Bush is lying. People are dying.

Now, I’d Like to Show You Something That I Am Very Proud of
[But First, I'll Have to Ask These Folks to Move Back a Bit]*

I posted this in a comments section over at Eschaton’s regarding a post by guest blogger Leah about the latest bilge spouting from the orifice of the Lying Nazi Media Whore Bill o’Really.

I think it sounds pretty good:

It would be nice if there was anything but white noise on any of the media dials these days. And it can only get more consolidated, thanks to the BFEE. Thanks, Putsch! What have we come to these days? Reality shows? the All Spin Zone? Half the news, all the time? It's all a blur. And commercials paid by deficit dollars telling me that if any teenager smokes pot, they will get pregnant. Bills on outlawing D&E procedures, and Laci Peterson's fetus being transformed into a young infant? Will that be the subject of the next reality show? Why isn't everybody else scared yet?

* - with all due homage to, and inspiration from, Robin Williams on the album Reality... What a Concept for the title of this post.

Sea Change Too

I live in metro Detroit, the Motor City. Around here we consider speeding as a natural daily activity. If the speed limit in the freeways is 65 MPH, you better believe that everybody is doing, at a minimum, 70. (We here at the Funny Farm prefer a relatively sedate 69 miles per hour when traveling on the highways, for a number of reasons.) More likely at least 75, and if you're in the fast lane, well, get ready to push that gas pedal down quick! I have personally seen somebody doing 90 who had to move over unexpectedly and fast when that car waaaaay off in the rear view mirror was suddenly flashing his lights right behind him. I know, because the guy got so flustered, he pulled over and almost hit me to avoid getting run off the road by Speed Racer.

Well, guess what? Now, everyone is going the speed limit. All the time. It seems that the cops are far less willing to let things slide these days. And they are all over the place. I have seen them in neighborhoods that I never saw them even remotely close to before. Parked in private driveways with their radar guns out. Hiding behind trees and other out of the way places. And giving out tickets for things they would not have even considered six months ago. I wonder why they're doing that these days? Nothing to do with that new budget, I'm sure (cough).

Is everybody else scared yet?

Sea Change

So, I finally went back to the gym that I’ve been avoiding for the last little while. It’s one of the Bally Fitness Centers in the metro Detroit area.

The difference between what I saw today, and what I was used to seeing when I went to the gym before, was unbelievable. They have removed some of the machines, and generally speaking, streamlined operations quite a bit. And, of course, brought in a new corporate sponsor, whose goodies are on display at the entrance to the gym.

But all of the was minor, cosmetic change next to the startling fact for me: the place was practically empty! I used to have to fight and/or wait for time on some of the machines. Not any more!

A lot of the optional maintenance has been left undone as well. Safety belts, once replaced when they are damaged, are now left in disrepair. Exercise equipment which breaks down is not seen around anymore, nor any replacements.

And, the people are acting a little strange, too. There are a lot of executroids and corpo-weasels who start their day out at that gym. I should actually say, it appears as though they used to start their day off at the gym. And I heard an awful lot of bellyaching about the new ‘tax cut’ (you don’t think they actually talk about it as a ‘jobs and growth’ plan, do you? Really?). It seems that these people didn’t look too closely at all that ‘fuzzy math’. They were upset because, all of a sudden, it appears to them as though they’re not getting much in the way of tax relief. Apparently, the few people in the club who got enough of a refund to allow the club membership to average over $2000 in tax refund were not there. Or didn’t manage to speak up about how fantastic Drinky McDumbass and the God Squad^TM was being to them financially.

Being the humble, (cough), easygoing (cough), and uncontroversial (cough) (cough) good-natured soul that I am, I waited until I determined that these people were not religious, then prominently displayed my copy of ‘The Bush Dyslexicon’ while interjecting into the conversation: ‘Well, you could always give more to the church. That’s tax-deductible, isn’t it?’ The facial expressions of those assembled were priceless to me. And it looks good on them. They have the most, and are suffering the least, during this depression. And they expect, no, demand our sympathy, when they are responsible for this mess in the first place?

