Most Republicans are even against private competition in health care. Pharma manufacturers enjoy the unique corporate privilege of federal laws preventing consumers from shopping around on the Internet for lower prescription prices, a right consumers the world over take for granted. Those Republicans who speak against this sacred covenant of monopoly, like John McCain in the '08 campaign, get flamed for "destroying the competitiveness" of America's starving drug companies.

So why do the executives who totally screwed up, to the extent of requiring several trips to the bailout well for AIG, deserve a thin dime?

What I would do is fire every one of the executives who believe are due bonuses, pay them nothing whatever, and invite them to sue if they feel a "contract" has been violated. Let them pay lawyers from their own savings, then convince a jury that they deserve what they feel is coming to them.

Let their vacated jobs at AIG be filled by laid-off Silicon Valley engineers chosen by lot. The job requirement would be having produced any real product, be it hardware or software. Being an MBA would automatically exclude a candidate from consideration.

Take these first steps, and our healing will have begun.

"Agore, I like your proposal, but the part about Silicon Valley techies...why them?"

Because what Wall Streeters have lost sight of as they play games with paper is that out there in the alien hinterlands beyond the Hudson, there is an actual economy where people once produced things - cars, cabbages, computers - for workmens' wages. These people are out of work now because of bad decisions made by the derivative-slingers. So I say that if we want to get that economy going again, replace the trading execs with workers who have actual experience producing goods.

"I don't buy this weak-kneed opinion that the President can do nothing because of some feeble legal opinion. When an insurer or the government wants to screw you, they do it, Then you have to take them to court. "

Over the last few years. business has developed a 'screw you' culture of one-sided contracts that allows them to ruin your cruise, yank your insurance, raise your interest rate, cut your credit, or deny your warranty without consequences. It's time to make the AIG execs a very public example of what we can do to get back at them.

I was once issued the wrong medication because a pharmacy tech misread the doctor's spidery handwriting on the prescription. Good thing I noticed the odd-looking pills in time.

Imagine what it would be like if your bank operated entirely with paper and quill pens. Going in for routine deposits and withdrawals would be like trips to the old, totally offline DMV. And the convenience of ATMs would not exist. In fact, without computerized banking, nobody would even be able to envision their existence.

Which is easier than you think, because most of it lives in California.

"We will make Iran glow at 7000 degrees but it will be after the Dems are out of power."

If you need to do what it takes to win a war without being pecked to death by media whiners, elect the appropriate Democrats to run it. You can look this up under "Roosevelt" and "Truman."

"I feel for the pilots, and I love Patick's column. But reading all of this has convinced me: Capitalism has made wage slaves of us all--doctor, lawyer, Indian chief."

You never took the Aeroflot "flying Post Office" back in Soviet times, didn't you? I have.

Years ago the flat-earth lobby promoted wind and solar power as "alternatives" to the large scale energy sources it considered unholy. We know now that what they really oppose is any energy source that actually gets built. Now that wind is spreading nationwide, now that photovoltaic solar is edging down past the $1/watt that has been seen as the threshold for commercial adoption, the Luddites are suddenly finding reasons to oppose them. Upstate New Yorkers are claiming that wind turbines cause migraines. We have started to hear that solar cells are "made from poisonous materials." Opposing power lines is a convenient catchall way for medievalists to implement BANANA: build absolutely nothing, anywhere, near anyone.

Power lines have negligible impact on the environment. Animals can live near them and migrate right past them. They are most certainly ugly to human eyes, but that's a temporary problem. The first buried superconducting transmission line is already in place. Although expensive, short, and local, this is what today's overhead wires will eventually become as costs drop. If there is going to be a Grid 2.0, we need to nail down the rights of way now, while real estate is almost worthless. Rights of way will never be this cheap again.

Steamroller these idiots while you still can, Obama!

"photovoltalic is extremely in-efficient ie. requiring a lot of coal-generated power to refine the silicon, and lot of coal-generated electricity in China to produce the solar cells."

Here in Arizona, we fabricate our silicon cells with nuclear power. Not a carbon atom in sight.

"...the Facism of the individual against the Facism of the mob. "

Would that be the individual and the mob being swayed by beauty?

"but seriously, how much of this nonsense would be happening if the government were a hundredth of its current size?"

For the first time since 9/11, I'm proud to be a libertarian.

"This counter-move reeks of upper class entitlement. I can't get all "you go girl" over it. "

What's 'upper class entitlement' about trying to save your entire future from being tarnished by bogus charges? I hope these kids wallop the local taxpayers for huge judgements that dissuade prosecutors from every pulling this again.