The January 22 Obama Plan is not accompanied by legislative text. Thus, it can only be analyzed in qualitative terms. We do that below the jump.

Where do the numbers come from?

These figures are analogous to those reported three months ago and which caused significant controversy. Initial reporting was rife with errors and relied on a system that impeded error correction.

They are different, however, in ways that make them incomparable with the figures initially reported.

To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town -- a supermajority -- then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. (Applause.) Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together.

Here are some intriguing facts about filibuster-proof congressional majorities and the legislative productivity of the 111th Congress.

Recently, Washington Post staff writer Alec MacGillis reported that White House Council of Economic Advisers chairman Christina Romer now claims ARRA "has created or saved between 1.7 million and 2 million jobs."

Examining these figures closely reveals that they are not estimates at all, but assumptions built into the Administration's estimation model.

Neutral Source managing editor Richard Belzer submitted comments on his own behalf. These comments eventually will be uploaded by OMB to Regulations.Gov, the Federal government's web portal for all regulatory matters. (Clicking on the link above will reveal a fundamental weakness of the web portal: Unless the agency chooses to include information identifying the name and organizational affiliation of the submitter, there is no way to find any specific comment without opening them all.)

In response to numerous requests, a copy of these comment is posted to the Library.

Maryland legislators are proposing to levy a new tax of ten cents per eight ounces of alcoholic beverage sold in the State. A news story today shows how proponents of sin taxes tend to also be in favor of sin.

Is this a pollution tax, as its backers claim, or just another sales tax?

It has been reported widely that the version of health care legislation passed by the Senate (HR 3590, as amended) includes provisions that would prevent a future Congress from changing or repealing it.

A careful review of the bill shows that these reports are incorrect.

There is no question Maryland can write more regulations. But can regulation solve market failure?

Belzer, RB. "Letter to the Honorable Cass R. Sunstein," December 28, 2009.

Travel bloggers Christopher Elliott and Steve Frischling published the directive. On December 29, both were served with subpoenas demanding the surrender by December 31 of all private records that might reveal the identity of the source. Frischling surrendered his computer to federal agents on December 30. Predictably, they destroyed it rather than return it. Elliott contested the subpoena and TSA withdrew them on December 31.

Whether TSA's actions were legal (or should have been illegal) is an interesting question. What is more immediately interesting is that the directive itself implies a higher concern about the appearance of safety than safety itself. Nothing in the directive would have prevented Abdulmutallab from bombing Flight 253 or prevent a similarly equipped terrorist from blowing up an airliner tomorrow.

Today's Shoe illustrates one of the problems with these proposed restrictions.