Hopefully there will be enough who feel the jarring dissonance between what comes out of the Sock Puppet’s mouth (or the slavering orifices of Ari Fork Tongue, Don Rumsfeldo, or any of the Keystone Kops currently raping running the United States government, for that matter), and what happens in real life. Speechifying about the noble sacrifices of our military veterans – by a Vietnam deserter - while cutting Veterans Benefits and VA administration budgets. Praising our brave ‘Frist responders’ – while cutting budgets for fire, police, and paramedics. Going on a national promotional tour – at taxpayer expense - to promote an elite cash grab tax cut ‘jobs and growth’ plan, while continuing to set records for number of jobs lost in a presidency, increase in deficit in actual and percentage rankings, and partisan party contributions. This clown has even created two new classes of government leeches supporters, those who individually gave more than $100, 000 and those who gave more than $500,000. That must be some club, huh? Maybe one day, if we’re really lucky, we’ll get to clean the toilets there. If we can claw our way through the thousands of sycophants supplicants applicants for the position.

Or maybe not. These people seemed to believe that they got the shaft from the Democratic Party. They wouldn’t let pResident Pinhead get all of his cuts, you see. If those damn Demon-crats hadn’t been so un-American, why, then, all of us would have gotten an even bigger tax cut growth and stimulus subsidy.

Frelling trolls breaking the machinery of our government. To mis-quote a Funny Farm fave, Hannover Fist (from the movie Heavy Metal):

Hanging’s too good for them! Killing’s too good for them! They ought to be cut up into pieces, and then buried alive!

I’m Really (Is that O’Reilly?) (O’Really?) Pissed Off at the All Spin Zone

Oh. My. Frelling. Spirits.

I somehow managed to get through the Duck Speak from Bill O’Reilly during his mini-version of the All Spin Zone during the Franken / Ivins / O’Reilly Press Fest. Al needs to stop rambling as much as all that. But it’s kind of hard when the supposed ‘guard dog’ sitting next to you turns into a rabid attack dog. I was getting flashbacks to the movie and the book 1984. When the Two Minutes Hate starts to boil. Minus the background stuff of course. And the screaming hordes all around you. But I literally could not focus on what O’Reilly was saying after about 40 seconds or so.

If you haven’t gotten it yet, especially if you have the mighty cable modem, you could probably download it from here. All thanks and praise to uggabugga once again for facilitating the finding of this link.

Rejected!

Ahhh, the power of the Internet. I received a thumbs down (but not severed) from the Darwin Awards committee.

Can’t blame a guy for trying...

I’m not Worthy!

Once again, Uggabugga shows us how it’s done. Go look. Yes, right NOW! I’ll wait. . .

Now, a couple of questions:

How does one get to talk to Quiddity? I see no way of even emailing him to tell him how fantasmagorical I think his stuff is. Though things are frontier primitive here at the Funny Farm (in internet terms, that is. . .), there is still the so far unused ability to send emails to the staff here, in the hopes that something can be said about something that tickles their fancy.

I suppose I should just wonder out loud, here in Blogistan, if anyone else knows how to talk to uggabugga. I saw some Chickenhawk decks (sorry guys, I couldn't find the link) for sale over at BartCop, but they had lots of wordy stuff on ‘em. And not good Tom Tomorrow wordy stuff, either. I don’t need to read a litany of chickhawk droppings every time I play with the deck. Plus, since there’s waaaay more chickehawks in the Repugnicant Party than there are cards in a regular deck, you could never play with a full deck of Chickenhawk cards from the get go. And, I really don’t think we want to go down that road much further either, kiddies.

Nope. Give me a deck of those Bush Regime Playing cards. Uggabugga and Busybusybusy did an outstanding job. But, I can’t find them on e-bay. I can’t find them anywhere. Uggs, you and busybusybusy should get busy busy busy. This is an entrepreneurial gold mine, people! How many decks can I get?

Late Breaking Update: Yar’s Revenge is the first casualty of the FCC de-regulation:

A Note to Our Readers: You may notice something different about the "Yar's Revenge" weblog. We've been making some changes around here and we think you'll like them. Following the FCC's wise and courageous decision to deregulate media ownership, this and other weblogs have been purchased by Independent Voices Ltd., a subsidiary of Consolidated Petrochemicals, Inc. We understand that regular readers of this weblog have grown to know and love its quirky, idiosyncratic content and viewpoints, but we hope you'll enjoy the new and improved "Yar's Revenge" just as much!

