Agreed. I just think that the money would be easier to monitor in the state hands. We do seem to demand more from our government nowadays.

“As for Gaza, I didn’t say this step would be an end-all, only an opportunity for realistic change.”

You are correct that there is a chance. I don’t like the odds though. Time will tell.

jon- Sure, there is nothing political about Bush’s proposed timing. Jon, the president is being forced to produce an actual plan for withdrawal precisely because he failed to plan for the aftermath of the war. That he resisted for so long, only to produce finally offer up some tangible steps when his approval ratings are at all time lows (for him at least) instead of having a real plan to begin with belies his own politicizing of this whole affair. Thanks for the comment.

Graham- We have a drinking culture here too, mostly among the youth, who also cram up before closing time. This kind of law just makes sense to me and I hope that Britons will use this flexibility to reduce the damage caused by binge drinking. Glad to hear from you.

adhd- Thanks for your kind comments. I did take a quick look at your site, and you seem to be doing something good there. If anyone is interested in learning more about adhd, take a visit.

windspike- Looks like the challenge is unmet! no surprise there… hope all is well for you in spite of it all.

John- thanks for the proofread- I changed the text as indicated.

Glyn- Sad to see that Canadian politics has taken a stumble. Let’s hope all of youin the North can reclaim a hold on rational politics and policies, like the one that would help native populations. Always good to hear from you.

Jessica- Nice to have you back! I don’t think that this is a case of llifetime entitlements so much as an effort to bring the living realities of native people in line with the non-native population- think better school access so they can get better jobs or better health care so they can live with better quality of life.
Our problem is as you say, but it is as much due to failing public institutions and institutional bungling as it is “lazy Americans” just wanting more and more.

Christopher- Are there any examples you can provide to back this up? I am not a Canadian political student, so would be curious to hear what you mean, in more specific terms.

Me4- Interesting to note that his “Nobel Prize” nominations are not that hard to come by, simply takes someone to throw your name in the hat. If his books were so successful and provocative, why has he never won. Also, Stalin and Hitler have been nominated for Nobel Prizes, but I don’t hold them up as prime examples of humanity.

Yes, Tookie must pay for his crimes, and as of now, the death penalty is our best legal option.

Gindy- I agree that the money belongs to the people and not the government, but the feds do have to collect taxes to pay for the services we demand. They just do a terrible job of implementing and reducing waste, fraud, and corruption. I’ve written several essays regarding education and associated funding if you’d care to check through the archives for my thoughts.

As for Gaza, I didn’t say this step would be an end-all, only an opportunity for realistic change. If Palestine chooses to remain on their path towards political terror and refuge for terrorists, then their chance at self-determination will be short lived indeed.

Always nice to hear from you.

Liam- Some Iraqi’s surely want us to stay longer, but the majority are saying, in one way or another, that it is time for us to go. Let’s see if they can follow their speech with actions towards handling their own affairs more peacefully as we withdraw. Glad to hear from you again.

Great post, as always.

I have to say, though, haven’t the Iraqis already let us know that they want us to leave?

And to Jon, what, exactly, has changed? By all credible reports, the number of Iraqi units actually fully trained and able to operate on their own is still just one. The campaign Bush referenced in his speech as being led primarily by the Iraqi forces was, according to officers on the ground, actually still entirely led by U.S. forces. Nothing has changed.

So this discussion of draw down of forces, which does coincide with what promise to be potentially very damaging mid-term elections for Bush (assuming we can find a way to keep the Diebold machines from being hacked) doesn’t seem to be motivated by anything but PR, the one thing that Bush and the neoconservatives are really good at.

(And before anyone calls my shot at Diebold a liberal talking point, I refer anyone who honestly cares about fair elections to read the recent G.A.O. report, which more or less confirms widespread irregularities in the voting which seem, by some amazing coincidence, to have favored Bush in every case. Add to that the fact that Republicans have benefitted not once but TWICE from previously unprecedented differences between exit polls and official results and stir in a quick dose of Howard Dean being shown on a TV show how the Diebold results can be hacked and changed untraceably in about 30 seconds, and there’s really no reason to believe Bush won the last election.)

Liam.

“Ballot boxes set on fire in Palestinian election”

Let’s see if they look for and prosecute those that are fighting democracy. If they don’t I would say it will be business as usual.

“Funny, but I thought that the tax dollars held by the federal government belonged to the people. Isn’t that Bush told us when he cut taxes time and time again?”

Whether he told us that or not (I just don’t know) it is true. That money does belong to us.
“The federal government should allocate education dollars equally among the states……….”

Shouldn’t the federal govenment just stop confiscating taxpayer money in the first place which would allow the states to tax their residents and and allow states to spend the money on education the way they see fit.

“Three to the Side Palestinians finally received control of the border between Gaza and Egypt, offering the first real tangible on their path to independence.”

Here is one of the headlines today: “Militants Wanted by Israel Return to Gaza.” By militants they mean terrorists. I would say that importing terrorists into the recently acquired Gaza is not a sign of a realistic path to independance

Sorry Tookie, but your time is up.

The problem is that those who have their hands out in America who can provide for themselves will expect they can hold it out forever and the government will make them believe that they will take care of them for life.

This entire fiasco is really making me angry, especially since nothing will change when the election comes. At the very least, I seriously hope the majority of Canadians are smart enough to NOT vote for Harper and his right wing conservatives.

There are many other Bills on hold now as well, including the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana…

FYI: the “shoe bomber” was Richard Reid.

Jose Padilla is accused of trying to explode a dirty bomb in the US.