to be frightened of marrying an American woman and having kids. I don't want to lose kids or half my earnings, so I just don't let it happen. That's what rational men are deciding.

Odds are good that whoever my wife would be would be pissed about something at some point (I don't earn enough, or I'm not around enough because I'm working, or I'm not thrilled with her 40 pound weight gain) and it would end in divorce.

So... I'm flying solo, dating multiple women who are most likely wondering why I won't commit. It's not them, I swear, it's who they might be in the future! I'm not going to put myself in a situation to lose everything.

Cheney scratched his buddies backs at Halliburton. Paulson made sure that Goldman came out way way ahead. This Galbraith schmuck isnt even advocating for his former colleagues - he freaking runs this company which stands to directly benefit from his supposedly disinterested and highminded viewpoints.

I'm fighting mad about this bullshit.

All of this amazes me that W is so incompetent - even at corruption! - that the Texas Rangers can't even make it to the playoffs. You know a Cheney 9 would pummel the Yankees.

"that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

-gettysburg address

Our nation's main problem is obvious. Our government is now of the lobbies, by the lobbies, for the lobbies, and shall perish from the earth.

I don't know when it happened, but whenever our elected officials started caring about special interests more than the general interests of all Americans... we sealed our fate.

Special interests are special because they only interest a minority. And democracy doesn't fly when you answer to a minority of the people.

-------------------------

Back in the late spring or early fall Salon ran an article by a dude named John Talbott or Matt Talbot or something like that. He was apparently an ex-goldman banker and wrote that special interests are the #1 enemy of America. What ever happened to that guy? I signed up for his letters and he's gone radio silent. Am I wrong to imagine he's imprisoned at some re-education facility?

Keep up the fabulous work Mr. Leonard. You and Glenn are some of my heros.

ummm, can someone with a degree please verify a lie for us?

The inartful part is that right wing politicians will make this exact argument regardless of the merits. And many will believe it to be fact.

I wonder how much a private insurance company would charge John Boehner for coverage. He's a 60 year old smoker. How much would those premiums be?

Death to lobbyists.

We all know that deep inside President Obama is a firm liberal heart. If he were a dictator we would have the public option by now. Shit, we would be rid of private health insurers by now.

Instead we have the reality of America in 2009. The interests of the deepest pockets (bank lobbies, insurance lobbies) are literally unbreakable. There is no defeating the banking and health insurance lobbies.

Joan, I've lurked around Salon long enough to go from an uninformed conservative to a full fledged liberal. But, I disagree with you 100% on this topic. I'm not grateful that I'm not Barack - shit I would love to be him - I would be on national TV every single night explaining how big corporate interests are screwing Americans.

What's the worst that could happen? He doesn't get a second term? So what?

Get it all out there Barack. Our nation's future is being hijacked by desperate politicians who slurp up cash from groups whose interests directly oppose the interests of America at large.

American citizens are mini-prostitutes..... These continually merging corporations give us a few sheckles and then have their way with us. What are we to say? We dearly need the cash and the pitiful healthcare coverage.

It's obvious to me that special interests are bigger than the citizens and bigger than congress. Barack is the only person bigger than the corporations, I wish he could use his pulpit effectively.

(Another problem is that Barack's Chief of Staff is himself a Wall Streeter. His lap dog / pit bull Rahm Emmanuel made 17 million bucks in 24 months on wall street. Yep - that guy has our presidents ear - that's why aint nothing substantial gonna happen)

Someone that isn't used to the status quo of bowing to conventions and wall street. Someone the doesn't understand when to keep their mouth shut according to today's political standards.

Give me a mixture of Kucinich and Charles Barkley. I would vote for that.

What I'm trying to say here is that Barack, the serial pleaser, hasn't shown that he has the 'I don't give a fuck' gene.

I've decided every time that Glenn writes a pitch perfect article exposing our leaders as selfish nitwits ---- I will send that congressman an email.

There are 151 letters in this thread by now. I think sending Bayh 151 emails would help too.

http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/email/index.cfm

I was stunned by the majesty of the place. (this is where our leaders work!) Lincoln is over there, Jefferson's memorial, white house, supreme court!

The older I get it's apparent that our congresspeople and senators are all slime. Corrupt slimy self serving nitwits.

Here is my old rep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Schmidt

yep... America can't possibly do any better than that. This rep worked for daddy's bank for 7 years, then a fitness instructor. These are our leaders.

The only surpising thing is that we're surprised by how slimy these people are.