Today is February 3rd. On this date in 2009, Eric Holder was sworn in as Attorney General. Sorry about that. Also on this date in 1815, the world’s first commercial cheese factory was established in Switzerland, laying the groundwork for annoying Packers fans the world over. On February 3rd in 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, establishing that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Good on ya, amenders. And on February 3rd in 1913, the 16th Amendment was ratified, establishing that “Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” Way to follow a win with a loss, guys. Lastly, we’ll note that today is the anniversary of The Day The Music Died. So go listen.

Why the official 8.3 percent unemployment rate is a phony number | American Enterprise
“Even though the unemployment rate fell, so did the labor force participation rate (as more Americans became discouraged and gave up looking for work).”

McConnell: Obama is the most divisive president I’ve served with | Human Events
“‘Once they get the payroll tax holiday for another ten months, they basically don’t want to do anything else with us,’ said McConnell, referring to negotiations between Republican and Democrat lawmakers to extend tax cuts for the middle class.”

Obama’s the man leading the Occupy the Oval Office movement. | American Spectator
“By ineptness and, worse, by deliberate design, Barack Obama daily makes this nation weaker abroad, less free (and more authoritarian) at home, economically more feeble, and in the civic realm more bitterly divided than ever.”

Holder should walk the plank on ‘Fast and Furious’ | Washington Examiner
“A petulant, angry, and defiant Attorney General Eric Holder refused yesterday to take any responsibility for the growing scandal surrounding Operation Fast and Furious, the ill-conceived and incompetently managed program in which federal agents allowed thousands of guns to be purchased in the United States by known suppliers to Mexican drug cartels.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes from Wordsmith.org.
gradgrind (GRAD-grynd): noun Someone who is solely interested in cold, hard facts. Etymology: After Thomas Gradgrind, the utilitarian mill-owner in Charles Dickens’s novel Hard Times. Gradgrind runs a school with the idea that hard facts and rules are more important than love, emotions, and feelings. Earliest documented use: 1855.