" I'll say God Blessed (God Bless Us All is what I have to say)! You've solved all the social problems of our country in one fell swoop ~
And, it can be done so incredibly eas-(il)y!! Anyone can just fix their problem/s or situation (that) easily.
{"Nobody buys a house budgeting for their income to drop, but it does happen. But saying that it was out of your control doesnt give you any sympathy. (Did I ask you for some)? If someone lost their job, get another. If someone had an illness, were you prepared by having adequate insurance? If you recently moved into a bigger house, downgrade to one you can afford. If you drive a brand new Corvette, do you think anyone feels sorry for you if you cant afford the license plates? If you are in a bad situation FIX IT. Dont blame the mortgage crisis, health problems, weather, and dont expect the rest of us to just always step up. We have our own problems. Many are the same as yours. (WHO WAS ASKING ANYONE TO "STEP UP" TO ANYTHING)?

Home Ownership is the American Dream not because it is easy, but because it is hard. It takes sacrifice, work, planning, determination, and sometimes luck. The streets arent really paved with gold and you are not guaranteed the American Dream just for being American."}} WOW

And, thanks -- I'll fight like heck, and hold on to what I have for what it "took me" in blood sweat and tears to get it, but I will take what you say into consideration, Blessed

You know we worked our tails off, for the houses we've owned. Yes, we upgraded from a small to a large, but we (could've) easily afforded to do so. You say get another job (well, it's that easy, huh), my son searched for one (as a young person) for six mos (and didn't even obtain one as working in a casino); I've searched (with a good strong resume) for about six mos or more interviewing for about 3 positions)w/out getting a call on lots more (and, I actually interview quite well) with good qualifications, and haven't gotten anything (do work 2 pt time positions). Downgrade to a smaller home --(guess what, there are 314 homes for sale here, most at the median range of what ours would sell for, we've got a great asset in our home) but it's THAT easy? They tell us to stay where we are, that this makes sense. How do we unload the 1st (it's that easy, it'll sell AUTOMATICALLY WITH NO WORRIES IF IT'S ON THE MARKET?)

MOST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY ARE UNDER-INSURED. Can one have enough insurance (can businesses afford to insure their employees adquately)? Did we "prepare" ourselves adequately for (a serious illness like cancer)? I had a crystal ball - how about you?

Not JUST people that had those adj rate mortgages are losing their homes, Blessed.

Many are finding it difficult with what they're paying at the pump, for the elec/gas bill, and at the grocery store! Wow, you've got a strong grasp of reality!
THE WAR ALSO CONTRIB TO OUR HEALTHY ECONOMY!!
I'm saying that my position is that of many, many others. We drive hunks of junk (but have a decent, livable and comfortable home) - we don't live beyond our means. What is there (ab't my situation or others') I can FIX? Who are you, telling others to FIX IT? Good Lord, if it were so easy as you say people wouldn't be in a recession, facing a Depression the way our country (IS) - we could've all dug ourselves out of any given situation (by your advice, so ridiculously) easily == Why aren't we all thinking of it? You've just got all the answers. Dang "

" Annd - The mortgage crisis is entirely a problem of one's own making.
The 3 primary reasons for the crisis:
1) Lenders approved mortgages based on 'self reported' income. Meaning borrowers lied to make themselves eligible for mortgages they would not normally be qualified for. Sometimes this was done with the guidance of the unscrupulous lenders, sometimes not. Either way people borrowed more than they could repay.
2) Borrowers accepted attractive variable rate or adjustable rate loans. They knew that the rates could/would go up and they accepted the risks. With this type of investment, the risks were great. They gambled with their money and lost. Plain and simple. Sure, they were most often guides to these types of loans by the same unscrupulous lenders, but again, these people knew what could happen and considered it an acceptable risk.
3) Lenders were being compensated on commission basis completely on number of loans made, and not on number of successful loans or they were not penalized for the number of bankruptcies or foreclosures, so fraudulent lending ran rampant. Blame this on the lenders, but again the bottom line is people borrowed more than they could realistically pay. The blame still comes back to the borrower.

The sortfall of new construction, material prices, resources being directed to hurricane reconstruction, energy prices, shipping costs, lowering reappraisal values, whatever. They all factor in to the whole but the three primary reasons remain and you cant blame anybody but the borrower for the ultimate result.
If you cant afford that house YOU CANT BUY IT. Period. Live within your means and look for a smaller cheaper one that you can afford. End of story.
Burton is not making home ownership beyond the reach of anyone. Their appetite being larger than their pocketbook is the reason all these people are in trouble.

