"It is time we rethink our heroes"

By GottaLaff

It's L.A. Times letters to the editor time:

Roosevelt then, Obama now

Re "Roosevelt was right — we need more Americans ‘in the arena,' " Opinion, April 23

Bob and Elizabeth Dole remind us of the words of Theodore Roosevelt: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who does actually strive to do the deeds."

As I read this, I could think only of our president, who is striving so valiantly to solve our problems. And the critics: the Rush Limbaughs, the Glenn Becks and, yes, many in Congress — the small men who, for power and money, do nothing but criticize, tear down and attempt to destroy him.

Sadly, too many Americans admire the critics, whose negativity serves only to destroy, rather than the doer, "whose place shall never be with those cold and timid souls" but who "spends himself in a worthy cause" because that is what brave men do.

It is time we rethink our heroes.

And our priorities. And our approach to "news". And the way we communicate. Feel free to add other rethinkitudes in Comments.

"The mainstream media have been complicit in legitimizing" Tea Baggers

By GottaLaff

Via an L.A. Times letter to the editor:

People of color who've observed the ascent of the so-called tea party movement didn't need a poll to tell them that this spasm is merely a racist backlash to the election of the nation's first African American president.

By failing to critique the tea party's Obama-as-socialist/illegal alien/terrorist rhetoric, the mainstream media have been complicit in legitimizing these canards.
The "anti-government" propaganda that the tea party spews about the healthcare overhaul was never in evidence during George W. Bush's massive expansion of government spending. And the privileged all-white tea party mobs who storm the Capitol in "outrage" over the Wall Street bailout have never felt motivated to challenge the GOP's welfare-for-corporate-America, free-enterprise-for-the-poor platform.

That just about covers it.

With Jerry Brown running, maybe "the ‘60s will return and spoil the Mad Hatter's tea party"

By GottaLaff

Every so often, the L.A. Times letters to the editor are worth a post. This is one of those times:

Jerry Brown, then and now

Re "Brown calls for debate with rivals," April 18

As a Republican, I applaud Jerry Brown's call, delivered at the convention, for a debate with all the candidates. I want to know what they are going to do if they become governor. I do not care how many unflattering photos of their opponents they can find. If that's the best they can do, I suggest they go back to their old high schools and run for class president instead of governor of this state.

****

Perhaps with Brown again running for governor and Cheech and Chong back performing (as The Times reports), there is a chance that some of the idealism and hope of the ‘60s will return and spoil the Mad Hatter's tea party.

Click on red button:

"Maybe now I can get back on my medication"

By GottaLaff

Via L.A. Times Letters to the Editor:

As someone working in the trenches, I want to tell you what it was like for me the day after the health insurance reform bill passed.

I am a registered nurse working in a community college health center in Orange County where most of the patients are uninsured. Tuesday I heard "Thank goodness it passed!" and "Now I will be able to get back on my dad's insurance!" and "So, you mean that even though I have asthma, I might actually be able to get health insurance?" and "Wow, that is so great!" and "Maybe now I can get back on my medication" and "How do I sign up?"

Not one patient was worried about Soviets coming into their living rooms.

I've been looking over my shoulder since last night. I have yet to hear from a terrorist Nazi liberal fascist... other than close relatives, I mean. Not a peep.

Health Care Reform Time Line: What it will do and when

By GottaLaff

Here is the time line the L.A. Times laid out this morning:

WITHIN A YEAR

* Provides a $250 rebate to Medicare prescription drug plan beneficiaries whose initial benefits run out.

AFTER 90 DAYS

* Provides immediate access to high-risk insurance pools for people who have no insurance because of preexisting conditions.

AFTER SIX MONTHS

* Bars insurers from denying people coverage when they get sick.

* Prevents insurers from denying coverage to children who have preexisting conditions.

* Bars insurers from imposing lifetime caps on coverage.

* Requires insurers to allow young people to stay on their parents' policies until age 26.

2011

* Requires individual and small group insurance plans to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on medical services. Large group plans would have to spend at least 85%.

2013

* Increases the Medicare payroll tax and expands it to dividend, interest and other unearned income for singles earning more than $200,000 a year and joint filers making more than $250,000.

2014

* Provides subsidies for families earning up to 400% of the poverty level to purchase health insurance.

* Requires most employers to provide coverage or face penalties.

* Requires most people to obtain coverage or face penalties.

2018

* Imposes a 40% excise tax on high-end policies.

BY 2019

* Expands insurance coverage to 32 million more people.

Sources: House speaker, Congressional Budget Office, Kaiser Family Foundation, McClatchy Newspapers

Of course, according to the wingnuts, it's nothing but a Lefty Commie Marxist attempt to "control the people"!

Without BushCo, "Hurt Locker" wouldn't have won Oscars

By GottaLaff

Via letters to the L.A. Times Calendar section:

"The Hurt Locker" was a good movie and well written but I find it strange that no credit was given to ex-President Bush and Vice President Cheney for starting the Iraq war. Without their orchestration, "Hurt Locker" and Kathryn Bigelow would not be holding those Oscars.

That's some honor, eh BushCo?

"500,000 or more homosexual men in uniform" during WWII

By GottaLaff

Via the L.A. Times letters to the editor:

A veteran's viewpoint

Re “Not quite ready to end ‘don’t ask,’ ” Feb. 24

Perhaps Times readers would like an opinion on the matter of gays in the military from a Navy veteran of World War II.

Looking at the numbers, we must have had 500,000 or more homosexual men in uniform during the war.

I served as an officer aboard two troop transports, each with a crew of about 600 men, and as a senior officer on a floating dry dock with some 500 enlisted men. Everyone showered together and slept in three-tier bunks, 40 or so to a room.

