So… what is Clinton thinking?

Just how bad was it?  Romer admitted that no one at the White House understood the fundamentals of this recession, and how they just assumed it would behave like previous recessions.  And it might have done so, had the Obama administration applied the policies that alleviated previous recessions, especially those that Ronald Reagan used to pull the US out of a decade-long stagnation slump where high inflation eroded the buying power of Americans.  Instead of cutting taxes (especially capital gains taxes) and reducing regulation to entice new investment, Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats chose to chase a government takeover of health care, a massive tax on energy production that would penalize expansion and growth, and expanding the jurisdiction on Wall Street of the same agencies that had watched the collapse come and did nothing about it.

Romer, however, still hasn’t got a clue why a one-time expenditure of government funds didn’t make things hunky-dory:

Milwaukee police officers who retire to Arizona and Florida can easily get permits to carry hidden guns in those states, just like most other residents.

Soon, hundreds of former MPD officers in Wisconsin also could be able to carry concealed weapons, under a federal law that allows retired officers to be certified annually and carry their guns in any state.

The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act was passed in 2004, and many other Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have been certifying their retirees to carry guns for years.

So after six years, MPD will finally get around to implementing the law.  But they will do so with onerous regulations. 

Retirees would have to pass the same firing range testing as active officers, using MPD-approved guns, and sign waivers that would clarify the city has no liability for any later use of the guns by the retired officers.

In addition, either Tobin or Flynn could revoke a retiree’s certification for any reason, Tobin said, and only retirees who are residents of Wisconsin can apply.

The certification procedure will cost $100.

The South Korean government, in an effort to raise money for its military, wants to sell nearly a million antique M1 rifles that were used by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War to gun collectors in America.

The Obama administration approved the sale of the American-made rifles last year. But it reversed course and banned the sale in March – a decision that went largely unnoticed at the time but that is now sparking opposition from gun rights advocates.

A State Department spokesman said the administration’s decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands.

“The transfer of such a large number of weapons—87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines—could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes,” the spokesman told FoxNews.com.

“We are working closely with our Korean allies and the U.S. Army in exploring alternative options to dispose of these firearms.”

Concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands?  Like the roving bands of criminals who prefer a heavy-ass rifle that kicks like a small mule?  Or criminals who go for the lighter carbine and it’s weak-ass, non-standard, expensive ammunition?

Why can’t they just be honest and say the real reason—“we don’t like guns”?

These guns are of great interest to collectors because they’re historic.  It’ll be a shame when the administrations comes up with its inevitable solution and scraps ‘em.

“If you smoke a pack of cigarettes, that means you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates,” Kudrin said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

“People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state,” he said, offering unconventional advice as the Russian government announced plans to raise excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes.

The number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades — decreasing by 8 percent as the sour economy dried up jobs and increased enforcement made it harder to sneak across the border with Mexico, a new study finds.

Much of the decline comes from a sharp drop-off in illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, Central America and South America attempting to cross the southern border of the U.S., according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which based its report on an analysis of 2009 census data.

A longtime West Bend prosecutor has been named district attorney for Washington County by Gov. Jim Doyle.

Mark Bensen has worked in the Washington County office since 2001 and was named deputy district attorney last year by District Attorney Todd Martens. Martens was named to the circuit court bench this year by Doyle, creating the opening for a successor.

Bensen will take office immediately for a term lasting until 2013.