What is the greatest obstacle confronting the new congressional Republican majority in enacting good policy? It may not be President Obama, because there is an even more formidable force in Washington that crushes good policy: the Permanent Bureaucracy.

The permanent bureaucracy is made up of federal employees, government contractors and their employees, congressional staff and the special-interest lobbying community (including law and accounting firms). It also includes the media establishment, which depends on leaks and information from those in government for stories in exchange for protective coverage.

Hardworking taxpayers never cease being ripped off by wasteful and fraudulent government spending and regulation. Unlike what happens in the private sector, people in government rarely go to jail or are even fired for financial misconduct.

The government requires financial and senior officers of companies to sign off on the accuracy of their financial statements in order to protect stockholders. Company officers are subject to civil and criminal penalties, including jail time for misstatements, and their names are released to the press.

There is no reason for taxpayers to be any less protected than stockholders from financial negligence or fraud.  Here's how to do it.

One of my favorite researchers is Barbara Fredrickson, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her new book is Love 2.0, in which she looks at "love from the body's perspective" -- meaning that she has been studying how the experience of the emotion of love affects your physiology, including your physical health.

Now, when we hear the word "love," we think of romantic love, or how we love our kids, other family members, and friends.

We even feel it in what Fredrickson calls "micro-moments of connection." The nice conversation you have with the checkout person at the grocery store; the warm greeting of welcome by a new acquaintance at a meeting; even the moment of eye contact with a stranger who holds open a door.

It turns out that these micro-moments of connection are actually filled with stuff that is good for you, like a good meal is filled with nutrients; emotionally, psychologically, and in terms of your overall health.

The Washington Post, flagship of the liberal elite in our nation's capital, ran the most marvelously revealing story this week (1/15).  In typical heart-tugging WaPo style, Emergency Care Waits Found To Be On Rise described the growing nationwide "deadly" crisis of hyper-crowded hospital emergency rooms.

After providing examples and stats showing how much longer it takes to see a physician in an emergency room, the article listed the causes of this "frightening trend."  Guess what they don't mention.
 
The idiom "elephant in the room" refers to ignoring something overwhelmingly obvious, pretending it doesn't exist.  Liberals take this one step further - they really don't see the elephant, they willfully blind themselves to the elephant's existence, in this case taking up most of the space in the emergency room of most of the hospitals in the country.

Any of you who have been in an ER recently know exactly what I am talking about:  they are overflowing with illegal aliens speaking a torrent of Spanish demanding free medical care.

It's another example of why the issue of illegal immigration is such an Achilles Heel for Democrats in November.

Chapter Sixteen: Xicotencatl – Young and Old

Are you ready for Vegas?  Yes - the TTP Vegas Rendezvous is official!  It's at the Platinum Boutique Hotel & Spa, just off the Strip and its most famous intersection of Caesar's, Bellagio, Paris, and the Flamingo.

The dates are Friday April 24^th to Sunday April 26.  We haven't been able to hold a Rendezvous since 2011 as I've been traveling so much.  And with so many requests - "Come on, Jack, when's another Rendezvous??" - it was clear we better have one this spring. 

So give Miko a call at 202-656-3008 or email him at miko@tothepointnews.com to sign up now.  I'll see you in Vegas!...

Well, here's a first.  Never before has the HFR found cause to praise Mrs. Zero, but we're happy to so this week....

Dissolve the intelligence agency that has all the dirt on you, in order to deflect attention away from you for the murder of the investigator exposing you?  Good luck, murderess.  Argentina's Curse of Cristina may with any luck soon be over...

Speaking of murderers.  Yesterday (1/30), Texas proceeded with the execution of Robert Ladd after the Supreme Court rejected ACLU arguments that his IQ was too low at 67. Here's why IQ is irrelevant...

Our HFR Health & Fitness feature this week focuses on news stories like this on CBS on Tuesday (1/27): Common Allergy Meds May Increase Odds of Dementia.  Here's how to avoid that and start thinking sharp and clear at any age...

How many hurricanes do you think will hit the East Coast of the United States in 2015? Will the Arctic ice sheet disappear next year? How fast will the U.S. economy grow? What will the level of the Dow Jones stock index be at the end of 2015? Which team will win the World Series?

Go back and look at past predictions made by the experts, and then look at what really happened.

Climate alarmists 15 or so years ago were forecasting catastrophic events by this time. Al Gore and his alarmist crowd told us that by now we would be having more and stronger tornadoes and hurricanes.

And indeed, many tornado and hurricane records have been broken -- not because there were more, but because there have been fewer. Florida has now gone a record nine straight seasons without a significant hurricane.

Government economists have no better track record at predicting what will happen to the US economy next year than climate alarmists.  Maybe worse and here's why.