Other than that, Carol, I see your point. I read a column in Slate (I think) the other day talking about candidates in terms of Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck. Bugs is cool, calm, collected. Daffy is excitable, angry, impulsive. According to this columnist, the American people always pick Bugs over Daffy. In the 2000 election, Algore was definitely more of a Daffy type, whereas Bush -- as you say -- was much more laid back, so he was Bugs. It was a famously close election, of course, but still. Obama, also, is the Bugs Bunny type, while Hilary is much more Daffy Duck. Also a very close election, but Obama has the lead. John McCain, I'm not so sure about. I suspect he's more of a Daffy. FWIW.


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glad to see you got my point about hockey. It's hugely violent, thuggish - allows fans to subliminate all their inner violent tendencies and hostilities. It's all out there on the ice - and then they go home and do no harm. Think the same thing probably holds true for soccer, football etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Um, have you ever been to a World Cup game? I'm pretty sure riots are routine...

Ann, I'm certain Roger will explain this better than I will, but it is actually a proven fact that *lower* tax rates produce *more* tax revenue. Counter-intuitive, but true. The Bush tax cuts averted a recession. The deficit's because spending rose faster than revenue -- the US gov't is really really good at spending other people's money.

On a bit of a tangent -- PJ O'Rourke discussed spending, etc, a while back. There's four types of spending.

You can spend your own money on yourself. Quality is important, but you also want the best price.

You can spend your own money on other people. Price is still important, quality not so much.

You can spend other people's money on yourself. Quality is important here, but who cares whether it's overpriced.

Then there's spending other people's money on other people. There's much less incentive to care about either price or quality.

All government spending is the fourth type. (He also observed that giving Congress control over spending is like giving a teenaged boy whiskey and car keys.) It's astonishing that we get anything of value, really.

PJ

"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."

--Stardust, Caroline K