Dubya has his faults, but it is only fair to point out that he was blackmailed into the original "stimulus" bill by "This is what The One wants, and who are YOU to deny Him something He can have in three months?" The correct answer was, "I'm the President of the United States, and this is the wrong answer. Not on MY watch.

He put it plainly enough during the campaign, and it wasn't a slip of the tongue. He thought we were dumb enough to believe he had phrased himself badly when he said, "America is the greatest country in the world. I'm going to change that," or words to that effect.

Let's ask harder questions: why were people (who should have had enough sense to evacuate) left in misery, some to die, because government troops refused to allow trucks full of relief supplies into the city until the Governor geeked and turned control over to FEMA/HS?

I resent very much that every good parking place in America is off limits for me, being reserved for the sacred handicapped. This is clearly not "equal treatment before the law." The one thing we have to give Clinton is that he knew what his job was: to veto every bit of legislation the Republicans managed to pass. Bush I made many mistakes out of his unnecessary efforts to demonstrate that he was not Ronald Reagan. How right you are that we almost never see anyone in a wheel chair in a restaurant or a restroom, but we observe a lot of individuals park in handicapped spaces and stride vigorously into stores. HP makes some sense in front of military hospitals to some degree because those men earned it, but that would be the...

It isn't like Dr. Williams to be obtuse on any other subject, but here he goes again . Sir, instead of charging income tax on the "employer's contribution," which the employer would otherwise have added to the employee's pay packet, the government taxed that amount 100%. I agree that those who receive SS for reasons other than having earned it--and they are legion--should be stripped of it, and even that the rules must be changed so that those under, perhaps, 45 must be told that this is just another tax and to make other provisions for their old age (which we were all supposed to have the sense to do), but defaulting on contracts with seniors really isn't honorable. Your idea amounts to stripping me of my "wealth" and my children of...

The best I can come up with is to prepare to survive in a nice, dark cave, and in the meantime go limp on them. If you can't eat it or protect yourself with it, don't buy it. Make every effort to use Craig's List and other sources that don't feed the tax beast. There is no way out that won't lead to a bloodbath...and Anonymous? There are "families" that have been on welfare for seven generations straight.

Trust the USDA not to know how to make something as simple as Hollandaise Sauce, where the egg yolks ARE cooked. 1 stick of butter, 2 egg yolks, 3 T lemon juice, pinch of cayenne. Separate the eggs using a bowl (always do that) and plop the egg yolks in a pot. Add the lemon juice and stir until dissolved. Add a softened stick of butter and whisk constantly over medium heat. If you want to ensure that the sauce will never "break" double the egg yolks. This also produces a richer-tasting, more nutritious sauce. Beware of unrefrigerated foods in the summer, particularly things like potato salad which contain mayonnaise. Recalling half a million eggs because of 1300 incidents is ridiculous...and those eggs all came from the same...

Great questions, BrianR. I read almost all of T-hall every day as part of my general research, and there are a lot of superb writers, but have you noticed how politically correct the selection is in terms of ethnicity?! It isn't that I object to minds based upon the skin color of bodies or what their names say about them...but isn't it a little odd that with very few exceptions the writers are anything other than white, non-Jewish males? Yes, there are some, and everybody has to love cute, feisty, smart, smart Michelle Malkin...but does anyone believe Jackie Cushman would be up if it weren't for her father's name? (Sorry, Jackie. I'm sure you try, but I didn't think Caroline Kennedy was entitled to be the Senator from New York...

You're a lot of fun, IX - XI. While we're at it, we could harden the Articles of Confederation and return to those. Or here's a good idea: let's correct the punctuation while we're at it. A real improvement would be a period after "Congress shall make no laws." C'mon over and play at The Texas Ring if you've a mind to. Linda Brady Traynham

Dear Academe... What is disturbing to Southerners is what we know that the rest of you don't know: what it is like to be invaded, defeated, occupied, stripped of your rights and property, and still being lectured about how evil we are nearly 150 years later. Many Americans would like the simple no-fault divorce the South asked for originally, but this is the 21st century and we know about abusive relationships. If he'll blacken your eye the first time, he may well break your arm the next. Pagan Conservative just said she/he would like to pack up and go home to Mother. The dangerous hotheads are those making hasty, inapt generalizations, showing disdain for the opinions of others, and attempting to stir up trouble. No sensible...