“I read the news today, oh boy ...” (Plough Monday Edition)

Are we a nation ruled by laws, or has our government been taken over by a group of modern-day marquis and baronettes who simply pretend to govern, while robbing us blind? Bill Whittle likens the recent "fiscal cliff" crisis to kabuki theater. Find out how one person come out on top of it in spite of everything, courtesy of Pajamas Media.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on planet Earth:

• Conventional wisdom (and what your mama told you) notwithstanding, money can indeed by happiness, and we've got the data to prove it. Or something. (The Atlantic)

• And speaking of what money can buy, here's proof that you can take some things with you, or at least have someone in the present life keep you updated. (The Telegraph)

• Next, we go from dying to refusing to die. A dog in Texas who was found shot in the head and face with a pellet gun, stuffed in a garbage bag and abandoned, was released from a veterinary clinic following eye surgery paid for by a Facebook campaign. Let's hear it for social media! (Montgomery County Police Reporter)

• In a non-related story on taking it with you, a man who drives his car into a pizza restaurant wants to order one to go while waiting for the ambulance. If I were him, I'd leave a really big tip. (KLKN-TV)

• And finally, can a man with a tattooed face contend for the Presidency? America may be a ways off, but the Czech Republic is about to find out. (If we didn't show you here, you wouldn't believe it.) (NBC News)

And that all the news that fits. As the week goes on, stay tuned, and stay in touch.