Cuccinelli predicts 2012 Supreme Court Decision

In my Friday scribblings I’ve linked more than once to Intrade, the online futures market where you can bet real money on the likelihood of election results, disasters, sports wins, wars, and other events. That’s because my primary goal is always to entice Ken Cuccinelli to read my columns. The attorney general is a gambling man, you see, and this week he boldly wagers or bluffs that “the last Monday in June [2012], the last announcement of opinions for the next term, will be when you get your ruling” on his challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

The Supreme Court can't take away your Kindle version of health care reform.

Cuccinelli offered his forecast earlier this week on WMAL’s Morning Majority. According to my research, the last Monday in June of next year will be June 25. As of 6:21 EDT today, Intrade offers no method of betting on the likelihood of a decision happening that day. What Intrade does offer is the ability to predict “US Supreme Court to rule individual mandate unconstitutional before midnight ET 31 Oct 2011.”

There’s a 13% chance of this, and it costs as low as $1.12 to buy shares. But watch out; if you change your mind, perhaps because you realize you suddenly can afford health care despite a preexisting condition, the shares’ selling price is only five cents. If Cuccinelli is buying on Intrade—and I can’t tell whether or not he is, because to the site’s detriment it offers no mechanism for viewing who else is online—he’s surely purchasing the pricier $5 shares in “Supreme Court to rule individual mandate unconstitutional before midnight ET 31 Dec 2012,” because his prediction of Mon 25 June 2012 is six months away from that date whereas 31 Oct 2011 is eight months away. I know how a gambler’s mind works.

Meanwhile the federal government continues its prosecution of online poker sites.

Cuccinelli: Kill the Dulles Rail Project

On Morning Majority, which seems to be an important show although I’ve never heard of it, our attorney general also expressed his wish that “I hope they don’t do Phase Two” of the Dulles Rail Project. The project will provide a one-seat ride from Dulles to downtown Washington, but Dulles is only the flagship airport of the nation’s capital; the more important factor to consider is that when Cuccinelli’s unhappy, no one is happy. At the link you can listen to Cuccinelli’s full Morning Majority appearance. Of its current 34 page views, seven derive from my own repeated clicks after my browser froze.

McDonnell disavows idea of sharing private information across police agencies

In a statement on his monthly radio program that leaves me surprised and hopeful, Governor Bob McDonnell “commented that information sharing about private citizens has to be weighed against concerns of privacy and fairness.”

McDonnell administration policy staff departures

Even Gov. Bob. (Art | jillstanek.com)

The Pilot reports that a “cascade of departures” from the governor’s policy staff “raises questions about whether a staff shakeup is afoot.” In combination with McDonnell’s above remarks, this story suggests that the governor has joined the ACLU and will now govern as a civil libertarian in favor of amending the constitution to reflect our right to privacy.

McDonnell announces incentive to save state funds

This Times-Dispatch story shows that the governor equates “sav[ing] state funds” with “improving state government,” which throws cold water on the good will I expressed toward him moments ago.

$1.2M makeover complete for ex-Granby Tower site

A former empty rectangle of brown mud at the corner of Granby and Brambleton is now an empty rectangle of green grass, which a spokeswoman calls “an empty, earthy waiting room for the … courthouse annex.”

Airman discharged

Gays are still being discharged from the military under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a policy widely perceived as having been repealed.

Global commission of former officials says War on Drugs has failed

A report by UN officials and former heads of state “calls for an end to the ‘criminalization, marginalization and stigmatization of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others,’ and for governments to experiment with ways to regulate drugs so as to undercut organized crime and improve public health.”

Crash shows southern move of Chinatown buses

After Tuesday’s bus crash, the Wall Street Journal takes a closer look at the so-called Chinatown buses and, in doing so, zeroes in on routes to Hampton Roads.

Prairie dog pups emerge at the Va. Zoo

This headline gives the incorrect impression that the pups are Geminis, but in fact they were “likely born six weeks ago” on the cusp of Aries and Taurus.

First ever Pride boat parade

This weekend’s Out in the Park celebration, which has moved from Chesapeake to Town Point Park, includes what may be the world’s first-ever Pride boat parade.