RuntheDamnBall

A fine argument, until one considers the fact that we're at war and never during wartime have we cut taxpayers breaks like this. The willingness to fight this war combined with the absence of responsibility in paying for it is astounding. My point is we are passing off debt to future generations for this war. Back to the beginning. When Bush is asked about the deficits he's run up, he's said, "I'll spare no cost in defending the country." Fine. Then he has zero right to ask Kerry how he is going to pay for anything. End of story.

Correct. But we also have a relatively free society in which the public has some semblance of a voice. How often do you hear from everyday people in Arab nations? The people who command power and attention are the corrupt governments and the extremists. Neither is a very good option for the public to turn to. To pin this solely on a society, nation, culture or religion is stupid because this thing is so much more ugly, ambiguous and underlying. DC Tom was right.

Thanks for the post, Mick. I think we should be disgusted by these actions, and that goes for those on both sides. I have been calling to encourage registered voters, Independents, Democrats and Republicans alike. Not only do the actions of these people threaten democracy, they discourage both people who might be interested in serving democracy and those whom they are trying to reach out to.

That's great for them assuming you are not living paycheck to paycheck. Some people aren't fortunate enough to have the option of investing...

Interesting. I cannot really rationalize that vote, although I would like to know if there were any other bills attached that make this suspect. I was referring to the actual budgets that were sent to Clinton for approval but was not aware of the amendment votes. It doesn't change how I feel about Bush with regard to what this particular article says about him, but it is definitely important to know. Thanks.

We disagree in that I don't have a lot of faith in the system but I do think there are a few good politicians out there. Again I am not sure that Kerry is one of them but I think he would listen to them. I could see myself receding into complete cynicism with another Bush victory with a monolithic ruling party though. As regards the populace, it is a combination of stupid, spineless, controlled and disenfranchised -- the latter in the sense that there are a lot of good people out there who know they wouldn't stand a chance against the larger evil. There was a great guy who ran a Wellstone-esque Congressional campaign against Amo Houghton a few years back. He didn't stand a chance against Houghton and his accumulated wealth and power. In turn good people like this just give up and don't even try, and try to make their small difference elsewhere. Where do we find real election reform to support these people if our elected officials won't give it to us -- honest question?

Actually, the system is not broken, it is so refined that it is in control. It would take far more guts than most of our elected officials have for anyone who gained power using the system to truly reform it. It's a catch-22.

Darin, I don't see any balanced budget info in this link -- am I misreading it?

I think you're proving my point here. I don't reasonably expect that most of our real problems will be solved under any of the next three administrations. Problems are systemic, neither of these candidates are revolutionary -- the media wouldn't deem them electable if they were -- and a lot of damage has been done. Kerry has said he would roll back some programs he holds dear he has to. Bush has said no such thing about his tax cuts even as we bankrupt ourselves and look at the prospect of an unending war. The government is a behemoth and it's feeding its big brother OmniCorporation pretty well these days. Both are screwing us all. edited. I screwed up earlier and DID use Bush and fiscal responsibility in the same sentence -- my mistake!

We can play back and forth on this, but Bush has introduced more government programs than anybody. He brags about more spending on programs when it suits him, and talks about cutting them when it suits him. I fail to see how Bush is better here. In fact, he isn't, because Kerry has at least pushed for balanced budgets during his Senatorial tenure. Bush has thrown fiscal solvency out the window.

Well, believe me, I'll be working hard alongside fellow Americans, whichever side wins the presidency, to get that point across. Returning to the original point, I feel that Kerry would listen to someone with another point of view. Bush won't, and for that reason his is not a solution but a small plug in a cracking dam.

So as much as you hate the fact that Bush is spending money we don't have, you appreciate that he is further reducing our revenue, so you can spend the money on what that is more important than defending our country? The idea that Bush feels we should start wars and bear no fiscal responsibility for them TERRIFIES ME. Good luck living, great grand-kids, at least Ol' Great Grandpa Joe got to have a little more money in his pocket.

Who says it can't be J.P. running the damn ball? Regardless, here's Earl Campbell as a reminder till we're sure who our guy is.

I predict monster put card in wallet.

is there a "head scratching" smilie? Or a "I hope that was ironic" smilie? Yikes. Didn't realize the bar for talent was set that low these days.

The problem is, if you only believe in rights and wrongs, and the other side only believes in rights and wrongs, and they are polar opposites, you risk empowering the other side with any action you take. If, though believing you are right, you look for the sources of an opposition's rise to power -- poverty, disenfranchisment, corrupt governments, rushes to judgement -- with this understanding you can begin to neutralize it, while taking steps necessary to protect yourself. To use a medical metaphor, Bush wants to saw off legs when localized medicine may work effectively, and he doesn't want to hear that the medicine might work.

I liked "Kerry's face droops for joy over latest poll figures" Personal favorite: "Armchair Quarterback Blitzed" -- with photo of kid in a packers jersey collapsed in a recliner, cans of Budweiser littered on the floor.

The media are not supposed to be complimentary. They are supposed to shed light on a situation and reveal to the reader. Regardless, Suskind is very complimentary about the president's people skills. What this article addresses, and what you're missing, is that there is an unprecedented veil of secrecy around this administration. Bush and Co. proceed headlong without any need for information that may weaken their case -- truth be damned. Bush has a need for yes-men everywhere to provide a backdrop of "certainty" and resolute leadership, whether in the cabinet or on the campaign stage, and this is troubling. He is so certain that there can be no other way to see an issue, no matter the evidence, that it could get us into deep trouble. I don't think you've addressed that yet.

Did you read it? Don't you think the quotes from Rev. Jim Wallis, a man who helped Bush in his spiritual journey, are at the least revealing? It's the substance and not the style I want to hear about.

Without a Doubt A pretty eye-opening article. The second page story about the Sweden/Switzerland mixup is particularly frightening. I know some will discount this before reading it as it's the Times, but it is a very in-depth article and it raises some points that should be discussed.

what were the comments?

I think the better analogy is that top 2% Sorry, USA is the only one of those teams I don't root against. Cowboys and Lakers, hate 'em. Yanks: classy organization on the surface, micromanaging fascist up-top, plenty of great players and a few guys who think they're bigger than the game.

Nothing=a feat unaccomplished in baseball history on opposing turf You, sir=RJ on this one

You know, some idiots say stuff like that about New York. And then bad things happen and they're sorry for ever thinking about it. There are nasty people here in the city, in Boston, everywhere. I prefer to look for the good in humanity. Your quote here is really unfortunate and uncalled for. This is about baseball, for crying out loud. Why not look at a guy like Johnny Damon who is every bit the heart-and-soul, REAL baseball player that Jeter is (IMHO they are very much alike) and be happy for him? Guys like that are what make the game for me these days. I am only sorry to see the good guys like Jeter and Olerud not get the opportunity as well -- but they've had theirs.

according to the echo chamber. Depending on what you watched it was a different story. I watched it on C-SPAN. Sure, there were some political panderings, but also some beautiful moments. Again, this is a systemic media problem, not a Dem/Rep thing. Also, it was pretty appalling to see how many people who said disparaging things about Wellstone in life were supposedly appalled at the goings on during his funeral -- guys like Tucker Carlson who didn't even watch it were pretty priceless.