This is America, people.

There are thousands upon thousands of kids who grow up this way, and then go on to have their own kids and perpetuate the cycle. The amount of abuse and neglect is staggering, and our social services "safety net" can't even begin to address the problem.

You seem to be confused about where you are.

Actually, you seem to be confused about quite a lot of things.

According to Snopes, based on available sources, these are Marilyn's physical stats:

Height: 5' 5.5"

Weight: 118-140

Bust: 35-37

Waist: 22-23

Hips: 35-36

Bra Size: 36D

Looks like Marilyn was exactly my height, and her weight range is also very similar to mine, although her waist and hips are a couple of inches smaller.

I can tell you that, at 5' 5.5" and 140 pounds, I was wearing a size 10. So, I don't think it's at all implausible that, at her highest weight, she would be on the "Size 10 and Up" list.

No offense taken.

I was a size 10 at 5'6" and 140 pounds, not 117. Sorry if my post was confusing. At 117 pounds, I was about a size 4 or 6 (that was 20 years ago).

I was just saying that, if Marilyn was about 5'6", and about 140 pounds (at her heaviest), she would have been wearing about a size 10 today.

Christmas is over, and yet the spirit of Scrooge lives on! (Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?)

There is this funny theory that people can be rehabilitated in prison, and that they should be evaluated occasionally as to whether or not they can re-join society. This is the function of parole boards.

If you think it's good policy to keep incarcerated old and infirm people who would pose no threat if released, then your need for vengeance has interfered with your ability to reason.

I don't necessarily consider myself part of the "doom and gloom crowd", but I am pretty disturbed by the continuing downward spiral that the global economy seems to be experiencing.

I think, though, that even "doom and gloomers" have enough sense to hope that you are right - that things won't be as bad as it looks like they might be. Because, you see, being able to say "I told you so" would be pretty cold comfort at that point.

So, again, I hope you're right. But, please, don't write off those who may not see it the same way as you as merely part of the "doom and gloom crowd". There are lots of us who are worried about keeping our jobs, our houses and our savings, and we've had precious little good news lately about our future prospects.

I don't think we're talking about "jumpstarting" the housing industry here.

It looks like this is trying to prevent millions upon millions of foreclosures, which would have meant millions upon millions of homes, in your neighborhood and mine, sitting empty, falling into disrepair, further pulling down the value of my home and your home, and further eroding the tax base of my community and your community. Not to mention all the people who would have been made homeless. Where do you think they're going? Do you live in a gated community? I don't, and I don't want millions of angry homeless people roaming my neighborhood.

First of all, it's "chute", not "shoot". And please stop using apostrophes when you are pluralizing something.

The Community Reinvestment Act? Are you fucking kidding me?

Thanks for admitting your ignorance. And, yes, I know what an anus is. Am I supposed to be embarrassed about that?

The fact is that there have been fewer defaults under the Community Reinvestment Act than there have been with other mortgages.

I can assure you, it is not only Fox News that is hostile to unions. I work for a union, and I am a union member myself, and I can't tell you how many people think that union members clock in and sit around for eight hours doing nothing, sucking up money and benefits that should be going to "honest" workers. (And I'm talking about some of my own family members here!)

You know, I just went back and clicked on the link to Brainwrap's Daily Kos blog entry that Glenn provided at the beginning of his post. It reads:

I'm a progressive Democrat here in Southeast Michigan. However, I've never been particularly pro-union. That doesn't mean I'm anti union, just that I'm fairly neutral on the issue. Now, normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but when you're a Democrat in Southeast Michigan, NOT being massively pro-union is equivalent to being a Republican.

I mention this only because the mayor of Lansing, Michigan, Virg Bernero, just gave a BLISTERING attack on some FOX News jagoff who was attacking the UAW and demanding even more concessions. You really have to watch the whole thing for the full impact.

Again, I'm not a huge union fan as a rule, but I admit that Mayor Bernero gave one hell of a powerful argument defending the UAW in particular. Video below the fold.

A progressive Democrat who is not a huge union fan as a rule!

If we get treated this way by progressive Democrats, what happened on Fox News is surprising only in that the interviewer didn't waterboard Mayor Bernero.

The national average starting salary for a teacher is just over $30,000. That hardly qualifies as "fatcat" wages.

If you want more information on teacher salaries, you can start here:

http://www.nea.org/home/ns/12661.htm

Thanks for the links you provided earlier, bystander.

To all of those still complaining about union wages and benefits, I say stop complaining, get off your asses, and ORGANIZE!