Outside the Beltway

A capsule look at the world situation as 2010 draws to a close.

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a sign that the political ground is shifting. Will the GOP take notice?

Judicial activism doesn’t mean “reaching a decision I don’t like.”

Citibank is helping the US catch up to the rest of the world with free, easy wire transfers.

Is President Obama’s Federal pay freeze a sign that he’s moving to the right, or just pointless symbolism?

The U.S. Postal Service is warning Congress that it could run out of cash next year without a government bailout. Meaning that this is the perfect opportunity to reform an organization that has been out-of-date for a decade now.

Sharron Angle’s attorney is charging that “Harry Reid intends to steal this election if he can’t win it outright.” She touts various “shenanigans” in a fundraising letter.

The biggest outside spender in 2010 isn’t the Chamber of Commerce but the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Reason’s Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie have a pretty amusing rejoinder to the Obama administration’s attempts to smear the anonymous funding of television ads opposed to their agenda in a video titled “Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?”

The Tea Party movement and the populist backlash against DC mayor Adrian Fenty are a sign that things are changing so fast that a lot of people simply can’t adjust.

DC schools superintendent Michelle Rhee has radically transformed the system for the better. Naturally, the teachers unions want her gone.

Affluent whites are astounded that Adrian Fenty appears about to lose his bid for re-election as DC’s mayor. But the majority black population is less than thrilled with his tenure.

President Obama will be giving an address to schoolkids again this year. Stay tuned for the cries of “indoctrination !”

Same-sex marriages are still barred in California, but how long that lasts is in the hands of three judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Should we abandon the notion of civil marriage? Would doing so end the clash over homosexual unions?

Unpaid internships aren’t education and give kids of wealthy, well connected parents even more advantages. Should we get rid of them?

Should Obama waive restrictions on international shipping, as Bush did during Katrina? It’s more complicated than you may think.