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September 22, 2005

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You know, the "waste, fraud, and abuse" that goes on with government spending is really something that can't be eliminated in a democracy. You can try to keep it down, you can hope for a divided government so that when trying to screw each other both parties cut spending, but to think that any Congress will voluntarily quit that sort of horse trading is a pipe dream.

Taxes need to go up, and to say otherwise is to simply engage in wishful thinking.

"[...]but to think that any Congress will voluntarily quit that sort of horse trading is a pipe dream.

Taxes need to go up, and to say otherwise is to simply engage in wishful thinking."

Well that's just defeatist, as well as being a terrible reason for taxes to go up. Not that I wouldn't be willing to pay higher taxes for any number of well run government services, but to fund pork - because it's what government always does - is certainly not one of those reasons.

I do believe that government - when transparent - can efficiently serve the public good. What we have now is neither transparent, nor does it serve any public good. Our federal government is a mess of self serving institutions and politicians. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to fix this mess. --M

You can try to keep it down

I'm still waiting for this part to go into effect.

Conservatives say they're about fiscal responsibility

Should have read "Conservative politicians say...", but I'm sure that some will maintain the original was true. I'm going to edit the post, and leave this here as a keeping-the-author-honest kind of thing.

Re: Update. If I ever have an "office conversation" like that, I have left a living will instructing that I be actively euthanized via fourth-story defenestration.

What we're learning is that the only party in favor of fiscal responsibility is the party out of power.

Despite Nick Danger's* suggestions to the contrary, however, that is not a license to spend like drunken sailors.

*I want a Matinee B-Movie Action Hero- sounding name too! How about Edward Courageous! Or (more noire) Edward Calamity?

What we're learning is that the only party in favor of fiscal responsibility is the party out of power.

I'm wondering if this is true enough to be considered axiomatic. If only there were a "no trump" version of politics...

"I want a Matinee B-Movie Action Hero- sounding name too! How about Edward Courageous! Or (more noire) Edward Calamity?"

While not wanting to rain on your thoughts of changing your name to something more heroic than Underscore, I assumed he took his handle from the Firesign Theatre detective character:

"Hello, I'd like a pizza to go, with no anchovies.

Sorry, Mac, I spell my name Danger!"

You could ride the coattails of this guy:

Edward finally arrived in London in August 1274 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Aged 35, he was a veteran warrior ('the best lance in all the world', according to contemporaries), a leader with energy and vision, and with a formidable temper.

You could adopt the handle 'Longshanks', I guess. The alternative (thoughtfully left unbolded in the above excerpt) might be humorous, but it's a little...unwieldy.

Edward, here's a handy reference.

"No!! Put down that pickle!"

According to chroniclers, Edward requested that his bones should be carried on Scottish campaigns and that his heart be taken to the Holy Land. However, Edward was buried at Westminster Abbey in a plain black marble tomb, which in later years was painted with the words Scottorum malleus (Hammer of the Scots) and Pactum serva (Keep troth).

For the record: despite the romanticism of having my bones go to Bavaria and my heart to Istanbul, all body parts, lance included, are to be scattered near some body of water...preferably fresh water [i.e., no whales nearby]

Edward Rococo works for me.

Thanks ral.

Edward Ro-co-co...puh-leaze. Edward Baroque, OK, but...we have aesthetic standards, thank you.

Edward Scotshammer. Or even better, Edward Scotchhammer.

Which reads a bit better than Edward Bestlanceinalltheworld, I guess.

Some fuel for the fire.

New Scientist: Flood walls in New Orleans were ‘structurally flawed’

I'd seen that in the MSM, Jack, but it's too soon to say what happened, there. Evidently this is not the sort of barrier that the Army COE recommends in this environment, so there's a puzzler.

More here.

Edward Scotchhammer

Edward Scotchslammer, perhaps...although your last option is certainly worth the reading inconvenience.

"What we're learning is that the only party in favor of fiscal responsibility is the party out of power."

It doesn't have to be that way. Case in point, the Liberal Party of Canada has been in power for over a decade now and has been very fiscally responsible running small to medium surpluses for 8 years now.

(Yes, you can argue as the Torys loudly do, that they could do better. But the fact remains).

Edward - A few ideas from your fan base:

Edward Torment*
Edward Tension*
Edward Menace
Edward Battle
Edward Fury*
Edward Ambush
Edward Omen*
Edward Venture
Edward Feral
Edward Deadfall*
Edward Obscene
Edward Savage (Nah, too close to Michael)
Edward Vicious
Edward Brutal
Edward Hotpants (not so much "noir")

* My favorites...YMMV.

How 'bout Grateful Ed?

It is my considered opinion that fiscal disapline is only available from the party or idealogy willing to pay for spending with taxes.

I think Republicans have shown that once the relationship between levels of taxation and levels of spending is taken away spending becomes a free lunch and, as Cheney so famously said, 'Reagan proved deficits don't matter' becomes a political creed.

Taxes are the only guage we have if spending is worthwhile or not. Taxes limit pork, taxes limit adventuous foreign wars, taxes limit boondoggle missions to Mars.

I should have added that a liberal philosophy of tax and spend is therefore far more fiscally responsible than its alternative conservative philosophy of cut taxes, borrow and spend.

awesome xanax!

top three

Edward Fury*
Edward Ambush (love the rhythm of it)
Edward Venture

'bout Grateful Ed?

Would my groupies then be EdHeads?

Nah...might was well be Mr. Ed at that point.

Edward Drawde. Easy to remember.

but how is it pronounced?

Edward Stiletto
Edward Fisticuffs
Edward Dagger
Edward Roundhouse
Edward Shortsword
Edward Neckbreaker
Edward Scissorhands

I don't know about you cleek, but if I were Edward I'd much prefer Longsword than Shortsword...if you know what I mean.

Oedipus Tex (the moral of this story is of course, don't love your mother, pardner, save it for your horse)

Edward Edward

This lends to some nice embellishments:

Edward Edward II

Edward Edward, Esq.

I'd much prefer Longsword than Shortsword

but "Edward Shortsword" is more fun to say!

but how is it pronounced?

[How can I resist a straight line like that?]

"Throat-Warbler Mangrove."

Edward Unrede

No offense.

Don't have time to read the next two threads to see if anyone's cited this, but on the subject of pork, the Poor Man has outdone himself.

please send me a about the pork its good for health or not

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