Ma'am;... How would you classify the problem??? Is it a moral problem??? Is it an economic problem??? A government problem???. I think the problem is simple enough on its face, and only slightly more complex upon examination... Republics are very often defined as commonwealths... Why??? Historically people realized that what they took from others they needed common defense for...We took this whole land from king and natives... We all support the rights of wealth in private hands; but there is no fairness to the system of taxes, and no sense...Sure, the problem is systemic... The house for its ease joined the Senate in being less democratic... Where the house once held a ratio of one to every thirty thousands citizens, now it is one representative for every six hundred thousand... Considering that districts are deliberately divided to assure a certain party's election, and to deny representation to vast numbers; could THAT be the cause of the problem??? Could the solution be constitutional??? Is the problem that the government cares nothing for the contitution??? So long as property has power and privilage, but refuses to support with money what others must support with blood- because they have no money, the weight of the present will hang on the future... I do not believe it can continue as it has... Those who seek absolute rights for property so it must bear no burden or show no redeeming social value must realize that only the absolute control of society will protect their rights indefinetely... Property owns the government, and the government protects property; but that situation is a draw unless the support of society can be thrown completely onto labor...Property has done much to siddle off from under its burden... Now, Property finds that labor alone, deprived of rights, and deprived of wages cannot support the government, and can barely support itself... It is afraid for the future.. It tries to scare the populations with the scarecrow of communism...Do you believe this will work??? When it is clear that government and business are coupled in an unholy marriage, do you think the people can be scared more, motivated by fear, and made to vote their fears??? What ever you think...What ever the rich are paying you to think... It does not matter, because the rich know it does not work.. Sure, many poor blame themselves, but that it hard to do when you look around and see others just like you in the same straits... I mean, property is a wonderful thing, but it is ours, and private property is ultimately the property of the people... And propaganda is a wonderful thing too, mysterious in its actions, much like capital; but it does not work unless people work... Everyone needs enough from life, and if they have enough they are more inclined to see others like the rich or the government having more than enough... No one has to support a right they benefit not at all from.... To me; that is the problem... Because if we all don't get what we need from this society we can watch it go to hell without lifting a finger... You forget that your wealth means something for you because it means something to all of us... We all have to benefit from it in some fashion... If it only works for you it loses value for us... So it does not matter to us how many numbers the government throws at the rich to fix a problem made by the rich... The more people are cut out of the good of this country the less good it becomes... The place is good because it is good for many... Kill that fact and you have ruined your own good...There is your problem...Thanks...Sweeney

Saunders, you understand the subject about which you write about as much as an ant understands nuclear physics. There are hundreds of trillions of dollars at stake in the world economy that is melting down right now, and a few billion to fix it is a very small price to pay if it works. The question to ask is how to do that, not whether. And you don't have a clue.

Re: Masako;... Sir, don't you think it is funny that they can find this money when they think they need to avoid complete destruction; but they can never find the nads to take back the wealth that has been taken from us by the rich. Look at all our goverment was constituted for... Is there anything there about standing back while one part of the population exploits the other part of the people into the poor house, or into no house??? They have an idea of Capitalism that works... Sure it works if you can feed it credit until it is big enough to eat the whole government... So what is it eating now???The government is throwing numbers at it... Lots and lots of numbers... Can we spend the numbers they give to us??? I hope so, but it will be at the price of less later, and it is only value working people have created. And does it not seem strange that no one can put the claim of a redistribution of wealth together with the thought that the rich don't create any value, and that wealth distribution up is the same as poverty distribution down... You know, it is just a game... The rich take it and we are supposed to take it back, and then they are supposed to take it and we are supposed to take it back. It could work fine if no body gets too greedy... I know; fat chance of that... But what offends me is not the greed, but the extent to which they go to paint a vice like a virtue... They call the democrats communists...Well they're not... But if the rich do not realize that law, and property rights, and economies, and profits and interests are only forms of relationship they are in for more trouble than communism... If they have all the wealth, then wealth will mean nothing to us, and why should anyone show deference to a form of relationship that is meaningless???...If they have all the law then law will mean nothing to us... If they own the government or pervert the government beyond this worst of all possible governments then government will have no meaning... We have to share some wealth, some opportunity, some liberty and law before America will mean the same for each of us....I can understand if they do not want to be taxed because government does too little for them...What do they want??? It does nothing for us but expedite our exploitation... I hope it gives us money, and as soon goes belly up. Then we can take back the country and start over again with the rich taking it back...Doesn't that sound like fun??? Thanks...Sweeney

Re: James A, Sweeney: Yup, there could be an opportunity here. It could be that our collective human subconscience is melting down our economy just as our conscious actions are melting down the polar ice caps. What we do in the midst of all this, whether it's spreading around the wealth, or just figuring out how to use it for greater mutual benefit and sanity, will surely figure decisively in determining the survival of the planet and the future of its great experiment with species homo sapiens. Here's to winters that continue to bless us with snow and ice. Cheers.

Oops, that's "subconscious."