Nobody buys a house budgeting for their income to drop, but it does happen. But saying that it was out of your control doesnt give you any sympathy. If someone lost their job, get another. If someone had an illness, were you prepared by having adequate insurance? If you recently moved into a bigger house, downgrade to one you can afford. If you drive a brand new Corvette, do you think anyone feels sorry for you if you cant afford the license plates? If you are in a bad situation FIX IT. Dont blame the mortgage crisis, health problems, weather, and dont expect the rest of us to just always step up. We have our own problems. Many are the same as yours.

Home Ownership is the American Dream not because it is easy, but because it is hard. It takes sacrifice, work, planning, determination, and sometimes luck. The streets arent really paved with gold and you are not guaranteed the American Dream just for being American. "

" Also an interesting note is that somehow the mortgage crisis (maybe even the economic crisis) is somehow related to problems of one's own making if one believes "philosophy major" J Burton-- (now we're getting down to some REALLY ridiculous statements there).

That is as we say, "rich"

Forget about home ownership folks, nobody but Burton can, and should afford this normally attainable goal. Don't sign the mortgages, you'll just be living beyond your means. But, by all means move to Alaska, where your Governor will "take care of you" "

" realize I'm in no way an economic person, but I do read voraciously, and I know basics of economics.

I don't understand, though how for instance a person that governs an oil-rich state boosts the economy of her state (benefit of residing there); they do happen to have a high cost of living, but that's a benefit to them (their plentiful oil situation), we have such high extremes of poverty or wealth in our country, I recognize free enterprise, and competition - realize that this is part of our freedom, but you know what, I am thinking that this inequality isn't always "good." And, wish there was a way to equalize things. We've got people that think like "average" folks, want to do what's best for majority, we have those wanting to govern that country that say "we'll make that change, we'll get things done," that speak one thing, and have done another, that want to promote war, keep ineptitude at it's status quo, smear and send out plain old mistruths about their opponent, or a situation, and don't represent the majority, but yet they continue to have such high support.

The war is definitely part of the reason for the economic situation. Economy is tied in to factors, some of which of course are tied in to what happens in other places besides our (good ol' USA).

We had a mortgage we could easily afford five yrs, ago, but in the last six mos (particularly) income dropped, the last five yrs had to test/monitor a serious illness (that occurred right after moving to a new, larger home) - but we could still afford these things, now they are out of our control, but they are things that were beyond "our" control.

I look at economics at it's very "simplest terms."

As we know, Burton, there's no way or method of explanations because your enlightened sense of being and entitlement deem you not worthy of the plebeian class. Yeah, buyer "beware" - well most people according to you shouldn't even work toward an attainable goal, the American Dream, home ownership because what's happening now -- they won't be able to! Nice -
Yes, Bush has done an incredible job - "

" edwalter: I fail to see how it is that you arrive at the numbers you do regarding Obama's tax plan for those earning under $250,000. Obama's tax plan for those people is to leave in place the current tax structure as enacted by GWB!

Furthermore, Obama has said that he will raise the divident tax rate to 28% form its current 15% rate. It is historically documented that doing so DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF TAX REVENUE GENERATED VIA DIVIDEND TAX RETURNS.

Of course the so-called wealthy get a larger tax break! In a progressive system, they pay the largest share of the taxes BY FAR!

In our current system, the top 50% of taxpayers pay over 97% of the total federal tax burden!

Now you and the rest of the liberals are telling me that you think they should pay more?

Sorry...That's just plain class warfare. Plain and simple. It isn't fair---at all.

When confronted with this fact, Obama said he didn't know about that..."and felt the rate needed to be changed out of a necessity to be equitable"

What?! The man said he didn't care about raising more revenue, he was concerned with "his" view of equitability!!!

Obama's plan is most definitely not better for the average individual. Not at all!

If you own stock inside of a tax shelter, or outside of it, for your retirement, then Obama is going to essentially double the rate of tax on the gain that you receive!

You couldn't be more wrong, edwalter.

I fully acknowledge the fact that the current administration spent too much money. Fully!

What I want to know is how it is that Obama will reduce the debt by proposing spending which exceeds the current administration's by $600 billion/year?!

