Monday digest

- Right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy is the new French President after having campaigned on a smaller-government platform which included measures to reduce chronic unemployment, a cut in the size of the crippling public sector (52% of GDP) and the erection-to-resurrection welfare state the accompanies it, a reduction in the country's highly punitive and downright confiscatory tax rates, and a loosening of one of, if not the, most rigid labour markets in the entire First World, starting with the abolition of the absurd 35-hour work week.

The ability of Sarko to carry out his reform agenda is going to depend on the outcome of Parliamentary elections later this spring. I hope for his sake that he's not looking to Ottawa to find an example of courageous and bold leadership in the face of deeply entrenched special interests, because he sure won't find it with this government in power.

- Both the stock market and the amount of tax revenue taken in by the US government are at all-time highs. Why? Your answer, here.

- A recent poll shows that just over 3 of 5 Democrats surveyed either outright believe or think it somewhat likely that President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance, while a number of Canadian "peace" groups, including the Canadian Arab Federation, recently sat down with representatives from Hamas and Hezbollah in Cairo to find common cause and explore ways to work together.

No comment necessary.

- There is still a lot of grey area when it comes to the causes of global warming despite what the eco-imperialists will tell you. However, that hasn't slowed public resolve to deal with it, rightly or wrongly. Contrast that with issues where we know for certain - and have for a long time - that there are serious problems that will eventually need to be dealt with, like Social Security in the United States or Canada's health care system as it is currently structured. It seems like the elites in society can engage themselves on "sustainability" based on incomplete conclusions concerning the environment, but not when hard and fast evidence exists concerning who gets how much of the social spending pie. Michael Barone comments, here.

- A study sponsored by Canada's Justice Department has concluded that fathers are pretty much unnecessary when it comes to child-rearing. See here.

- I've heard about the Kermit the Frog version of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", a tune that was covered by a decrepit Johnny Cash before he bought the farm, and I didn't think it was all that funny till about the three-minute mark. See here for some very twisted humour.