THE STATE OF THE NATION

The epitaph of the Reagan presidency will be "When Ronald Reagan became President, the United States was the largest creditor nation. When he left the presidency, we were the world's largest debtor nation." - Lester Thurow.

"In the Reagan years, more federal debt was added than in the entire prior history of the United States." - Richard Darman.

AMERICANS ARE SPENDING 650 TO 700 MILLION PER YEAR

TO GET THEIR FREE CREDIT REPORTS. GOT TO LOVE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.

WAR IS THE ONLY INDUSTRY THE UNITED

STATES HAS LEFT. The Defense budget for 2009/10 is $1 trillion or $100 billion more than the cost of health care reform for TEN years.

GRANDSTAND, OPPOSE & PRETEND

Thanks to Ed Markey, I now know what GOP stands for.

BANKS DO "GOD'S WORK"

So says the chief executive of Goldman Sachs. Remember that the next time you get dinged $39 for that overdraft on your checking account.

REPUBLICIANS & THE FAR RIGHT

Paul Krugman's piece in the November 9, 2009 New York Times - very interesting read about the far right, paranoia politics and the Republician party. Some interesting observations -
- the far right leadership isn't interested in governing;
- the far right that used to be manipulated by the Republician party to help it get elected then abandoned so the party could serve the moneyed elites now effectively runs the party.
Most surprisingly - Richard Hofstadter in 1964 in an essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" foresaw much of the far right crisis currently under way.

CONSERVATIVE HYPOCRISY IS THE ONLY

PRINCIPLE OF THE REPUBLICIANS & THE RIGHT.

REPUBLIAN ADVSIOR FACES HEALTH CARE'S COSTLY BITE

THE STORY ABOUT DOUG HOLTZ-EAKIN AND HIS HEALTH CARE INSURANCE PROBLEM IS SYMPTOMATIC OF THE PROBLEMS FACING MOST AMERICANS. YET DURING THE CAMPAIGN HE PROPOSED A SOLUTION THAT IS EXACTLY THE ONE HE NOW FACES - NO INSURANCE COMPANY WANTS HIM. WELCOME TO THE WORLD MOST AMERICANS FACE. MORE IN THE WASHINGTON POST STORY. DID KARMA RUN OVER HIS DOGMA?