What programs are going to be cut? None apparently. And, if you believe for one second that spending will do anything but skyrocket under this clown and his lackey Biden, then you truly are deluded.

The Democrats know how to do one thing very well: Tax and spend. "

" Annd: Tell us all how it is that the President is to blame for the mortgage crisis?

I'm dying to hear your explanation, Annd.

After your done with that, please tell us all why it is anyone should be at all concerned, let alone care about, someone who signed loan documents for a mortgage he couldn't afford to begin with.

I believe the saying is "caveat emptor."

Typical liberalism. Always looking for someone to blame for problems of their own making.

Ridiculous. "

" Retard Alert!: Obama did receive 3 times the donations from Lehman Bros---WHICH WAS BAILED OUT AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE---than did McCain. That is a fact, Tard.

Merril Lynch wasn't bailed out at taxpayer expense, Tard; it was purchased by B of A, a private corporation.

Go back to your fact checking, Tard. You don't seem to be very good at avoiding the telling of half-truths. "

" Mr. Kustich has informed himself of the issues, and also chose to state his opinions, and I for one agree with what he has to say. We're understanding of the intent (for you), Mr. Geach, to create awareness that oil is in abundant supply, but unfortunately, though oil may be plentiful, and people are drilling, it's not affecting the price because that's not the only factor -- we're still paying a high price for gas (the price is irrefutable (we pay it if we drive our vehicles) and the explanation also is)- price is still tied in to other factors. Remove a little power from those big oil cartels, and things may change, but for now, drilling is not the only answer. One state, the state (Alaska) in which the current Veep (R) candidate resides and governs, benefits directly from their oil supply - each person gets a boost. That doesn't happen in all states. We don't all live in such an "oil rich" state, they are the beneficiaries (much to their good fortune) and apparently, she's gone to bat for them, but we're looking at what's good for the entire COUNTRY -- we all want this country to become revitalized, it's for the good of each and every one. There are so many that have lost homes - don't we all want shelter? Food? Clothing? Those are basic necessities, and those basis are becoming harder and harder to purchase, in fact becoming unreachable for some with current economic crises (such as owning a home) Pres Bush has left a fine mess for America to be in, for someone to clean up --- and it's more than a monumental task. However, I'd rather have someone that wants change to take the reins "

" Late Night Weasel Alert!! Conrad Burton forgets that his whoppers can ACTUALLY be fact-checked. In a previous post he tells a half truth & misdirection -- He stated -- He claims that Obama has received 3-times the donations from employees working at Lehman Bros. -- What he didn't tell you about McCain's supporters. The NY Times reports today -- {In early 1995, after Republicans had taken control of Congress, Mr. McCain promoted a moratorium on federal regulations of all kinds. He was quoted as saying that excessive regulations were destroying the American family, the American dream and voters want these regulations stopped. The moratorium measure was unsuccessful.
Im always for less regulation, he told The Wall Street Journal last March, but I am aware of the view that there is a need for government oversight in situations like the subprime lending crisis, the problem that has cascaded through Wall Street this year. He concluded, but I am fundamentally a deregulator.
Later that month, he gave a speech on the housing crisis in which he called for less regulation, saying, Our financial market approach should include encouraging increased capital in financial institutions by removing regulatory, accounting and tax impediments to raising capital.
He supported the Bush administrations decision to seize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants, and he has backed as unavoidable the promise of taxpayer money to help contain the financial crisis.

Other than Mr. Gramm, who as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee before his leaving Congress in 2002 worked to block efforts to tighten financial regulation, Mr. McCains closest adviser on matters of Wall Street is John Thain, the chief executive of Merrill Lynch, who has raised about $500,000 for Mr. McCain.} -- Mr. Thain is reported to be McCain's largest fund raiser. "

" JB is now claiming Bush is a liberal in some respects. Wow, the thread the conservative arguments are hanging on to here are getting thinner all the time.

Mr Geach your copy and paste posts are marxist-fascist and deserve a new economic deal for the 21st century.

My favorite is you veiw that the earth continually makes oil using geological processes. True, but to pretend the earth can keep up with the demand of exponential population growth is so beyond rational.

Many more dinosaurs like yourself must be transformed over millions of years under the forces of heat and pressure to overcome the insermountable petroleum crisis of the future. Im not sure when you took your last science class (pre or post napoleonic), but you should see if they can squeeze you in next semester at tech.

