The current solution is no solution at all. It is basically borrowing more money in order to help people borrow more money so that they can continue to avoid the worst of the consequences of borrowing too much money.

Which means, that if all goes well you will have the same problem in four years time, only worse and without the ability to borrow more money.

What is needed is the following: Save the banks by all means - but fire the boards that put the banks in the shit in the first place. Full audits with fines and jail terms for those who didn't obey the law. No more rewards for failure.

Higher taxes at the top end of the economy, and lower taxes at the bottom. The rightwing decries this as playing Robin Hood, and punishing success but then the Rightwing has the full economic acumen of a lemming staring over a cliff face.

The bills need to be paid and any economic stimulus requires a magical substance called "money" in order to fund it. Borrowed money is termed debt, which requires more of that magical substance called "money" to pay it off.

Get rid of useless expenses. This includes the Iraq war, the bulk of those military bases in countries which you are about as likely to go to war with as Canada is to invade you, and funding for religious initiatives.

Tax your religious insitutions on the same level as you would similar secular institutions. No more mega-rich televangelicals getting away without paying taxes. Of course, the right will call this "A war on religion." The rest of us would call it "Making sure we can pay the damn bills."

Introduce environmental legislation on your industries to catch America up with the rest of the world, and strive to surpass the rest of the world. The rest of the world isn't going to buy American if they think that buying American is killing the planet.

Introduce the concept of America's minimums on environmental and labour conditions being required for imports to not get tarrifs slapped on them. Pay off the Chinese debt first - so that they do not have as much leverage over you to stop you doing this.

Invest heavily in research into alternate means of energy production. So long as America is held hostage by oil prices, which are primarily governed by countries which do not really like America, America will have problems with the Middle East. Once we have energy independence, the Middle East becomes a "Not our problem field."

Recognise that global warming is happening, it is manmade, and because the world is full of rightwing pricks of every nation there is pretty much bugger all that is going to be done about it. It is time to make contingency plans.

sadly, are subjected to tasteless crap instead of real food.

For real good "Street Meat" go to a little place called Akalways in Johannesburg, on Nugget Street. That street is probably the most seedy place in South Africa, but the food sort of makes up for it.

Here is the problem:

The basis of this latest attack on Obama is that he isn't enough of a flag waving fanatic.

The people more inclined to wave the flag fanatically (After ejaculating all over it) haven't really had their doubts about Obama settled by it, because frankly who cares about real issues when you can slam a person for what his pastor said?

The history of highly patriotic people like, well, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, the KKK and GW Bush doesn't phase the species of invertebrate known as "Patriots", because they do not believe in actually electing leaders to be anything other than cheerleaders.

That Obama is not a super-patriot alligned with super-patriots should not be held against him. As a lot of letters here show, patriots are wankers.

I have yet to hear of a really terrible president who has been anything other than a super-patriot. Perhaps it is time to elect a president who is not so enamoured to the country as to miss its flaws, such as its massive debts, the gap between rich and poor, the endemic racism, sexism, idiotocracy and downright shockingly bad media.

Or you can just stick with the rah-rah boys and girls that landed you in Iraq.