Links and Minifeatures 2008 12 15 Monday

Carnival of Personal Finance

The Best Santa

My girls have been going to see this guy since 2000, when Hilda was nine months old. He was in the Parkway Plaza Sears for years, then they decided to do something else, but he never had a contract, so he's had trouble landing gigs the last couple years, but we go wherever he is. He is fantastic, and his helper Eilene is a treasure in her own right. They have people who were originally "his kids" coming back with their children.

You can see their website at http://www.santalady.blogspot.com/ They've got all sorts of pictures of people coming back.

He's at Macy's Mission Valley this year. The schedule is at the website.

Here are Brynhilde (my elder - brown hair) and Ramona (my younger - red hair) with Santa this year

Here's two years ago:

Here's they are last year, with Julia as a puppy

And here's one more from this year

An Obama Gift for K Street

The only way to eliminate lobbying and special interests is to eliminate government. The more powerful government becomes, the more lobbying there will be. So, paradoxically, Obama's ambitions for more expansive government will promote special pleading. You need only watch the response to the expected "economic stimulus" plan -- totaling perhaps $700 billion -- to verify this eternal truth. "A Lobbying Frenzy for Federal Funds," headlined a Washington Post story.

On the same general topic, Q and O on Auto Industry Campaign Donations and how they are being spun.