Now That's Rich  —  We need to pinch pennies these days.  Don't you know we have a budget deficit?  For months that has been the word from Republicans and conservative Democrats, who have rejected every suggestion that we do more to avoid deep cuts in public services and help the ailing economy.

Far from Ground Zero, other plans for mosques run into vehement opposition  —  MURFREESBORO, TENN. — For more than 30 years, the Muslim community in this Nashville suburb has worshipped quietly in a variety of makeshift spaces — a one-bedroom apartment, an office behind a Lube Express …

Poll numbers in 1994, a bad year for Democrats, don't bode well for them in 2010  —  Is it deja vu all over again for Democrats?  —  Some neutral observers and senior strategists within the party have begun to believe that the national political environment is not only similar to what they saw in 1994 …

Was Mike Huckabee Ready To Sell His Endorsement to Rick Scott for $250,000?  —  I have spoken with a reliable source telling me that a little over a week ago, Mike Huckabee approached the Rick Scott campaign and made overtures that his endorsement could be had for $250,000 dollars.

10 things Obama must do in 10 weeks  —  (CNN) — President Obama is facing criticism that his message has gone off track at a crucial time for his party and administration.  With the midterm elections just 10 weeks away, the president's approval ratings are at their lowest.

Dems urge Obama to take a stand  —  White House press secretary Robert Gibbs's recent complaint about the ingratitude of the “professional left” is a small symptom of a larger problem for President Barack Obama: He has left wide swaths of the Democratic Party uncertain of his core beliefs.

Real Estate's Gold Rush Seems Gone for Good  —  Housing will eventually recover from its great swoon.  But many real estate experts now believe that home ownership will never again yield rewards like those enjoyed in the second half of the 20th century, when houses not only provided shelter but also a plump nest egg.

The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.  —  David H. Koch in 1996.  He and his brother Charles are lifelong libertarians and have quietly given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes.  —  KEYWORDS … On May 17th, a black-tie audience …

True stories of bloggers who secretly feed on partisan cash  —  Katie Couric once described bloggers as journalists who gnaw at new information “like piranhas in a pool.”  But increasingly, many bloggers are also secretly feeding on cash from political campaigns, in a form of partisan payola …

Taliban-hired snipers believed to have killed British soldiers killed by air strikes  —  Four foreign snipers hired by the Taliban, thought to be responsible for the deaths of ten British soldiers, have been hunted down and killed.  —  The mercenaries were found by British special forces …

The creeping threat of backdoor privatization  —  It has come to this: Parents are now being asked to send their children to school with their own toilet paper.  And not just toilet paper, but all sorts of basic items that schools themselves used to provide for kids.

In break with Reid, Durbin backs mosque  —  The second-ranking Senate Democrat broke ranks with his party's leader this weekend by announcing his support for the Lower Manhattan Islamic center and mosque.  —  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said Sunday that those who are opposed …

SPIN METER: Republicans hot, cold on Constitution  —  WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia won his seat in Congress campaigning as a strict defender of the Constitution.  He carries a copy in his pocket and is particularly fond of invoking the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Moving targets, US housing edition  —  If at first you don't succeed . . . move the goal-posts.  —  In the grand tradition of stimulus policy gone wrong, that seems to be just what the US Treasury has done in relation to its Hamp mortgage modification programme.

Many More Now Following Mosque Controversy - And Don't Like It  —  A lot more voters are paying attention to the plans to build a mosque near the Ground Zero site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, and they don't like the idea.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds …

Uninsured Slow To Sign Up For Coverage  —  HACKENSACK, N.J. - Just two people in New Jersey will begin receiving coverage Monday under new plans created by federal health care reforms.  —  NJ Protect plans are available to those who have been without insurance for at least six months …

Philly requiring bloggers to pay $300 for a business license  —  It looks like cash hungry local governments are getting awfully rapacious these days: … To say that these kinds of draconian measures are detrimental to the public discourse would be an understatement.

Mosque: Don't blame friends for acts of enemies  —  The debate swirling around the proposed mosque and Muslim community center in lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site has, for many, tapped into strong emotions of a national trauma that is still raw.