Lightning Round 081710

Uncomfortable conversations edition:

• One of the most important issues around is the state of our pension system. There are a lot of pensions out there, especially ones that are the province of organized labor, that are seriously underfunded. Someone is going to take it in the shorts -- will it be the beneficiaries, or will it be the taxpayers? The excellent blog Yid With Lid has a comprehensive and deeply disturbing roundup, which includes at least two Minnesota-based pension funds.
• Via the magic of video, Ronald Reagan has a discussion with the current leadership of our country. How I wish I could trust the Republican Party to actually live up to the principles that Reagan espouses here.
• I haven't written about the Ground Zero Mosque controversy because there's a lot of kabuki theater in the discussion, but I'm amused at how certain politicians have responded, especially since President Obama weighed in over the weekend.