It sure has captured the sad spirit of the Conservative Corporate Media to a T. I also just got my latest Conservative Alert, which was nothing more than a push for the latest excretion of putrescent bile from the upper crust Connecticut Stepford Telebimbo, AnnThraxx Coulter. The real one, not my friend Ann Slanders. How nicely that dovetailed into reading a push for it over at Yar’s? And I am trying to avoid the rantings of the Conservative Corporate Media. I don’t watch any news on TV, nor listen to it on the radio. I try to limit my exposure to corporate advertising during my guilty pleasure – the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. I am privileged enough to be able to watch the CBC feed, and so I am spared the lion’s share of the American propaganda commercials. Yet, I still have the Hypocrite’s Hypocrite and her latest pack of lies shoved in front of my face twice in one day!

Plus, Yar was so close to finishing his game of Quagmire^TM! Only two letters to go. . .

Is everyone else (except for the Three Million^TM, of course) scared yet?

Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm


We had heard the news, and seen the signs for the pResident Besotten FratBoy Old Money Tour 2003:




But we weren’t prepared for the reality, as reported by that bastion of independent (cough) thought, the New York Whore Times:

June 1, 2003 - The Bushes Tour Auschwitz

The money quote, for me:

At one point Mr. Bush turned to Ms. Swiebocka and asked, "Do people challenge the accuracy of what you present?"

I’m starting to read the Bush Dyslexicon by Mark Cripsin Miller (thanks to my baby for the very nice present, by the way. You know somebody’s in love with you when they buy you stuff you both want to read!). pResident Sock Puppet seemed to have no problem spitting out that sentence, did he now?

Freud would be having a field day in today’s society, don’t you think? Ah, well – off to work I go. A tip of the hat to Blah Blah Blah for his posts on these matters.

Your Newest Darwin Awards Contestant:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I give you (someone tentatively identified as) Michael Grumbine, of Whittier, California – who will hopefully supplement his resume with anti abortion poster child as well as non-posthumous Darwin award contestant:

Man loses fingers dropping leaflets. This stuff just writes itself, people! You may choose to insert your own occult pagan ritual religious references liberally with our, er, blessings:

A man dropped abortion-related leaflets from a Paralite Sky Cruiser he flew over the La Serna High School campus Thursday until he accidentally stuck his hand into the aircraft's propeller blades, severing two fingers before he crashed, according to Whittier police.
The pilot, identified as Michael Grumbine, age unknown, tumbled out of the sky and struck a tree and a fence on the campus, according to police, who said they believed the man was a parent of former La Serna students.

They later try and portray the guy as pro-abortion based on their analysis of the leaflet he was dropping – which of course I would want to check out myself as much as possible. If I were a true journalist, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof, that is. Not to make mention of Ann Slanders or anything, [Nudge, Nudge. Wink, Wink. Know what I mean, Squire?]

All praise and thanks to Don at Blah3 for digging up this nugget yesterday. I’m sending a request for nomination to the Darwin Awards website.

To: Darwin Awards Nomination Committee:
From: the Funny Farm

Re: Darwin Award nominee

Here is a link to the story listed in the newspaper, in Whittier, California, that day:

"Man loses fingers dropping leaflets"

This individual, while not critically injuring himself, should be considered for nomination at this time. He has satisfied at least four of the five criteria*, and should his fame precede him, he may be denied the chance to reproduce. I also think he may show up in future nominations, and so I would like to nominate him as a rare find - a non-posthumous contestant! Think of the promotional possibilities!

I would respectfully ask you to try and look into the story further, and confirm its' authenticity.

Regards,

(: Tom :)

*- So how are the Darwin Awards actually determined?
Nominees significantly improve the gene pool by eliminating themselves from the human race in an obviously stupid way. They are self-selected examples of the dangers inherent in a lack of common sense, and all human races, cultures, and socioeconomic groups are eligible to compete. Actual winners are selected using the following criteria:
Reproduction - Out of the gene pool.
Excellence - Astounding misapplication of judgment.
Self-Selection - Cause one's own demise.
Maturity - Capable of sound judgment.
Veracity - The event must be true.

Maybe you’d like to do the same?

And They’re Off!

Today, we take a look into the wonderful world of web log comments sections, and the places that use this optional feature to stimulate discussion. It’s one of the reasons Atrios, Kos, and Hesiod, to name just a few who have comments enabled on their blogs, get so many hits every day. If the software works all the way down the line, and has hooks to allow it to be compatible to your computer’s browser, you can add your opinions to the pile.

Unbelievable but true: a relatively insignificant proportion of today’s society is engaging in hours of reading and responding to these comments. They are an almost instantaneous method of reader-author feedback, because of course the bloghost can comment in his own comments section about the comments just put in, update his original post to point out stuff mentioned in the comments, etc.

