I hear ya, sister, but I don't have full pity for those people who bought big, bigger, and biggest. I live in a neighborhood where every tenth house is for sale and some are $70,000 for solid cottages and even the 'hood's grand manse is only $99,900. The neighborhood is on a park and a lake and there are bike paths and you can walk to the grocery store and hardware, but they're still building those plastic palaces on the outskirts and folks are still buying them.

I say of those scrimping for the sake of show, "Let them eat Hormel!"

the Vatican: the Inquisition!

the Romans: they tortured Jesus

These two are ironically apt given that those who flaunted their Christianity elected a president who also flaunted his "faith."

I oppose altering healthy bodies. And I oppose anti-depressants for those people pretending to be sad. And I oppose hair coloring for those women pretending to be blond. Of course, And I oppose teeth bleaching for those people pretending to be younger. And I oppose all cancer surgeries for those people pretending to be viable organisms: all of them die anyway, so why do we bother? And I oppose all people who purchase airplane tickets. We don't have wings! We weren't meant to fly!! And most of all, I oppose all Euro-people wanting to look Asian. We have 9 surgery centers in my small town (pop. 52) devoted to making such sickos look Asian. Day by day, surgery by surgery, I feel like I'm living in Vietnam.

"Charlie's closing in! Can you hear me, mamapk? Charlie's closing in! I need some backup, man. Over."

"Can't answer now. Surrounded by surgical Charlies. Call in an airstrike."

Seriously, mamapk, it's pert near impossible to take you seriously, when your argument is, 'If we allow trans operations, then caucasians will want to become Asian!'

You might as well have added, "And cats will want to sleep with dogs! Oh, noes!"

And I do believe that most people modify themselves on a daily basis to make their lives easier? Yep.

Coffee?

Would you like a drink?

Soma?

And yes, bleaching teeth mimics youth and for chicklet-mouthed busybodies who want to meddle in other people's lives, I do support meddling in their mouths.

Bush said this: "As ambassadors of liberty," Bush said, "you will represent America's love for freedom and our regard for human rights and human dignity."

The Torture and Invasion President wasn't struck by lightning.

There is no God.

Unless, God was napping.

I've got nothing.

Seriously, Ms. Price, I don't know. Your question tugs at monstrouly complex factors. I suspect there are a couple dozen reasons. I can see why you're asking us to guess, given the complexity. Someone willing to guess is likely to reveal more about their agenda than what's at play. I'll mull this.

I have an Ivy-educated friend who just quit and is now a stay-at-home mom because the second income didn't add much income. Her husband earns six figures and their child care costs gobbled most of her income. Like AnnieW, they sold the car to offset the loss of income.

Butts are designed to droop.

Penises too.

Why won't Bill accept the gravitas of gravity? Why does he swallow that perv pill, which perverts nature and God?

Why, why, WHY?

I've enjoyed your posts and like you, I found the descriptor, "busybody," to be apt.

Twice.

And that makes me want to weep.

Again.

Ms. Price.

And blech.

Under all the pressure to be perfect, these women's faces are likely to crack and Botox ain't gonna fix that.

I LOVE your idea! Since we saw the same several score of faces again and again (the supermodels and actresses who grace 9 out of 10 magazine covers), let's hire them. They pretend to be us anyway, when the actresses feign that they're teachers or lawyers for movie roles and the models pretend to be you and me when they walk across a city street with the wind tousling their hair, so they're already pros at mimicking ordinary people.

I'm often guilty of snark and you're right, we women should lend a little latitude to our sisters.

However, I don't give women a pass on $25,000 wedding celebrations with all the standard fluffing. I think that's a waste. I think it distracts from the challenges of partnership. It also depletes coffers.

Set up cameras across the county with software that recognizes a cell phone up against someone's head. Send images of cell phone drivers to insurance companies along with their photographed license plates. Adjust their rates accordingly. Also, factor in the costs of the thousands injured and killed by cell phone drivers and have them pay for that. Insurance companies already have values assigned to a life lost at 23, 45, etc. Take in the funds collected and distribute them to the survivors.

I'm not suggesting that money will offset the loss of lives and limbs.

I am suggesting that if people are made to pay for their damage and their potential for damage, many will rethink driving while cell phoning.

I actually have more compassion for drunk drivers than cell phone drivers. At least the drunk driver is drunk when they're behind the wheel. What's the cell phoner drivers' excuse?

You're right about yammering. I overhear some cell phone conversations and I pity the person on the other end who has to keep listening, while I can walk away.

Here's my theory about cell phones. Some assert that we're hardwired to relate to 70-80 people: a tribe. An extended family. But when we foray to work or shop, we're surrounded by strangers. We can't deal, so we cell phone. We connect with a familiar voice rather than cope with otherness.

My definition of a libertarian is a Bush-voter who doesn't want to bear the rightful blame.