Court), is a mandate a good idea?

The short answer is no. There is nothing that can be achieved with a mandate that can't be better achieved by a carefully designed system of tax subsidies.

The most common case for an individual mandate is the free-rider argument. Imagine a community in which everyone dutifully pays monthly health-insurance premiums, except Joe. Then one day Joe gets sick and finds he cannot pay the full costs of his medical care. So the rest of us chip in and pay for the remainder of Joe's care. The upshot: When he was healthy, Joe got to consume all his income instead of paying premiums, and after he got sick he managed to "free ride" on everyone else's generosity.

Ethically, Joe is getting an undeserved benefit paid for by others, who bear an undeserved cost. Economically, he is imposing an external cost on others. If we let him get away with this, others might emulate his example and the cost for the rest of us could grow.

For the complete article from the WSJ, click here.

Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson is preparing to donate an astonishing $20 million to help Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. The donation, which is not even in the same stratosphere as the $2,500 legal limit for direct campaign contributions, would be made to a pro-Gingrich "super PAC" which can legally accept unlimited funds.

Although Adelson's spokesman told Politico that "there’s no truth to any speculation that Mr. Adelson has made a commitment to either contribute or raise this amount of money," sources with direct knowledge of the planned $20 million donation told Politico that Adelson planned to cut a check to a super PAC as early as this week. It is still unknown which of the several pro-Gingrich groups would receive the money.

Long term, support from the massively wealthy Adelson would be critical for Gingrich, who lags behind his primary competitor Mitt Romney in fundraising. It would allow Gingrich to greatly increase his ad buying, and would also send a powerful signal to other potential donors that Gingrich's surge will not be temporary like those of previous front-runners Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain.

A huge donation from Adelson -- who is currently the 8th wealthiest American with a net worth of $21.5 billion -- would be consistent with his history of active political involvement. Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV) -- a former employee of Adelson's -- told the New Yorker in 2008 that Adelson "seeks to dominate politics and public policy through the raw power of money."

For the rest of the story, click here.