So, I revisited pandagon this morning during the regular Humpday morning ministrations. You see, I left a little seedling there plugging the Rush Limbaugh Transcripts Page in the comments section of the post I linked to here:

Excellent post, Jesse! I will link to it on my site.

As to the whole situation, I would like to commend you on your stand. It's got to be tough when you are concerned about your continued livelihood under the Junta, and you are offered a way to pay the bills...

I do have somewhat of a job in which your help would be appreciated. I'm with a few people who are helping out at transcripts dot myguard dot net. We're transcribing the Rush Limbaugh program, and putting the results out on the net. Go to pigsqueal dot blogspot dot com and check out what's there so far...

It's not too time consuming for everyone onvolved, hopefully part time only. Everybody grabs five minute chunks to scribe (which believe me is enough to listen to at one sitting), and then uploads them to the site so our scribemaster can put it all in place. (I think it's automagic by now, but as long as it works, I'm not concerned with the fine print)

Supposedly some others are doing analysis and such on the finished product. There is a group over at groups dot yahoo dot com slash group slash rushtranscript which has many members, but few volunteers willing to get into the trenches. It could also be good blog fodder. And it is a first hand experience of the breathtaking hypocrisy that is the Repugnicant Party of AmeriKKKa...

Pardon the archiac look to this comment. I'm not sure how much html I can use, so I'm staying away from it altogether. Let me know what you think about the proposal outlined above, and above all, good luck in your search for gainful employment!

Regards,

(: Tom :) @ 05/31/2003 01:36 PM EST

There was a rational voice from the right in the comments section of this post. At least, that’s what it looks like to me:

I'm a conservative lawyer in D.C., and oddly enough, my chain of command (government side) consists almost entirely of conservative Black attorneys and administrators. As the token pale item in the chain, I don't know whether to be offended at the fact that I'm a token White boy, or oblivious.

I think I'll choose to be oblivious to it. The attorneys and the two administrators I answer to are damn good at their jobs and good bosses, and decent enough people. I know race is supposed to inform every issue, the personal is supposed to be political and all that, but in my case it doesn't make a damn bit of difference.

As for no creative solutions, I'm guessing you haven't bothered reading the Department of Education's report on Race Neutral Alternatives to affirmative action, or the Harvard Civil Rights Project's critiques of the percentage admissions plans. It's not a panacea for college admissions, but it does disprove the "no creative solutions" claim you make by pointing out creative solutions implemented by state level Republican governors. Moreover, if you are waiting for a bundle of creative federal government solutions from anyone on the libertarian or libertarian/conservative side of the spectrum, you can keep waiting, it ain't going to happen. The premise of Hayekian libertarianism or fusion conservatism is that people solve their own problems; the central government can only provide bandaids, and most of the time the bandaids have more adverse than positive effects.

But then, why bother reading this comment anyhow -- who needs the facts when absurd caricatures of people like me are so readily available and so widely believed?

Omnibus Bill - a stereotypical, slavering, un-nuanced, theocratic authoritarian conservative
Posted by Omnibus Bill @ 05/30/2003 11:40 PM EST

=======

For some strange reason, his comment elicited responses from those who see things a little differently. They possibly also disagree with his choice of occupation, and what he chooses to look at, and what he chooses to look away from:

poor, oppressed omnibus bill. I feel you, man. Probably forced to hear a lot of offensive lawyer jokes as well. It's hard work keeping your boot firmly pressed on the neck of your inferiors while taking orders from the ethnically challenged. Once the true conservative mandate is enacted, we'll no longer need the SA-I mean, the ni..., uh, the useful idio...I mean, there will finally be justice for the working man!

Seriously, I read enough government produced and contracted reportage in my daily life to know that they are written to support the conclusions of the administration that paid for it. The military calls it incestuous amplification because if they allow it, people get slaughtered or at least have "character building experiences." Like John Kerry, say, or Max Cleland, not the kind where you do lines off a hooker's belly while drinking in Juarez.

Posted by bigfoot @ 05/31/2003 06:51 AM EST

=======

The main point, Omnibus, is these extremist Republicans currently in power have a relatively long and hallowed tradition of doublespeak: Claiming tolerance and self-sufficiency, then showing it only toward the rich and powerful. Are you really so naive as to believe any principle other than power is behind the right wing?

