Oh, no, Mr. Williams. You aren't thinking things through. If you played for the Heat, they would have $43,000,000 per year to pay their fans to come and watch! Then you'd be happy AND the fans would be happy. And all that money getting out to the little people would really stimulate the local economy. Don't you see how selfish you really are? It's really all in how you sell it! Your greatest fan, Nancy Pelosi

Roberty, The problem with any of these restrictive laws (BBA, e.g.) is that it removes judgement. Running a deficit is NOT a problem during an economic downturn. Not running a surplus and paying it off in good times IS a problem. Texas requires a balanced budget. I also has a "rainy day" fund to extreme events. So here the fight is always whether to break into the piggy bank. So far we haven't, but it hasn't been for lack of trying by the Democrats. The reason for a BBA is because we don't trust our representatives to be responsible stewards. BBA:1 Congress:0

The perverse effect of censoring the news for political reasons is that the reader then fills in the blank with his own stereotype.

You seem to wish to preserve entitlements by taxing the rich. Have you done the math? "Tax the rich, feed the poor, till there are no rich no more." It won't take more than a few days. It's clear that you'd love to change the world, and just as clear that you don't know what to do.

truth repeater, You gave nothing factual to refute - just assertions and coincidences. Perhaps YOU should give some examples for your bold assertions that Bush/Cheney wrecked the economy. While it gave the conservatives fits that Bush was spending so profligately when he had the Congress, it was the Congress (remember all budgets originate there) under the Dems which made Bush look like a Piker when it came to writing checks. And it is the conservatives (not RINOs) who are actually advancing proposals. You may not like Ryan's proposed budget and you should do what you think is right with regard to its enactment - that's the political process. But don't suggest that platitudes blaming Bush will do anything for this nation.

I'll be with you momentarily. Argh! I'll need more time than that.

"No problemo" is a Schwarzeneggerism. The expression isn't used in Spanish as it is here but, if it were, it would be 'no hay problemA'

I had a co-worker who would use 'irregardless'. Snarky me! I would work 'un-dis-irregardless' into the conversation. After some time he quit. Now I have an associate who uses 'had got'.

We ARE a democracy. We ARE organized as a republic. The two are not mutually exclusive. The Greek "demos" does NOT mean "mob", it means "people". A democracy is a government in which the ultimate power is in the people. That's us. A republic permits VOTERS to choose their representatives. In a state of universal suffrage, the voters are the people (unless you feel the need to include children as voters). This level of indirection with periodic elections does a lot to reduce the passions of the moment (the "mob" rule) but does nothing to eliminate the "tyranny of the majority" feared by Madison. Our republican government most definitely has not limited itself to public affairs, at all. If Obamacare is anything, to pick but the...

Two solutions to the problem. (1) Get the government out of the lunch business (2) Give the sheep a gun