817 Billion Dollars, split 58% spending, 42% tax cuts is a Blown Show. We don't have unlimited do-overs. Our creditors aren't going to put up with our stupidity forever. We have this golden opportunity to rescue the Middle-Class and end the National Debt. Either we get this turned around: 1 Trillion Dollars, 80% spending, 20% tax cuts, 50% of the 80% ($400 Billion) spent on converting America to an entirely Green Economy -or- we descend to being a Second Rate Nation. Wake-up! We're running out of options. 'Politics as Usual' are destroying our Nation. The Oil Economy has to be put down, or it will put America down. Garner the political will to save us now, or go down in history as the constituency that drove the final nail (I do mean crucifixion) into a once free and proud Nation.

P.S. I have an excellent addition to the stimulus package. It will create jobs, improve communications and transparency in government and magnitudinally improve cyber-security within our infrastructure. Convert every computer in the Federal system (including the misbegottenly crash-prone Congressional web-servers) over to Linux, Open BSD, or another, most appropriate for the application, form of Unix. The only systems that should be immune to the first wave of this conversion should be systems we are strategically or tactically dependent upon for National security. As the bulk of these are already Linux computers or clusters, this shouldn't impact the process in any significant manner.

I can't believe all these people ripping into Heather. Jeez. Heather, I thought it was a funny column. My personal American Annoyance is how people get hysterical over tiny things, like a TV column. And yes, my husband and I are researching countries in which to become expats.

On Ramsay's swearing: I was a cook a decade ago, and I love his shows (on BBC only; the American ones are, of course, way overboard). A professional kitchen is a cross between a boys' locker room and a pirate ship. I can assure you he thinks nothing of the language he uses. It's just standard kitchen lingo.

Actually, I was in culinary school a semester behind Carla on Top Chef-- and I'm so proud of her! She kicked ass in school too. Very, very nice girl.

Reader feedback is what makes Salon unique. When the feedback’s about the topic at hand, it’s fantastic: Smart, entertaining, sometimes frustrating, challenging, annoying, but always engaging.

But Haters, your envy is showing.

When I disagree with HH or any of Salon’s columnists I’m happy to debate the point in the letters section. Most of us don’t go on a rant questioning their talent or whether they deserve to have a job. That’s up to the publisher and editorial management, no?

Clearly these haters see themselves as brilliant writers who never received the recognition they deserved. You know who you are and I have some ideas for you.

- Quit the job at the Call-Center and get yourself a gig at a national magazine, now. You keep telling us in so many ways that you’re smarter and more insightful than most of Salon’s columnists, so getting hired shouldn’t be a problem for you. Please let us know where and when we can read your first column. Then we can send you hate mail attacking your talent. I’m sure that will make your day.

Or

- If you hate HH so much, why don’t you just stop reading her column? Why do I keep seeing your name in her letters section anyway?

Now if I may, a few thoughts on today’s topic.

- I was a small child 40 years ago and some things were definitely cooler. My dad was a lowly waiter, yet he always wore a suit, a tie and a hat. My Mom wore Chanel-style, suits with Lame’ heels. Everybody looked better. And they weren’t as fat.

-People had house parties where guests actually danced to crazy Go-Go music!! That was really cool.

- But don’t wax too nostalgic about the food. The 60’s was the era that gave us Tang and Alpha-ghetti

-Eric Ripert is hot.

First off, I paid for my own education so kiss my ass! And secondly, I wasn't the one promoting Dostoyevsky, SHE WAS! I couldn't care less about him! I read two of his books and you're right, he is a bore. The point I was trying to make is that Heather makes her living reviewing television and then insulting the people who watch it!

She's a TV critic, that's what she does. She watches crappy TV and then makes fun of it. But clearly, if she thought she was above watching crappy TV, she'd probably find something else to do. Its not her job to review Dostoyevsky, or modern economic philosophy, or to be erudite in any way. Its her job to write a goofy column that talk about the bad television that we all secretly watch when nobody else can see us.

And that's OK.

Going to cook that lamb or fuck it? I honestly can't tell.

What has it come to when tomreedtoon is defending HH against the pretenders to his throne. I love it. Even at his most annoying, tomreedtoon wrote superior take downs of HH than the folks who've been slagging her the last few weeks. Suggesting that she review Dostoevsky instead of reality TV? Hilarious.

As for Top Chef, Stefan seems to be the clear favorite at this point. He's head and shoulders above the remaining cheftestants. Although it's hard not to root for Sideshow Carla since she's so goofy and endearing and clearly loves her craft.

I agree with the person who praised the episode of Kitchen Nightmares that featured Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack. It was a lot of fun to watch Ramsay's interactions with Momma and her staff, especially the head chef. His criticisms were right on, the staff took his criticisms to heart and help turn the place around. I only wish that there were more episodes like this in the series.