1 Isn't that funny. It actually looks like a lot less than I thought it would. I hope that guy doesn't get hauled off to jail for making his display. It's highly illegal to scan currency, and the moiré pattern on the bill shows that was definitely a scan.

1 If you believe that those in Washington are foolish, then they probably believe that the current crisis was caused because there wasn't enough deficit spending (or, more likely, that it was caused by the "bad" deficit spending of the other party, not the "good" deficit spending that they'd do).

If you believe that they are actively malicious, then the current situation, in which a crisis entirely of someone else's making is forcing them against their will to usurp unprecedented power unto themselves may not privately be considered a problem at all. In which case, heaping on another helping of the underlying cause makes perfect sense.

Generally, I tend to suspect stupidity over malice in most human affairs. I may, however, make an exception to that rule of thumb where congress is concerned.

The frustrating thing here is that there's no good outcome. If the current plan utterly fails, then us saying "I told you so" will come as little consolation. (and will undoubtedly be met by claims that this stimulus bill just wasn't big enough). But I doubt that will happen. The economy will recover. Probably some of this stimulus bill will help that happen. Most of it will probably hamper it. The very existence of it will help some (the current situation is as much psychological as it is financial, so the perception that something is being done, along with President Obama's undoubted charisma, will have a positive effect, although probably not enough to offset the damage done by either). Unfortunately, that will certainly lead to the perception that this response was the right response.

Here's an idea, maybe we should take a page from the environmentalist playbook and start selling "pork offsets". I smell an opportunity... or maybe that's just bacon.

1 is it true that obama has a problem with talk radio? i really miss talk radio now that i live in a country without it. i would love to hear people argue current events on air. *sigh*

is it true that obama would like to grant "fast-track" citizenship to illegal immigrants? this is unfair to those who'd like to become citizens legally. my husband might like to make the move someday, but for us it would involve lawyer fees and the application process. what about a fast-track program for european schoolteachers? my man has a lot to offer and his students try hard. or maybe the fast-track program is only open to people who perform jobs that americans refuse to do?

in addition to obama's scorn for the religious population, my major problem is his robin hood policy that he discussed on oreilly this summer. i don't care that he admits he doesn't know when life begins (conception or birth) but punishing successful people for their success will either diminish our drive to succeed, or cause successful people to investigate more creative ways to cheat on their taxes.

germany is very very pleased with us. the expatriots i read are all proud to be american again, unafraid to announce their citizenship. nov 5 i was asked to toast obama with a shot of ouzo. i shook my head to their utter confusion.

a good friend here wrote in his blog this week that he has removed america from his list of renegade states. germans are delighted with us.

america as we knew it will end, it is inevitable. our leaders will not continue to try to preserve american ideals. with obama, this will happen a lot sooner than i hoped. the rest of the world will love us but no one will envy us. however, i believe this will cause us to be less of a terrorist target. (the danger won't go away, we'll just become equally as targetable as european states.)

To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it. Thomas Jefferson, April 6, 1816

That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and, hence, is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Abraham Lincoln