Thomas, We understand that you are as frustrated with the witless drones that fill the halls of government and so-called educational institutions. All thinking people are, too. But, there is the basic reality that we, as human beings, are our brothers’ keepers. Medicare and all the other governmental houses of cards were (and still are) alleged to be the answer(s) to the question, “how do we take care of those who are our family, our friends, our citizens who have grown old, infirm, or otherwise unable to take care of themselves?” In the pre-government program era, those questions were answered in the first person (i.e. I must…) by the young, the able, and the true friends of those with honest needs which they cannot fulfill for...

"What it does do is deter the person excuted from commiting more murders. 100% of all people executed for murder, never murder again." And this is a bad thing because ?????????

DB, It is impossible to imagine that any Cheney statement you have alleged would be without a context, and it is the context that provides the truth. Debt IS BAD in the context of one NOT HAVING the coin of the realm to PAY THAT DEBT OFF within a reasonable time period. Debt is GOOD when a carefully considered NEED appears at the beginning of the month but the coin of the realm for FULL PAYMENT does not come until the end of the month. Those are two different contexts applied to the same fact of DEBT. Essentially DEBT is a promise to pay and it is only as good as the value of the promise of the one who has to pay off the debt. Our government's track record is abysmal in its payment record; just ask those Chrysler bond holders.

Does Mohammed... (if I may address you so), Though your explanation of marginal tax rates, increases in revenue, etc. "is dead on balls accurate", it is apparently over-stressing the minds of those understanding and learning at the 'Well, .... uhhhhh...ummm... well, yo know....'" rate. A simple 'the more one believes s/he (PC) can keep of his/er income, the more they are likely to produce' approach may work better. For the limited, even the KISS is often too much at one time. But, spend your wisdom as you see fit. It helps many to clarify the complicated principles.

JoeWelch, AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! Your hammer is right square centered on target. Some guy named Jefferson got it right a few years ago. Any so-called representative needs to have a 'real job', a job that produces wealth and adds to the community's coffers and/or advancement. Then, and only then, can he leave for a couple of weeks a year to go down to the City on the Swamp to do that thar legislatin'. After 2 or 3 weeks in that fetid sink hole, he'll be ripe for coming home to the real world, to the real shovel ready projects prepared for him by the mules, oxen and horses. Then he can get some real work done!

Jimmylynn, With all due respect for your overarching concept that you have focused on the so-called Republican Party (the lions’ share of whom have for a long time now been little more than Democrats Lite) there are a number of refinements that I believe need to be made to pressure them to ‘see the light’ of common sense. -“…reform government and return control of the…to Americans.” There is no need to “REFORM” anything – that’s what the current pretender has been/is trying to do. The Constitution Straight is more than enough – just follow its essentially simple law and cut all the ‘nuancing’. -“…repeal the national health care…pass new legislation to curb…costs…” The former idea is a must. The latter portion is ‘price fixing’ and it...

Ted, With all due respect, Charlie Rangel's 'public service' is such that it should remind older citizens of, and introduce younger citizens to, both the short story by Damon Knight and the season 3 episode #89 of the popular 1960's show The Twilight Zone both with the same title, To Serve Man. In the episode Professor Chambers, along with several other code breakers, take on the task of translating and analyzing an apparently innocuous publication of a group of highly advanced outer space aliens with the title "To Serve Man". Most of the population observe the aliens' helpful behavior and become taken by their generosity and their "We just want to he'p you" attitude. It is only as the alien ship is about to depart the Earth to take a...

Delphi,
While a significant portion of your argument against some of the Republicans’ feckless behavior has a ring of truth, a couple of rhetorical questions arise. Is there any real difference in terms of boorishness, rudeness or implied commentary between clearly apparent numbers of so-called listeners to the President’s statement who stood, clapped, shouted, or made the inarticulate sound ‘Yea!!’ and those who made similar movements but made the inarticulate sound ‘Boooo!!’ or called “You lie!”?
Is it your contention that those who agree with a speaker may stand and cheer while those who disagree must sit silently on their hands? Is it not allowable for those who disagree to verbalize their disagreement – since “The maxim is...

Were Senators Snowe and Collins 'compromising WITH' the Dems, or were they 'compromised BY' the Dems? Suzzsin's boilerplate response from one of the seemingly cloned ladies seems to suggest yet another example of the latter - they've been compromised BY the players-for-keeps. Too bad.

Respectfully, to William (NJ) and others using similar rhetoric: Just a question or two regarding a growing tendency to attribute PBO’s actions and their perceived consequences to “different circumstances,” or to the beliefs or hopes that “it will never happen here,” or that “we’re a long way from x, y or z results.” Are these allegations simply the reflexive repetitions of what everyone else has said? Are they the articulated ‘hopes’ of increasing numbers who are beginning to get a niggling sensation at the backs of their necks/minds that maybe there is something more to these appearances; growing sensations that the ‘seeming’ may be morphing into ‘being’? Are they our verbal way of whistling past the graveyard? Is it getting closer...