Mr. Geach, I also beleive you should consult your pharmacist for any possible drug reactions that might explain your total loss of cognition. "

" JB: Thx for agreeing that Bush and the Republicans spent too much. I'll concede that the Democrats didn't do enough to curb that spending. A failure on both sides.

On some of your other comments, I have to disagree.

Both candidates are promising things they cannot possibly afford, as happens in all election campaigns. The promises that involve cost are always wish lists.

As far as taxes though, independent sources like the Tax Policy Center have said that Obama's tax plan will cut taxes significantly for the average American, while Mccains plan will only cut taxes for the rich. For example, with Obama's plan if you earn $38k to $66k you'll get a $1042 tax break vs McCains $319 tax break. If you earn $66k to $112k you'll get a $1290 tax break vs McCains $1009. If you earn $112K to $161k you'll get $2204 from Obama and $2614 from McCain. If you earn $161k to $227k you'll get a $2789 tax break from Obama and you'll get $4380 from McCain. If you earn $227k to $603k with Obama you have to pay $12 more, McCain will give you a $7871 tax break. If you earn over $603k Obama is going to make you pay $115,974 more, while McCain will give you a $45,000 tax break. It's pretty easy to see from these numbers whose tax packages favor who. If you're making over $600,000 a year, you'll want McCains plan, but if you're the average working man, Obama's plan is much better for you.

The current way the Bush Republicans are working, and McCains campaign is full of those same Bush advisors and lobbyists, they are using a borrow-and-spend method of financing things, rather than a tax-and-spend method. As an example of the difference in these two methods, let's say you are looking to buy a new televison, you tell mewhich is the better plan... to save up to buy it with cash (tax-and-spend)), or put it on a credit card and pay the original cost plus the interest (borrow-and-spend)? Any person running a household knows the answer to that, but rich people like Bush and McCain that have never had to do that kind of accounting don't see the problem there.

So, JB, if you can't tax and spend yourself into prosperity, how the heck do you borrow and spend yourself into prosperity?

Under Clinton and the Democrats, we had a balanced budget and a surplus. Under Bush we have just the opposite. "

" Jerry Kustich's letter is spot on as usual. He sums up very complex issues in deadly accurate ways in every letter he has ever written to the Montana Standard.

Keep up the good work Mr. Kustich, and keep trying to pry open people's minds in your effort to create openings for hard truths. "

" J B

Mr. G has the added burden of dementia, but you cannot say the same (for your reasoning) "

" I knew there'd be a spin on the economic news today.

As a recent news article states: "you can't fund a War, cut taxes, and balance a budget." "The Gov't keeps living beyond its means, what happens when it's time to "pay the bills"?

Bush has poised our country on the brink of financial collapse, of course other countries can't have "confidence" in our economy - the long and costly war and all the other factors will just continue -- leading to further de-valuation of our dollar. We can survive with a faltering or failing economy? How will that be possible? We'll be living like refugees in this, the "free country" of the World (who'll afford houses, or anything else that will need to be "financed?"). How many others will seek "bailout"?

We don't have the good fortune to live in Alaska, which is oil rich, and their Governor gives them a boost from oil revenue every year. What about benefits for others -
Palin's administration gained legislative approval for a special $1,200 payment to every Alaskan to help cope with gas prices, (which are among the highest in the country), which comes on top of the annual dividend of about $2,000 each resident could receive from an oil-wealth savings account. (part of her widespread appeal there, don't you agree)?

One of the state senators (who supported the windfall tax, said the oil companies " ... were literally printing money on the North Slope. We decided to strike the balance a little bit more on our side."

What are the right programs for people? What does the statement "how many poor people are employers?" refer to --

Of course increasing taxes won't cure the ills. But, our President is leaving us with a mighty fine mess, for someone else to clean up. We all want what's best for our descendants.

