When W. announced "Mission Accomplished" on that aircraft carrier he meant that the terror threat from Osama was over: we had given him the two things he wanted: instability from which high oil prices flowed and "infidels" (American troops) out of the Holy Land (Saudia Arabia). Bush, like Reagan before him, gave the "terrorists" exactly what they wanted; peace was to be the result.

What ever happened to Osama anyway? Probably hanging out some of the exclusive clubs in Houston and Dallas.

For more info. on this topic, I recommend you read, "The Geography of Nowhere" by James Howard Kunstler" or hit his website: kunster.com.

The real solution (coming whether you like it or not) is to move back to walkable cities. Unfortunately, America has disbursed itself widely--getting back to walkable cities requires the money we already reinvested in the wrong places. It's not going to be pretty, but the end result will be much richer lives.

OK, given that the gov. has no savings and doesn't tax enough to cover its spending, it can come up with the money for the stimulus only in two ways:

1. Printing more money via the special government corporation, the Federal Reserve. Since its inception, the Fed has printed up so much money that the value of the dollar is only 5% of its original value (it has lost 95% of its value). This inflation of the money supply is what leads to price increases.

2. Borrowing from someone. Since our own citizens don't have enough saved to fund the federal government's debt, we must borrow from foreigners and their governments. Principally, this is the governments of Japan and China. I don't know, but at some point, these governments are going to find better places to put their dollars.

So, stimulate away. Let's just pray someone will lend us the cash; Zimbabwe-type inflation will really ruin things.

Finally, let us not forget that it was not the greedy bankers who got us into this mess (not that they are greedy). It was our elected officials who are all to eager to help them (and not you).

By the way, if you look at the amount donated to political campaigns, you'll find that our elected officials give a great bargain--I've noticed about 10 dollars in political contributions in return for 100 dollars in tax subsidies, gifts, legislation, etc. to those corporations for donate. Special help from the gov. is not the "free market".

You know parents were all too eager to increase penalties for pedophiles; not just long jail times, but apartheid for life. Somehow all their Christian ideals go out the window when their children are potentially threatened by older people who find their underage kids sexually desirable.

Well, I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Lock the kids up for long sentences. They know it is illegal. You distribute child pornography (even if you're the star), you go to jail and you get marked for life. If the law wasn't draconian before, it is not now.

Personally, given these laws, I'd never work with children--too much potential that the angelic ones could become little connivers and invent a story about how you made sexual advances towards them. If you work with kids (or find yourself in situations where others kids around you--the neighborhood kids come over), I'd strongly advise you to never be alone in a room with a kid. Talk to them outside in full view of others. You do not want any exposure to these laws, because few will believe your innocence (assuming you are innocent).

Why are the banks treated with kids' gloves: because at multiple points in our history (going back at least 100 years), our government has made a conscious decision to treat them as a favored industry, a favored industry that would provide economic growth.

More importantly, the federal government absolutely NEEDS (not simply desires) the Federal Reserve. Why? because the government cannot tax enough to fulfill its "do good" programs without popular outrage. If we each (adults and children) paid our equal share in 2006, our individual cost federal government was $9,035. If you and your partner have 2 kids, your share was $36,140--did you pay it? Would you be outraged to pay it? Now, if you think about all the people who don't pay many (or any) federal taxes (babies, children, disabled, retirees), you realize that the cost per taxpayer is much higher.

The money it cannot get from tax it must borrow or the FED must print out of thin air. When the FED creates money, it is effectively counterfeiting, diluting the value of the money. Once that diluting becomes clear, people demand more of it for goods and services they sell (called price increases). If that weren't the case, we'd all be buying bread for 5 cents a loaf like my father did when he was young (he's 96). Inflation is a huge insidious tax, but almost no one blames the real source (government) for it.

The FED has created ALOT of money recently (under Bush II and now Obama); hold on to your hats, prices are gonna go way up.

Libertarians don't support bailing out banks. George W. Bush and his minions are

OK, so let's think about this: Who you will spend a good part of your life with; THE most personal decision is regulated (and taxed--think marriage "license" and divorce fees). Who gave the government this ability or more importantly, why do we stand for it?

It is time for Mr. Obama to stop discrimination against the majority of Americans (single people) by a vocal minority (married people) who seek benefits that the majority must pay for.

In the meantime, get married in a church of your choice (for gays there are many churches that perform same sex marriages), but don't get a married license. Don't give the state more power on this personal decision.