And while you're at it, please explain to me why the Republican agenda leans so very heavily on helping those who need it the least. (Since we're into self-suffiency and all...)

As to the old saw about getting more conservative as you age - well, that was from a time of old-style main-street Republicanism. That wasn't so very repugnant; I know some of those old-time GOPers and like them. There's a sense of respect for the loyal opposition that doesn't call for hard-line crushing under a boot heel.

Those in power now have no respect for anyone who differs from their version of reality. "Either you're for us or against us."

There is a name for the philosophy of those who do favor the boot heel in the service of their agenda. It's called "fascism" and it's no longer a fantasy of the far-fringe left.

Posted by Susie @ 05/31/2003 08:18 AM EST

=======

Mr. Omnibus Bill came back and saw their comments regarding his comments, and posted this response:

Susie & Bigfoot, couple points.

First of all, being a Republican and being conservative or right/libertarian are two different things. Political parties are all about bunko, about seizing power and divvying it up, patronage style, to your supporters. Conservatives and right/libertarians go to the Republican party because its the major party that's nearest to their beliefs. It doesn't mean that it's a great fit.

The rightist statism that has become ascendant in the last 18 months is as appalling, if not moreso, than Dem plans to nationalize health care and other private industries. It's worse because Republican statism comes from people we thought were on the same team. If you think Trent Lott and other machine pols were ever popular with anyone other than 50 of the old boys in the senate and a bunch of Pascagoula shipyard workers, you are sadly mistaken. And if you think the machine pols are the folks who represent the beliefs of the rank and file voters, you really underestimate the voters and give too much credit to the pols.

If your caricature of Republican voters is true, then around 51% of the country, based on the 2002 elections, is comprised of drooling, slavering bigots, marching in lock step under Ralph Reed and Karl Rove; who can barely keep from barbecuing small black children and poor women. It probably behooves you to ask: if such a huge percentage of the population is driven by such demented, evil, violent motivations, why haven't all the people who disagree been herded off into concentration camps? Why aren't there massacres of liberals all over the place? Why aren't liberals endangered? God knows, liberal Dems aren't exactly going to be armed to the teeth like a bunch of Idaho survivalists...

The reason is that the caricatures aren't true. Admittedly, there are troglodytes in the Republican party. But people who live in glass houses should be careful about chucking grenades. I find it ironic that most of the Southern states, over many years of Democratic governors and legislatures, never managed to get rid of those pesky state flags, that just happened to look like confederate battle flags. The flags that have come down in the last couple years have been brought down by a combination of Dem and Republican politicians. Crap! That really destroys your Mannichean world view, I bet. You want to start counting examples of worst in class, it's not hard. Trent Lott had his gaff last December, and was forced out of the Senate leadership as punishment. But before you get all sanctimonious, please consider that ex-KKK-er Robert Byrd dropped the N-bomb in an interview last spring, and nobody batted an eyelash about it. Who is worse - the Republicans for lancing a boil, or the Democrats for pretending that there isn't any infection at all? And what about the DNC canning all the black staffers last week? Donna Brazille didn't think that was too enlightened... Simply put, troglodytes come in all stripes.

Furthermore, the whole Dem=Good/Repub=Evil dichotomy is stupid. Hillary Clinton is quietly on the Administration's side on a number of issues, and I'm happier to have her than I am to have Lincoln Chafee. At least she fights for what she believes in. She is willing to take a hit on important issues, and if she shares some of my priorities, I am grateful. Even if she doesn't share my view on a lot of issues, I recognize her immense talent and drive, and wistfully wish she was on my side in more arguments.

It's easy to pound your chest and spew absolutist ideological claptrap, but the real world is like a train that probably wouldn't run too well on one rail. We've tried one-rail politics in a couple places, and it led to some pretty bad results. An open mind, or at least an ability to tolerate something other than absolute political victory, makes life a bit easier.

Pandagon can act like he approached his job interview with this kind of an open mind, but his essay sure doesn't read that way. I really wonder how well someone could function in a think tank, with their mind fully foreclosed to every single idea espoused by the opposition. Given his core beliefs, I can't imagine why he interviewed with a conservative think tank in D.C. There are really only two major conservative think tanks to speak of (Heritage, AEI), and although I know several decent people who work or have worked at one or the other, I seriously doubt that Pandagon would have taken a job at either to begin with. The outcome of this essay and the interview sounds as rigged and predetermined as the NBA draft lottery.