Mr. Geach thinks that drilling is the only answer - we've "drilled" - it's not that we don't have the resources, as the article points out the prices don't come down, because it's the other factors that are influencing it. It's reported daily and is irrefutable that the prices at pump aren't lowering, but that the oil is (now) cheaper - but they continue to reap the benefits, big business. We certainly can deplete our natural resources - our (clean) air, our (clean) water, we all know about warming or ozone layer depletion

Look at industries where people are dependent upon others for their livelihood, the small business owner offering goods and services, the guy and gals selling houses and cars, the community employees who woke up and found that they were out of a job (in our own city and state) - Copper King, airport (airlines), etc. I've worked with a fair amount of people who are coming out of retirement and having to return to the work force. Next time I volunteer for the Democratic campaign, I'll try to actually find out who the biggest supporters (financially) are. I highly doubt that the campaign has recv'd 3x the amt that McCain has (from the financial giant)

Look at what our own (Butte-born) CEO of a telecommunications company did to our town - he hightailed it off to another state after he ripped off the city and state of millions of dollars by turning the utility into a telecommnications co. Bush and Cheney are profiting, so to heck with the rest of us -- we just have to live "with it." "

" BJ - you're full of it again. Did you happen to read Alan Greenspan's assessment that we can't afford McCain's tax plan??? It's not that Bush is not a fiscal conservative (even though the Repubs ran him as one) as much as it was that his corrupt administration had to buy everyone off. Why would McCain, who supported Bush all the way, be anything different??? What economic plan? they're making it up as they go to fit the populist winds, even if it requires flat out lies. "

" Wow, Kustich's letter seems to have really gotten Geach's goad. It's like a droid gone haywire. Mr. Kustich might be just the type of conservative Leonard Pitts writes about in today's column. "

" I will agree with edwalter that Bush has spent money hand over fist. In this regard, he most certainly was not a fiscal conservative.

The problems the liberals have with him, though, are that he didn't spend enough, nor on the right programs.

Bush is much more like a liberal in terms of federal spending than a conservative.

Yet Obama will be far worse. He intends to increase spending above the levels already spent by Bush---and increase taxes as well.

I don't see how it is that an economy can tax and spend itself into prosperity. Another liberal boondoggle.

How many poor people are employers? Name a time when an economy taxed itself into prosperity, and tell us how it is that poor people all of a sudden become employers.

Good luck with that. "

" Yes, Tard, that's exactly what McCain thinks (McCain thinks American workers have it too easy when they retire & wants them to have less money when they retire). Of course he does.

Any thinking person knows that Social Security will need to be restructured. To imply otherwise is a fools errand. S.S. is going bankrupt, and will sometime in 2041 or so be able to pay only 75% of what is promised to a recipient.

The number of people contributing to Social Security for every current Social Security recipient is dwindling and is expected to decrease further and faster as baby boomers retire.

Your party's leaders won't even acknowledge that Social Security is going bankrupt, let alone comeup with an idea of how to save it.

The vast majority of economists believe that the minimum retirement age (currently 62) to begin receiving Social Security will need to be raised, and that the amount of the expected benefit will have to be decreased in order for the program to be sustainable.

Your party's response: We need to raise the FICA witholding tax, eliminate the income ceiling on income which is subject to social security, and subject future recipients to a means test, i.e., reduce, or eliminate, the Social Security benefit of the so-called wealthy. The latter being the functional equivalent of taxation w/out representation.

And McCain is McSame? Hardly. The only thing different about the Communistocrat/Tax-and-spend-O-Crats is the name on the ticket. "

" The largest foreign holder of U.S. treasury securities is not China, it is Japan. China is in second place, and the United Kingdom is in third.

If anyone thinks that Obama & Biden are the instruments of change, and that they will not be influenced or have been "manning banking's regulatory switch" regarding the events now taking place in the financial markets regarding Lehman Brothers, et. al., then it might surprise you to know that Obama & Biden received three times as much money in campaign finance contributions from Lehman Bros. (which declared bankruptcy today) than did John McCain.

Tisk, tisk, tisk. "

" Let's face it people, we ARE in a crisis! And the so-called liberal owned media is a total farce. Any rudimentary research can identify the corporate ownership of the media. Just another canard. The McCain-Palin ticket has developed an interesting campaign strategy. They don't want the public to see their plans to dismantle social security, Medicare and the system of employer-provided healthcare. To distract people from these policies that will directly affect their lives they are taking politics to new lows.

Among the highlights for the cesspool two is the nonsense that Barack Obama was calling Sarah Palin a barnyard animal when he used the old expression "putting lipstick on a pig". Then John McCain told us that he approved of an ad calling Obama a sexual pervert.

