The montra for the midterms has to be, two years ago our economy collapsed, and we as a nation nearly perished not from external threats, but throught the cronyism of the previous administration and his party.

We have weathered the strom due to the vision and action of the president and his party. A vote for the oposition in 2010 is a vote to retun the nation to abyss we narrowly avoided.

That's you're pitch, if the Dem's stick to it, they'll pick up seats. If they forget "it's the economy stupid" they will lose.

It's always improtant to remember that phrase was posted in Clinton Headquarters not for others, but for them selves. Stay on message, it's the economy stupid.

Even if unemployment is still lagging next year, the Dems can hold on so long as they remind people that no matter how far we've fallen it was the other guys who pushed us.

Jobs are a lagging indicator.

after a major financial crisis, company's will sell off inventory, lay off workers, and seek more efficiency from those they keep.

Companies will work their more "efficient" work force through the lean period until sales pick up.

Once sales pick up, the streamlined work force will not be adequate to provide services necessary to maintain growth, at which time new jobs are created.

That growth has returned, is the first step towards jobs returning, wihtout growth, there would be no jobs returning, this is the basics of economics.

Now, this could be false growth (an illusion of stimulis, or rax incentives) in which case the economy will recess again next quarter (if not sooner). However, if this is real growth based on efficiency new jobs will be coming quickly.

Human capital can only be spread so thin before "efficiency" becomes inefficiency. Businesses operate as close to the line as possible, of course, but once you are at that line, you will need to expand.

Now, as always, jobs lost may not return in the same form due largely to other economic variables. Those without GED's who had line jobs and those with MBA's who had over compensated desk jobs may find their prospects bleaker when the jobs return. But for the vast majority of middle skilled labor, real economic growth will lead to new jobs.

Once again, as always, there is no jobless recovery. In order for there to be a recovery, there must be jobs created, otherwise it's just a dead cat bounce.

What you are seeing when normally cows freak out on their way to the slaughter is actually more akin to the way horses get startled by sudden movement.

If you look into the efforts to make slaughter houses more humane you will find that recent investigation show that such things as loose electrical chords which offer sudden movement is what is scaring the cow, not any realization of what is to come.

Pigs may be a differnt matter, their advanced olfactry senses likely allow them to smelll blood which is a danger sign to animals. Cows however do not have such a refined sense of smell so that if the tunnel is kept clear they will happily walk right onto the kill floor unaware of what is happening as the bolt quickly and humanly ends their life.

No one is trying to scare the cow or make the cow's final hours unpleasant, but ocassionaly people don't realize what is scaring the cows, until someone comes in to assess the situation rationally. There are efforts to rectify such things and when they are rectified the cows tend to have no reaction whatsoever.

If you truly believe that cows are sentient creatures then there is no way to discuss this issue logically with you.

I have at times spent many hours discussing things with those who believed in tree spirits, and for whom the slaughter of a tree was a moral hazzard of unspeakable tragedy.

Yes if cows were sentient creaturs then it would be a moral outrage to kill them merely for food. There is however absolutly no evidence to suggest they are sentient.

You can believe they are, just as my friends believed the same of trees, but for those who lack such clear eyed faith you must realize your position is nonsensical.

Most folks who work in meat processing are there to do their job as cleanly and efficently as possible, they take no joy in ending a cow's life, but feel no sorrow in it either.

In the end, a cow is not by any definition sentient. They are just cows.

Exactly what study suggests that ones worry about the well being of one's food leads to ill health, I am unfamiliar with any such work published in a reputable journal.

I suppose you are saying that the good feeling you receive from the knowledge that you are a pure soul confers some sort of spiritual wellness that others might not experieince.

Given that I have made argument for the moral consumption of meat, I fail to see how a meat eater wouldn't enjoy a similar benefit to their spituality.

Suggesting an absolute moral justification for veganism is akin to suggesting an absolute moral justification to heterosexuality. Suggesting that those who engage in practices you find immoral will surely suffer for their failure to recognize their own immorality.

To my knowledge, cows are not intentionally caused pain in the slaughtering process (I base this on first hand knowledge) while some may experience pain, that is not the intent, and efforts are made to end their suffering as quickly as possible.

The cellular processes of plants and animals are not terribly differnt, the susation of animal or plant life to sustain your own does not strike me as a greater or leser moral question.

In the end, one thing must die so that you may live. That is how all animal life works, anything else is largely projection.