Couldn't agree more. Currently live on less than $20K a year, which is probably higher than my lifetime average, in spite of nearly twenty years of education, three degrees, a series of responsible positions, and eight published books in sixteen editions (most with major publishers, thank you).

When I read about someone who has benefited from a crooked system being "allowed" to live on the severely reduced amount of $10 million, my first response is not "there go those damn women again." As valuable a service as Steinem has rendered, her assertion in this case is just plain silly.

A wealthy acquaintance of mine once was near tears for poor Milliken (does anyone remember his name any more?), who had been "punished enough." Seems the poor fellow had to live on a mere one million a year. My heart was full of pity.

Wow, Franken's confirmation has brought out the trolls in full venomous and spluttering frenzy. Which is a strong sign it's a good thing. I'm not a great Lord of the Rings fan, but somehow can't help thinking of Gollum muttering and cooing over the very "precious" which has so deformed him.

Let's see, Terkoy: Limbaugh and O'Reilly are successful because they speak the truth, but FDR is the only man who was elected to the presidency four times because he's a lying scumbag?

Impressive thinking. Almost as effective as citing Ann Coulter.

Was not going to comment, but read so much hatred and ignorance on this thread I must respond.

Any doctor would describe me physically as unequivocally male, and my sexual behavior (and pleasure) is unequivocally hetero. I was raised in a fundamentalist society. Nevertheless it was clear to me early on that I and every other human was a mix of "female" and "male" characteristics, and that those categories are so broad and simple-minded as to be extremely misleading.

The point is not what artificial category you wish to put a person in, but the quality of that person's being.

And for those who insist that no priest would EVER do such a thing. Oh come on. Are priests not human? Do you seriously maintain NO priest EVER has violated the confidence of the confessional, that NO priest EVER would recommend suicide?

On precisely the same sort of evidence, I conclude that NO priest EVER has molested young boys.

Kudos to the commenter who pointed out that evolution does not drive uniformly to a preset goal, but is opportunitistic, and so depends on variation.

So people in the "antiwar left" blamed McNamara but not Johnson? Strange. I protested the war, and suppose I would be considered on the "left," though I consider myself a reasoning patriot, but I don't remember it that way.

Am sure those hundreds of thousands chanting, "Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" Actually meant to chant, "Hey, Hey, McNamara, you're the one who made the error."

Interesting universe you have constructed for yourself. Not credible or harmonious, but hard to look away from, in the way that it is hard not to look at a horrible traffic accident.

" . . . any benefits that go to a local distribution company get written into the rate base, and therefore it (sic) gets passed on to consumers."

I'd rather have this environmental bill than none. That said, it's full of holes.

I worked for a state public service commission for three years, and have a pretty good overview of the rate-making process (wound up as supervisor for capital recovery--ask me about Iowa curves). Anyone who really believes that rate-making is a straightforward process which typically benefits the consumers is hopelessly innocent. The process is subject to the very same influences and corruption as Congress itself, if on a smaller scale. The rates consumers pay have as much to do with what the utilities want as with what the consumers need.