Spain Stumbles, GSA Blows More Cash, Regulations Screw Up Medicine: P.M. Links

|

  • Stock markets dipped and the value of the euro slid after Spain's Valencia region called for financial help. The move raised fears that Spain as a whole will need a rescue. France's President Hollande is pushing a state-jobs plan that seeks to keep the lid on troubles rather than improve the economy.

  • A coalition of groups including CEI, EFF and EPIC is going to court to force the Transportation Security Administration to comply with a legally required notice-and-comment rulemaking process for its "advanced imaging" scanners. The TSA was ordered to begin the process in July 2011, but has ignored the court for the past year.
  • Effectively out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul says "I have not made a decision" when asked whether he'll vote for likely GOP candidate, Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, Senator Rand Paul urged libertarians to continue to work within the Republican Party.
  • The General Services Administration is in the spotlight once more over a spendy gathering, this time a one-day conference near Washington, D.C. that cost taxpayers almost $270,000. Attendees were given $28,000 worth of "time temperature picture frames," just because. Way to stay out of the headlines, folks!
  • Getting naked at the airport to protest intrusive TSA "security" procedures is a protected act of free speech — at least for John Brennan, who stripped down at the Portland, Oregon, airport after he'd had enough of the nonsense. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge David Rees ruled that the strip show was legitimate protest. Ummm … John? Consider a few crunches.
  • Medical professionals including a representative of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons told the House Small Business Committee that regulatory burdens, rising malpractice costs and inadequate Medicare compensation have compromised doctors' ability to care for patients. "In 1995, Westchester Orthopedic employed one person to perform administrative tasks. By the late '90s, they employed one per doctor."
  • Red-light cameras in St. Petersburg, Florida, have captured local drivers running traffic signals at speeds up to 215 mph and taking corners at 96 mph. Critics of the cameras point out that your average civilian vehicle is hard-pressed to achieve such impressive performance.

Do you want hot links and other Reason goodies delivered to your inbox twice a day? Sign up here for Reason's morning and afternoon news updates.