“It is hard,” the president said in his press conference today, “to persuade people to do hard stuff that includes trimming benefits and increasing revenues. . . . Reason we have a problem now is people keep avoiding hard things.”  (Via Gateway Pundit.)

• Pass a federal budget.  The Senate, run by Democrats has not done so in over 800 days.
• Presenting a federal budget that can muster at least one vote in the United States Senate.  No Senators voted for the only detailed budget the president has released this year.
• Presented a plan to ensure Medicare’s solvency.  (If you look “at the numbers,” the president said today, “Medicare in particular will run out of money, and we will not be able to sustain that program no matter how much taxes go up. I mean, it’s not an option for us to just sit by and do nothing.”  (Via Jennifer Rubin.))  Neither President Obama nor the Democratic leadership of either House has presented such a plan.

Do hope that those in the MSM practicing “accountability journalism” will be asking Democrats about their plans to undertake these “hard” tasks.

“Small businesses,” the president said last September, “produce most of the new jobs in this country. They are the anchors of our Main Streets. They are part of the promise of America, the idea that if you’ve got a dream and you’re willing to work hard, you can succeed.”

Unfortunately, as Jim Hoft reported earlier today, approximately 80% of those Main Street job creators aren’t hiring:

Almost two-thirds—64%—of small-business executives surveyed said they weren’t expecting to add to their payrolls in the next year and another 12% planned to cut jobs, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report to be released Monday. Just 19% said they would expand their work forces.

. . . .

The Small Business Administration says small businesses, defined as companies with fewer than 500 workers, employ about half of the workers in the private sector. In the Chamber’s survey of 1,409 executives, conducted by Harris Interactive, small businesses were defined as firms with revenue of $25 million or less.

More than half of the small-business executives in the June 27-30 survey cited economic uncertainty as the main reason for holding back on hiring. About a third blamed lack of sales, while just 7% pointed to problems getting credit.

Emphasis added.  Economic uncertainty?  Sounds like something law professor Stephen L. Carter learned when chatting with  a businessman on a recent flight.  Instead of faulting Republicans for refusing to agree to a new stimulus, the president would do well to ask his agency heads to develop a friendlier attitude toward those he has identified as job creators and a less capricious attitude toward regulations on their activity.

Thanks to Governor Scott Walker, gay men and lesbians will be able to sleep a little more securely come November in the Badger State thanks to legislation he signed giving our fellows there the resources to better protect themselves against bashers.  That good man, Ed Morissey reports

. . .  signed a bill that made Wisconsin the 49th state to allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms. Walker had tried to get the bill passed for years while a state legislator, but his Democratic predecessor, Jim Doyle, and Democrats in the legislature had stymied those efforts. This time the bill passed with bipartisan support and allows Wisconsin residents to get permits on a must-issue basis — meaning that the state cannot deny a permit application without justifiable cause, such as a felony record

The law takes effect November 1.  Most states, Morrissey notes have seen “a decrease in crimeafter the enactment of such legislation”.  If anti-gay thugs knows that gay people could be packing, they’ll be less likely to attack.

Legislation which allows all people to defend themselves allows gay people to protect themselves.  The more free we are, the more rights we have.

(Via Instapundit.)

FROM THE COMMENTS:  MikeSilver writes:

No need to limit the bill’s positive benefit to Gays. It benefits minorities, Jews, poor, disabled, seniors, just about everyone except criminals.

Check out this report from GeorgiaCarry.Org which uses FBI Uniform Crime Report data to prove that more people carrying guns reduces crime:

http://www.georgiacarry.com/research/GCO_-_Guns_Good_Bans_Bad.pdf

Good point.  A bill need not be gay-specific to advance gay rights.