These two are happy to throw out any sort of vile lie because the more time the media and the public spend focusing on this garbage, the less time they will have to notice that McCain wants to privatise and cut their social security. McCain thinks that America's workers have it too easy when they retire. He wants them to retire later and have less money when they do. "

" I am a little worried that Mr. Geach may be straining himself with all these duplicate postings. Perhaps The Standard can just add Mr. Geach's standard response to the bottom of every opinion page so Mr. Geach doesn't have to spend so much effort repeating himself every day? He's liable to wear out his cut-and-paste buttons pretty soon.

Anyhow, calling Jerry Kustich a liberal is quite a laugh as anyone who knows him knows he's really a true conservative at heart, it's just his kind of conservative has been left behind by the current "fake" conservatives (borrow and spend conservatives)running the Republican party these days. "

" >.< Oh boy... "

" Think before you let the Democrat leadership take charge of your brain, and buy into their mantra that " we can't drill outselves out of this energy crisis."....

Of course, we can....

There's more oil available in the earth's crust than has ever been produced, with new oil always being formed by the same active geologic processes that have been ongoing throughout eons of geologic time. New world-class oil deposits are continually found, and proven reserves at an all-time high, with known sources estimated to contain enough oil to last us hundreds of years. Mother Earth recycles everything, mountains, continents, the ocean floor, the atmosphere, water----always recycling and replenishing....

The world will never run out of anything....

Turn the oil companies loose, and they'll get you all the gasoline you want, and gasoline lots cheaper than what you pay now....

Blaming "Big Oil" for this manufactured energy crisis is just convenient scapegoating and trolling for ignorant votes. The real culpits are the Democrat leadership, crackpot environmentalists, and their subservient toads in Congress.....

"Carbon politics," crackpot environmentalism, properly so called, is merely the organized power of the vast, rich-Democrat, money-machine, oligarch class, to oppress and lower the living standard of Americans with their Marxist-Fascist environmentalism, and "Candy Man", alms-bag socialism----to turn America into a collectivist, "I, Robot, Animal Farm", society....

CO2 follows warming ( temperature). Warming (temperature) does not follow C02. That's like putting the cart before the horse. The sun is the source of heat that warms the solar system. When the sun gets hotter, emitting more radiation, more CO2 is formed, all over the planet. When the sun cools, less.. Common sense cause and effect....

No solar radiation equals no heat, no warming ( temperature), no gaseous CO2, no life. The engine of climate change is the sun. Control the sun's output, and you can change the climate, If you can't, forget it. Get on with your life and ignore all that environmental CO2 nonsense, you're bombarded with. More common sense.....

Recent happenings, the Russian invasion of Georgia, to overthrow a democratically-elected government and control its pipeline delivering Caspian Sea oil to the West, ought to be a wake-up call for Americans and the West.....

The Marxist-Fascist Russian bear has awakened from its deep hibernation, and is in a conquering mood, making the West and the world less safe....

Free your brain cells. Appalling ignorance is the worst calamity that can befall a nation.....

Drill, drill, drill. for energy independence. "

" A spectre has been haunting the American economy for decades--- decades of growing enormous taxation, massive debt, worthless money-----and, an unbridled, out-of-control government, spending us into bankruptcy....
Candidates are dodging these issues, their future impact, the ideologies behind them.....
To be informed in making decisions, we need them to be honest with us, tell us how they going to deal with all this enormous theft (taxation), the taking of your labor, savings, and property--- on course to leave you owning nothing, with nothing in your name; how they are going to deal with massive debt; how they are going to restore stability and purchasing power to our worthless money; how they are going to rein in unbridled, out-of-control, government spending.....
Instead, it's the same manipulative, emotional-vote-pandering game, playing Robin Hood, the "Candy Man", treating us like children, with their "verbal warming " hot air, vacuous speeches and debates.....
It's time for logical, rational thinking and analyses.....
To begin, start with the absolutism of this proposition as the major premise: The capital formed during the latter 19th century, and early 20th century, is the capital that made the 20th century, the American Century, and rewarded Americans with the highest standard of living in the world..Gradually, that capital was squandered by the Marxism-Fascism (so-called liberalism) of Democrats, and replaced by decades of enormous taxation, massive debt, worthless money.--- the excesses of taxation and government spending us into bankruptcy---enough to frighten capital offshore to safer places---with the voice of Karl Marx, ringing loud and clear.in its ears.....
The Bush and Congress stimulus package----the same Keynesian-F.D.R -New Deal formula, concocted for the Depression, and called "priming the pump", didn't work then, won't work now---- and the Fed's lowering of interest rates, which reduces savings for sound investments, is like pouring gasoline on the fires of inflation....
Savings translates into investment, sound investment translates into real economic gain, high living standards, jobs, personal freedom.....
Of course, if there is no savings, no capital, left at the bottom of this economic death trap, just growing massive debt, worthless money; and enormous theft of wages, capital, savings, property, by government, then there will be no savings, no capital for investment, no economic growth----only misery and passage to the Gulag.....
A "New Economic Deal for Americans" is what is needed in the 21st century--- Your labor, savings, property, belonging to you----not to those Democrat taxers who think like Marxists-Fascists. "

