What I become outraged about is that the right is suddenly the guardian of the deficit, after the Republicans in power spent in a way that would embarrass drunken sailors, including a brand-new expensive entitlement, the Medicare drug benefit, which was written almost entirely by big pharma.

Yeah, the Republicans don't want the Democrats to spend money on programs that people will like, because it'll make them like Democrats more. So increasing the deficit when Republicans are in power leaves Democrats to clean up the mess rather than enact more spending themselves.

Clinton was really mad about this when he took office.

Hmmm... Trying to bring it all together.

It we were to use some of the saving incurred from withdrawing from Iraq to buy every woman in the country a Hitachi Magic Wand, it might help the overall mood of the nation.

Y'all are reminding me of a long-ago conversation on Table Talk, about dealing with kids' minor aches and pains and gripes, and one extremely innocent, sheltered mom who'd been using a Hitachi Magic Wand for its purported purpose, vibrating away the little knots her two Little League players got in their shoulders and calves. Everyone, thinking she already knew what it was actually for, made sniggering little jokes about what a great multipurpose tool it was, and when she finally twigged to the point of all the jokes she was horrified.

And concerned about what she was going to do next: now that she knew what it was really for, she didn't think she could use it on her little boys (but they loved it! they'd be heartbroken!), and now that she'd spent three years using it to massage her little boys she sure as hell wasn't going to use it for its actual purpose.

JZ, that story is so tragic it should be turned into a play. Maybe by Shakespeare or Pinter....

It we were to use some of the saving incurred from withdrawing from Iraq to buy every woman in the country a Hitachi Magic Wand, it might help the overall mood of the nation.

OTOH, it might exacerbate the energy crisis.

OTOH, it might exacerbate the energy crisis.

True, that might raise the "Drill, Baby, Drill" slogan again.

True, that might raise the "Drill, Baby, Drill" slogan again.

I'm pretty sure that Palin porno that came out a while ago used this phrase....

You probably would have guessed this, but stepping on a clipboard in sock feet is surprisingly painful.

I didn't guess it before I felt it, Ginger. Yeouch indeed.

Hope you didn't raise a bruise...like I did.

If more people had better vibrators, there would be lots less spending of gummint money.

Vibrators for some, tiny American flags for others!

I love how this thread is jumping from discussions of the budget deficit to the KILLER VIBRATOR THE DESTROYER and back again.

That and a very large glass of wine (I worked today, so It's Fine) are keeping me happy.

Well, we didn't complete(/close) on the house. Our lawyer is all ready to go. The lawyers for the other side are being idiots and refusing to provide the last bits of information we need - or being too lazy to do actual work. I can see it taking a few days yet. But I so appreciate the ~ma! You are all lovely. I have spent too many hours writing. I need more wine.