How can a bigoted Republican conservative like me throw the close-minded charge around so freely? Why it's easy. I started my government career under the last presidential administration. My thought was that although I may not agree with everything that went on, making government work means getting beyond stupid ideological pissing contests and actually making things happen for the constituents. Some of what I did was a bit distasteful to me, but most of what I did was useful stuff that kept the wheels turning.

I don't totally agree with the present administration either, in spite of being generally sympathetic to their positions. In fact, some administration policies freak me out. The higher echelon policy folks have no clue, or no regard, for state sovereignty and why it can be a good thing. They run to assert states rights when they want to avoid doing something, i.e. when it suits them, and then turn around and try to federalize assisted suicide and education -- including ramming civil rights money damages suits down states' throats, when just two years ago they were moaning about federal overreach. Those aren't the decisions I would make, and when I have a chance to argue against stupid policies like that, I do my damnedest. But most of life has nothing to do with politics or what the government does, and most government work, including mine, has nothing to do with politics. Ninety percent or more of what the government does stays the same from year to year, and concluding that the Clinton administration ought to be beatified while the Bush administration ought to get the bastinado, ignores the simple fact that all the upset is over marginal politics - the last 10%.

That last 10% is incredibly important in politics, of course. It's what elections are fought over. It's practically all politicans talk about. But it's a pretty cynical thing that the pols do, to spend all their time trying to convince constituents that a marginal issue - oil drilling in Alaska, civil service rules in the Homeland Security Department, a gay hate crimes bill - is the most important thing going. If you buy into that line of reasoning, you are a sap, and easy mark for the politicians. Moreover, you deserve all the stomach acid you get because you've let yourself get manipulated by what they are saying.

In closing, Bigfoot, a lawyer joke just to make you happy.

Q. What's the difference between a BMW and the pants on my Armani suit?
A. You can only fit one asshole lawyer into my pants.
Posted by Omnibus Bill @ 06/01/2003 12:55 AM EST

Ladies, and gentlemen, I could dissect that second response six ways from Sunday, if I had the desire and the time to do so. Since I am still somewhat gainfully employed, and I wish to remain that way, I chose to try and strike a middle ground while preparing a response which would be fair, accurate, rational, and effective. Here’s the reasonable facsimile I posted in Jesse’s comments section over at Pandagon:

A very nice post, OBill! I wish I had the hours I would like to take to rip each and every one of your points to shreds, and remind you that the shoe is on the other foot in this situation.

You said:

“I hope that you truly do consider all of these issues whenever you use your right to vote on those who make the laws of the land. Which of course is another of those fallacies of your argument, that most of life has nothing to do with politics or what the government does, and most government work, including mine, has nothing to do with politics.”

If you would have used the words 'should have' instead of the word 'has' in that statement, I would agree with you. However, I think that politics now occupies anywhere between 25 and 45 percent of everyone's time. Whether they are aware of it or not, and whether they want it to or not. And that's why these guys are so much of a problem, in my opinion. They appear to me to want to turn the U.S. into one of the traditional totalitarian state models we've all come to be familiar with over the last five millennia or so.

The states rights that are being trampled are being done so by Ashcroft, one of the proponents of states rights for the Republicans, before he became AttGen, if I'm not mistaken? And to be told that you were putting a uniter, not a divider, into place to run the whole thing, and getting such a sad little man ostensibly in charge of things.

This is my Sunday morning karmic exchange program on your behalf, sir. I will stop generalizing about the Repugnicants and their marching in lockstep to the junta’s whims, if you will focus like a laser on how the current badministration can right this sinking ship. If we can move forward, and find a way to get to a place where government gets back to its proper shape and size, we all benefit. Which is what we all should ultimately be trying to accomplish, as far as I‘m concerned.

I would start by a one-time absolute tax rate of 42% on earnings over the next 5 years (to 2008) for gross incomes over $500K. One time thing, sunset it all the way, all monies to be used for one purpose only, to pay down the debt. Let them try and run deficits during the period, too, if they want - as long as they can get it voted in. Full disclosure on taxes for all making over $500K during the years 2004-2008, extra IRS staff to handle the enforcement of the tax, and public disclosure of the results. If they manage to take care of the total debt by then, we could use some of the monies to prop up social security, or help balance the budget.

That’s what I would suggest you try and get into the system. For starters. But, hey - that's just me.

I hope we can both find a way to make our voices heard in the days to come...

Time for some cartoons: