Jacquelyn Gill responds to a stupid comment by Gov. Scott Walker. He has a ‘solution’ to the state budget crisis.

Last week, you told professors at the University of Wisconsin that they needed to “work harder.” You were making a case that the Wisconsin state budget crisis could be ameliorated by increasing employee efficiency, and you suggested having faculty teach at least one more class. I’m not going to talk about whether or not the budget crisis is manufactured (some have argued it could be solved by accepting federal funds for the state’s Badger Care health program), or whether your real goal is really partisan politics, and not fiscal responsibility.

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Answers in Genesis has announced today that they are suing the state of Kentucky for withdrawing a tax rebate. To make their case, they have released a long video featuring Ken Ham getting all the answers he wants from a lawyer wearing a greasy muskrat on his head.

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Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we remember the terrible events memorialized on the day the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated. We don’t similarly memorialize the terrible acts that inspired Hitler to build those camps, because the country that did that was ours.

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Our Republican feeeemales.

Jon Stewart looks at the Freedom Summit, the Iowa event that brought together Republican presidential hopefuls.

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By 98 to 1, the senate voted in favor of an amendment to a bill that declares that climate change is real (the one exception was Roger Wicker of Mississippi). Finally, you say, we can get something done. Wrong, I say. You should know better. The Republicans found a way to twist out of the implications.

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In case you missed last night’s state of the union address, here it is (and here are a few departures from the script). It was…OK. It was largely focused on the economy (which is slowly getting better) and increasing opportunity for those who aren’t doing as well — so that was good. I’m not entirely convinced that Obama isn’t still in the pocket of Wall Street, but he talks a good game.

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I would actually agree with Republicans on something: requiring a basic civics test, as Arizona has done, seems like a reasonable expectation. It helps that it really isn’t very difficult: here’s a set of sample questions, which most people have managed to get more than 90% right (60% is required to pass; I got 100%). I am suspicious of the Republican motives, though: they probably think they are putting up a barrier for immigrants, which seems to be the obsession among Arizona politicians.

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