Well said. We don't need the "just pass something soon" mentality that's out there among federal politicians who want to impress the president who's failing to provide any real leadership.

Massive inheritance is what creates family dynasties and aristocracies. Those who did nothing to earn a fortune still receive one. They have massive, massive advantages in life. Nobody who didn't earn it needs to inherit enormous wealth. The inheritance tax is the most sensible tax. This shows Berkley's real constituency.

On the other hand, when do we see government trimming fat?

A bigger "no-brainer" is that the population of the earth cannot be sustained. We need population control.

Great letter. Americans think they're so tough, but they're suckers. They're puppets of corporate greed.

On the comment
"Thats the problem with some of you dems, take off your blinders and look at the total picture, not just what you want to see." Yeah, the total picture looks pretty good to me in those countries. I'd move there in a heartbeat, but they don't let people pour across the borders, like our country does. The taxes are well worth the better education, the better health care. Do you see people from Canada and Western Europe escaping into this country? No. We're better than Mexico, but not those other countries.

You want more of the whole picture? Here's some more: Their kids are so much better educated than ours that young adults often know miles more than the average American adult. They are not strongholds of ignorance (which is one of the reasons they have better health care...). They don't lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs. Old people have basic necessities; they're not eating cat food and freezing to death. They don't have millions living in third world ghettos, hopeless and violent. They don't have anywhere near the number of sick psychos we have here. They're cleaner. And on and on.

I actually lived in one of those countries, and know something about what I'm talking about. And since I lived there, things have only gotten better there and worse here. They have their issues and problems, but they're better than here for average citizens, by a long shot.

Before you talk about those countries, try living in one.

Future, you're too funny. Are you even comparing Obama, a person with an intellect, with Palin? Says a whole lot more about you than it does about Obama.

"There was no "army of Afghanistan" when we arrived."

Seems to me that would have been a good way to leave it. When this army turns on the U.S., we will have our government to thank. When it turns on other countries, we will be responsible.

Are we creating a monster?

Creating yet another warring force in the world, which will take resources from other, more important things that we need here, is not necessarily a good thing.

Is the Taliban really a threat to the Afghan people? And will this Afghan army keep religion out of its operations? Who's to say this force will not just join forces with the Taliban?

This is a huge expense and gamble for us. Why are we funding this? Do we think that, with such an army, attacks on the U.S. will not be planned? That the Afghan people will be spending every waking moment looking out for us, if we fund their army? That's pretty naive.

Does this mean we will now have a permanent presence in Afghanistan to watch over this army?

If the U.S. would stop spending so much war money trying to bully the rest of the world into submission, the rest of the world would not hate us so much and be trying to attack us. We would have so much more to spend on fixing our messes at home.

But that's not what these wars are about - they're about making more money for the richest and greediest. Come on, birdie, tell it.

Anyone who's experienced the Las Vegas economy should understand this: The bigger they come, the harder they fall. The U.S. is on its way out. We cannot keep spending these trillions on war, yet we are. Is this what we want to be bankrupted by? I'd rather be bankrupted knowing that I have health care even if I lose my job. And maybe we wouldn't have to go bankrupt if it wasn't for this war spending.

Well, President Obama, where's the leadership here?

What birdie said.

I don't know that I'd vote for Obama again, but I certainly will if the Republicans are stupid enough to nominate this fuzzy-brained, ill-informed ideologue. People who talk nonsense ("death panels"), who love to twist reality and scare and divide people for their own climb up the power ladder, and who have extreme religious beliefs to boot, they're scary when they're in positions of power. Very scary.

Hint to those who support her: you're flashing your lack of intellect in front of everyone. But please don't stop. We need to know who you are.

Who the ##$% are we to be telling other countries how to run? Like this country isn't a mess? How arrogant - and that's why so many others hate us.

I'm with you 100%, Wollman. Great letter.

But who are we going to have to vote for next presidential election? Obama and Palin? It could come to this. We need a third major party now. Jesse Ventura, where are you? Oh, yeah, doing TV. This country is a mess.

We need a third major party. One litmus test would be whether it is actually willing to enforce immigration laws, and to pass legislation to stop granting citizenship to children born here to illegal immigrants. Another would be who contributes to it, and how much.

At least the Republicans are more honest about their self-serving actions. The Democrats just pretend. Come on, these Dems in Congress are the elite, and they like it that way. Their support of average people is a lie.

Just look at what's happening to health care - a boon to insurance companies, while average people will now be forced to buy in, even if they feel it's worth the risk not to. Look at the Wall St bailout - we're sunk in our houses, but the party goes on. And we sure don't need the bleeding heart "Let all poor people from other countries come and we'll feed you" exchange for votes.

They're all in the same game - reelection. They do everything toward this - including selling themselves. And voters are stupid enough to keep voting for them, with the false belief that this is going to bring "power" (meaning handouts) to their states. Yeah, that's right, handouts. Nobody likes them when another state gets them, but everybody wants to vote for their own state to get them.