@harry ashburn, here is a fact!!! My wife and I live from month to month on our social security checks and our small pensions. We have not saved any money since my wife retired. You can believe me or not.

If employers want Americans to invest in our country, they should give their workers a decent salaries with decent cost of living increases. Our social security checks no longer give us cost of living increases. This is a fact!!!

@Harry Ashburn:

The names of political parties and affiliations are capitalized. If you want to switch to a lower case “d” in this case you would have to use:

There is no democracy in the White House.

That statement is correct, also.

@Gerald: "give you a break?" - may I see your articles of incorporation and your last quarterly report?

Dear Thom, I am amazed at how great people and organizations are in the fight for justice and peace. They continue to fight even with me being so discouraged at the United States of Hell’s future. We have the answers for our problems but our country lacks the leadership in our three branches of government. We cannot survive without leadership and a vision. Thom, you offer good information and points to resolve our many problems. There should always be a back-up plan in case a problem surfaces like oil spillage, a nuclear power plant leak, and the unintended consequences in wars, deregulation of our financial institutions, and the lack of health care for all Americans. Americans seem to have a love affair with wasting away our natural resources such as water, oil, national parks, and our environment to name several resources. Thom has finally ripped Obama.

God helps them who helps themselves. Prayer is important but praying alone will not resolve our many problems. We must put forth some effort on resolving our many problems. We must work with God in cleaning up the filth and garbage that the United States of is noted for around the world.

A $20 billion fund is an insult because BP has had a $170 billion tax break. Give me a break!!!

@harry Ashburn

Life is nuts enough just livin' here with you;

"Livin' here with you and Bobby Magoo!"

Martin Mull said he was doing his bit for the environment by burning pets. "If everyone would burn just one small Spaniel ..."

We needed honesty last night not a pep talk. Truth is no one knows how to end this catastrophic blunder. Obama needs international help because we have, through our crappy leadership, allowed BP to endanger ALL life on this planet not just lives along the gulf coast. Where was the plea for help? We have created a sea of hydrocarbons in the lungs of our planet! If the earths oceans can't create oxygen large mammals (us!) will go extinct. 20 billion in an escrow account is a joke in a catastrophe of this magnitude. One wonders how much of this money is earmarked for Maine lobster fishermen. I want to weep every time is pass by an elementary school and realize what my generation has left those kids.

@mstaggerlee

I don't know about Asimov. My Persian friend, Akbar, suggested government posts be filled via draft, with desire and ambition being disqualifiers. I don't know if he read the book.

Thom and many other progressive talkers have compared President Obama to Bill Clinton. I think this comparison is right on the money. The pun will become apparent by the end of my post.

Clinton went along with "the program".He passed NAFTA, GATT, Telecommunication Act. When he finally left office he was almost broke. Ten years later he is worth in access of 10 million dollars. President Obama, in my opinion is looking past the presidency to the rest of his life, where he will earn speaking fees and Board of Directorships and will probably surpass the riches of Clinton. Sounds cynical, I know, but thats the USA INC.

John Kass had a contest for a new Illinois motto. One was "The Closest Thing to a Third World Country North of New Orleans." That was too long.

The winner was, "Will The Defendant Please Rise?"

Thom...I wish that I could agree with you in regards to Obama being on our side. Unfortunately, the evidence is slanted heavily against you. It was obvious 2 weeks out on the oil volcano that this was a world changing event. He blew control of the challenge then and is continuing to do so now....the Gulf is lost....maybe we can save the United States Coastal Atlantic, but who knows. The millions of lives and ocean ecology that will be adversely affected is immeasurable. A 20 Billion dollar escrow is ridiculous.......as we both know.

Furthermore, let's look at the actions of this President.......not only his actions, but the results of any legislation which has either been passed or in progress is heavily corporately advantaged---this includes health care, carbon tax and the upcoming financial legislation. His closest advisors are corporate hacks, he allows or supports over 10 Trillion dollars in bailouts for corporations, yet the alternative energy program that could pull us out of our depression is nowhere to be found....in fact, this President supports dangerous, costly nuclear plants and even coal. No....this man is a corporate shill and we got fooled...sorry Thom. Please wake up.

Instead of "E Pluribus Unum" we should use "I got mine"