With a bit of a checkered past, how does this woman go out in public and discuss personal responsibility, financial integrity, or sex with a straight face? And how does she become the Republican candidate for Delaware Senator in 2010? And are Republicans really that superficial?

This post is for some of the followers of Southern Dragon’s weekly Caturday column. When I mentioned that my recently acquired cat looked like she was going into labor in a comment on one of the regular threads, several folks responded to my comment by requesting pictures when the babies are born. This post includes a picture of Goldie, the mew mother, as well as two pictures of the kittens; one while nursing and one when mom was out of the laundry basket I bought for the purpose of being their nursery.

This is a description of how I succeeded in conquering the maze that is the Making Home Affordable Program. If you are eligible, you can do it, too.

Remember when Newt Gingrich thought it was a good idea to allow the federal government to shut down rather than give in to the Democratic President regarding budget disputes? Why does it seem so hard for so many Democrats to understand that the same thing is happening right now? However, instead of Republicans vs a Democratic President, now there is a showdown brewing between conservatives (including conservadems who call themselves moderates) and everybody else. The main issue that highlights this fomenting confrontation is health care reform, or more specifically, the public option.

The Congress and the President have promised to fix the doughnut hole in the new health care bill, but how do you fix the doughnut hole by making it worse for several years before you can make it better? Is this change we can believe in?

This post is my response to a particularly offensive comment by mwl at Raw Story on a story entitled: Final battle brewing over public option

http://rawstory.com/2009/12/final-battle-public-option/

By Raw Story
Friday, December 25th, 2009 — 1:55 pm

(I did some sprucing up after the fact.)

The battle for healthcare legislation seems to have boiled down to a few fine points. The single most definitive point, which is also incurring the most aggressive behavior, is whether the legislation should include a public agency serving as insurer and including subsidies for our most disadvantaged citizens. So it’s the old classic question of whether I am my brother’s keeper once again challenging the two party system.

It’s been said that 76% of the population of this country want the President and the Congress to reach consensus on our health care system. They want the current system reformed, want the reformation to include a public plan, want that public plan to be open to everybody from day one, and they want it now.

The quintessential Bill Maher’s outlook on the GOP and the Democrats and whether we need a third party…or not!

Michael Hayden’s attempt to point out the possible costs to spy agencies in particular and society in general in print falls flat for me. I simply consider his article another attempt by the right to besmirch what he calls “the partisan beast” and invoke the fear factor once again.