" For the sake of humanity, it was WW II 's "Greatest Generation," who responded in the finest tradition of our forefathers to freedom-loving people's hope for liberation and peace. Is this grand tradition doomed, to be relegated to the ash heap of history in the 21st century......

The 20th century was perhaps the bloodiest and darkest in the history of mankind, and the record shows that it was collectivist-socialist regimes---Marxist, National Socialist (Naziism), Fascist, whose leaders were the brutal executioners of millions.....

Collectivism by its very nature breeds butchers like Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong , Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Castro, Pol Pot, as does terrorist organizations.....

Because the U.N. in its League of Nations-Abyssinian moments has been ineffectual (Saddam was in violation of 17 U.N. resolutions), it may be the role of America and allies to shape the destiny of the 21st century, ridding the world of tyrants and terrorist organizations who grab power and rule by fear, torture, butchery, while arming themselves with bio-chemical, nuclear weapons with intent to plunge the world into a world-wide nuclear holocaust.....

We are now engaged in global war against these monsters with no recourse except to stop them, stand firm, and united in purpose to their destruction.. Our cause to prevent a 21st century bio-chemical, nuclear holocaust is moral, just, and noble.....
A 21st century repeat of 20th century holocausts, waged with bio-chemical and nuclear weapons, now available to every rogue state, terrorist organization, and deliverable, would be unthinkable, a monumental human tragedy, and butchery....
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. "

" Jerry, good post, I have only one thing to say, God Forbid, cleaner water! Evidently you don't live in Butte, they say the water is good enough to drink, but it gives me montazuma revenge every time I drink it. You can hardly stand the smell of it when you take a shower or do your dishes. They want us to conserve water, but making it smell and taste like that is a bit extreme. But they still have the nerve to charge us for it. They said last year it was spring run off and some kind of algae making it taste and smell like it does, but it is September, and it still tastes and smells the same. They need to do something here. It is getting rediculous. Jerry, the neocons, are probably the most stubborn, hardheaded group on the face of the planet, it doesn't matter to them what the past has brought us into, because that would mean that they take the blame for the mess we are in. They keep voting these narrow minded, narrow sited politicians into office, and then whine about it later. What are they afraid of? Sounds like they are afraid of a real change. "

" Clear, concise, well-reasoned... Exactly why no one will pay any attention whatsoever. "

" A "New Economic Deal" for Americans is what is needed in the 21st century....Your labor, savings, property belong to you...Not to the likes of those, like Obama, and his Democrat taxation machine, who group-think like Marxist-Fascists. "

" And, today's announcement about the Wall St shake-up and financial crisis confirms more of the "state of affairs" of our Nation. As I've read so much about the de-valuation of our dollar, there will be people that will somehow "dispute it."

The war is bankrupting our country, and after seven years in, will there be a light at the end of the tunnel?

A news article states "you can't cut taxes, fight a War, and "BALANCE" the books. Something's just gotta give (but there are those that indicate the war is over when it's "won."

Our nation is hurting, and today's economic news just reinforces more of the same. Bush will leave us a great legacy (though nobody can work miracles to undo the damage that's done, if the changes we need don't become a reality (but we also need to act now) it's a frightening, frightening prospect. The deficit is soaring, there is exploding national debt, the long and costly war ... of course there can't be confidence in the U.S. economy - things are sounding more and more like a Depression, yet there are those that deny that recession is occurring. You said it correctly when you indicated that the country can "drill, baby drill" and the factors that are controlling the prices are still going to be in play - so the prices still won't be affected. So, part of the solution has to be alternative energy. I also believe we can do our part to enact measures for reducing global warming (though some dispute it's occurring). Will there be those that somehow blame that part of the country for storms that pulverize the Coast (next)? I think I've heard almost "everything" by now "