[ovrtaxt]

Yes, I'm thankful for what we have, in the big picture. But we are settling for less. If the Republicans didn't capitulate so easily on BIG spending bills, in the name of the 'new tone', we might be much better off. What's the point of spraying billions all over Africa? Or getting involved in Liberia? Or buying pills for seniors? To get the ever elusive black or gay or AARP vote? Wouldn't it be easier to abolish the IRS and become politically immortal that way? It ain't brain surgery to me. Why then don't they do it?

[Jim Robinson]

I have no idea. Wish they weren't doing it, but I couldn't talk them out of it. Sorry. But, even if I am unhappy about these things, I'm still not willing to surrender to the Democrats. I still want to replace those liberal baby murdering judges with conservatives and that's much more important to me than all of Africa and all the tea in China. And I know that the only alternative is to defeat Bush and reinstall the Democrats. I know that the Democrats offer zero of what I want so I cannot allow that to happen. Sorry.

[Buggman]

What's the point of spraying billions all over Africa? Or getting involved in Liberia?

The point is to develop some friendships in Africa to prevent the continent from becoming the next bed of snakes in the war on terrorism.

Or buying pills for seniors?

Seniors are a major swing vote. You and I may not like that fact, but it happens to be a political reality. I would guess that the strategy is to spend some money up front to make sure that the Dems don't get that swing vote and make it back into power.

To get the ever elusive black or gay or AARP vote?

Well, I don't know about the gays. Frankly, as Rush as pointed out, the new tone in the GOP regarding gay marriage seems to have come out of the over-active judiciary's decision to strike down Texas' sodomy law--another reason that we need to stay in power long enough to break the libs' hold on that branch.

Regarding blacks, you realize that if the Dems didn't have such a lock on the minority vote that they would melt away? Unfortunately, we're in a situation where to be against AA is to be seen as racist, no matter how untrue that is. The best intellectual arguments in the world won't change someone's mind if they are emotionally set against you to begin with (believe me, I've tried). It will take a very long-term strategy to get the black voters to recognize that Affirmative Action isn't good for them; in the meantime, we have to find a way to diffuse the emotional triggers.

Wouldn't it be easier to abolish the IRS and become politically immortal that way?

Not really. To abolish the IRS, you would need to amend the Constitution to get rid of the income tax altogether--unless you want to trust Uncle Sam to not start up the income tax again while we're all paying a national sales tax, for example. Amending the Constitution is not an easy thing by design. I think it can be done (nobody likes the IRS), but it wouldn't be easier than simply providing tax cuts.