...and I love Guitar Hero. That said, the game (and its imitators, such as Rock Band) gets less and less interesting with every new variation that comes out.

The original premise was to be a guitarist in a band that played cover songs. That was interesting. And difficult, as it happened.

Now they've added all kinds of instruments, original recordings, and motion capture of real musicians. You're not pretending to be a rock star anymore, you're just pushing buttons and watching Aerosmith, Metallica, the Beatles or whatever.

And with the additional instruments, they've made the game less difficult, lest someone fail a song and ruin the whole band's day.

While I've got every game in the Guitar Hero franchise, I still like the first one the best. Rock Band I can do without. It's simply too easy, and with the whole "pretend you're the Beatles!" thing, not interesting to me at all.

They've ruined the entire premise that brought me to the game in the first place.

Then quit acting like George W. Bush II when it comes to civil liberties. Grow a spine. Act like a leader.

...is to raise taxes to cover it. In an ideal world, this would be fine, since the taxes would offset the insurance premiums that people wouldn't be paying anymore.

Unfortunately, thanks to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, we can no longer raise taxes for any reason. So, that leaves us with only one other way to pay for health care -

TAX CUTS!

Just kidding.

They believe high political officials should be able to break the law -- commit felonies -- and be immunized from legal consequences.

Not true. They only believe that Republican officials should be able to break the law and be immune from legal consequences.

If Barack Obama so much as jaywalks, the David Broders of the world will be calling for impeachment.

if there were more republicans like olympia snowe

We probably wouldn't need Democrats.

Based on what I've seen so far this year, I'm not sure we need Democrats, anyway.

if there were more republicans like olympia snowe

We probably wouldn't need Democrats.

Based on what I've seen so far this year, I'm not sure we need Democrats, anyway.

They own the media, lock, stock and barrel.

Is Bill Murray still on the show? He's funny.

...that it's been proven that black is white, up is down, global warming is really global cooling, gays are really straight and that the Earth is flat.

That's how it works in Sarah's imaginary world.

Why become a Birther now? It's not as though she became loony just yesterday. She's been nuts for quite a while now.

his speech tonight will "make clear" that he sees it as "a means to an end, not an end in and of itself.

The White House line is, basically, we'll take it if we can, but we'll leave it if we have to.

By definition, a "a means to an end" is the method that gets you to the end. That pretty much makes it essential.

If my "end" is my place of work, then my "means" is my car. If the White House is willing to "leave it if you have to", then it's not a means to an end.

What happened to the guy who was elected last year?

You sit through so many dissemblings and outright fucking lies, you have to speak up.

Please list them, along with verifiable evidence showing that said statements are false.

We'll wait here.

Wilson...spoke truth to power. Good for him.

Yeah, except for the part where he accused the president of lying about health care for illegal immigrants on national television.

He got that part wrong.

...I wasn't aware that she'd done anything noteworthy since Juno. That's what I get for not watching Entertainment Tonight more often, I guess.

it's the dumbest name anyone has ever though up for himself/herself.

Nah, I once read about a guy who legally changed his name to "Hi Hitler."

Now that's dumb.

This will allow everyone to keep talking about how right Wilson is. Obama is a liar.

Except for the part about health care for illegals. He wasn't lying about that.

You can say so, if you like. You can even repeat it, over and over. It's still not true.

but the 95% bracket did lead to a number of high earners leaving the country. Would you work for 5%?

No, but neither would, or did, anyone else. 95% was the top tax rate, not the average tax rate. The members of the Beatles paid the same tax on the first, tenth or thousandth pound they earned each year as anyone else working in Britain.

I don't know where the 95% rate kicked in, but if it was at, say, £100,000 per year, then they only paid 95% on anything they earned in excess of that amount.

A high rate, to be sure, but the average rate they paid was probably half that, at most. Just a guess; those who actually know may feel free to offer correct figures.

Regardless, no one, Beatles or otherwise, was working for 5% of their earnings.

What are you smoking? What does this have to do with Obama? Or ACORN?

And what is the Republican fascination with ACORN all about, anyway? ACORN is one of those terms that Republicans throw into the conversation ("socialism" is the other) that, through its very utterance, is supposed to render the entire conversation dead and buried with all parties conceding all points to the Republican in the room.

But what, I ask again, does this have to do with the breakup of the Beatles in 1970?