Sodomy was a crime under all military codes, but never did any of us hear of a homosexual incident or a complaint from any enlisted man. I'm sure that there were a few prosecutions, but any such cases were negligible in number.

The current rules are unnecessary and wasteful of talent.

This is the same point I've made in previous posts. Why does anyone assume that gays in the military have some strange uncontrollable lusty urge that they must and will act upon... and straights don't? Why are they more of a threat?

They don't.

They aren't.

"Are we going to forgo... providing medical care to millions of seniors and the disabled?"

By GottaLaff

Via the L.A. Times letters to the editor:

Thoughts on a GOP 'tea party'

Re “The ‘tea party’ dance,” Opinion, Feb. 21

I read with interest Jacob Heilbrunn's article on the delicate attempt the GOP is making to recruit "tea party" members with a conservative manifesto, the Mount Vernon statement.

I always find one of the main points both groups make to be incomprehensible: the need for small government. How is it possible for a country of more than 300 million people, with the world's most advanced military and with millions of miles of interstate highways, sewers and interconnected electric grids, to be overseen effectively by a small government?

Are we going to forgo educating children? Scientific research? Policing our streets or putting out fires? Building roads, power plants and providing medical care to millions of seniors and the disabled? Are we going to remove our troops from all corners of the world?

I have no interest in aligning myself with the inchoate rage of the tea party or the GOP, but I would like to know how they really think they can run our county with a small government. I fear they know they can't and are using this simplistic but appealing pitch for cynical political gain.

****

I wonder how many of those implacable foes of government have ever received benefits in the form of Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, farm subsidies, education grants, etc.?

Why can't the Obama administration's message be as clear as this?

The illogic of the angry voter

By GottaLaff

A letter to the editor from the L.A. Times:

The angry voter comes in various flavors:

* The leftist who wanted Obama to undo everything the Bush administration had done in the last eight years.

* The right-winger who wanted to be able to run on a platform that blames Obama for the years of financial damage that preceded his administration.

* The person who has health insurance, hasn't (yet) been hurt by the current system and doesn't want to help pay for those who have.

* The voter who may not have liked the imperial presidency of Bush/Cheney but resents the messiness of having Congress' constitutional responsibilities returned to Congress.

* The Social Security and Medicare beneficiary who thinks there won't be any curbs on those programs unless the healthcare bill passes -- even though there will be more limitations if nothing changes and the country can't pay for the escalating entitlements.

But the solution the angry voter seems to have chosen is to return to power the party that caused all the problems Obama hasn't yet been able to fix.

Will someone explain the logic of that to me?

I sure can't.

Headlines: L.A. Times v. N.Y. Times v. WaPo

By GottaLaff

Here are the most prominent headlines for the L.A. Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. All are online:

L.A. Times:

Weight-loss surgery for the obese may soon be widely used

New York Times:

U.S. Sees an Opportunity to Press Iran on Nuclear Fuel

WaPo:

Foes of reform look to courts to halt legislation

Interesting priorities... or what they think will attract readers.

And yes, it's such a slow a news day that I had to dig up dueling headlines.

Wishes for 2010

By GottaLaff

What are your wishes for 2010? Please share them in Comments. While you're mulling yours, here are a few from the L.A. Times. Their complete list is here:

As is traditional, our first wish is for even more wishes to come true. We also wish for:

* Global warming deniers to have a banner year as the Arctic ice pack returns to its normal size. Unfortunately, we're not holding our breath on this one.

* The U.S. Senate to pass a climate bill that puts a price on carbon emissions, a critical step in preventing a catastrophic rise in global temperatures. [...]

* Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. (Another hardy perennial.) [...]

* A better response from banks to the relentless rise in mortgage defaults. Although the nature of the problem has shifted from poorly underwritten loans to high unemployment, the result hasn't changed: Too many homes are going into foreclosure. [...]

* Congress to close the "gun-show loophole," which allows sales of used guns without federal background checks. [...]

* The closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

* An end to "don't ask, don't tell." [...]

* A unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to enter the 20th century (that's right) and allow its arguments to be televised.

* Erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney to return to a secure, remote location.

* Advancements in battery technology that would make electric cars a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine. [...]

* A reality show in which contestants compete to expand their knowledge rather than reduce their waistlines. Call it "The Biggest Reader." [...]

* Passage of a comprehensive healthcare reform bill that slows the increase in costs, sharply reduces the number of uninsured and improves the quality of care. [...]

* A spike in newspaper circulation.

One of my fervent wishes is for more truth and less sensationalism/propaganda on the Tee Vee Machine. In other words, real news reporting that educates the public in order to nourish democracy. No more dumbing down, no more tabloid infotainment.

Happy New Year, everyone!

The other Joe

By GottaLaff

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is in a class all by himself. Here are three posts that will fill you in on who this guy is:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Forces Woman to Give Birth While Shackled

VIDEO: Sheriff Joe Arpaio could be next Arizona governor?

Sheriff Arpaio Watch: Activist's Letter of Disgust to Eric Holder's DOJ Investigators

Swell guy, isn't he? What a role model.

I opened my L.A. Times letters to the editor today, and found these:

Re “Crusading sheriff takes on his foes,” Dec. 12

I had to read this article twice.

Arpaio's dubious tactics include ordering investigations of officials in Maricopa County and others simply because they do not agree with his tactics. He shows a lack of respect for federal laws.

I initially thought I was reading the story of a Third World dictator. To my amazement, I learned Arpaio is a sheriff in Arizona.

****
Because it's common knowledge that The Times has strong feelings of sympathy toward the plight of illegal aliens, it comes as no surprise that your recent article covering Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio would portray him in a negative light.

Say what you want about the guy, but I love him. I wish he'd run for president. There must be other people who like him as well, because your article mentioned his reelection victory last year with 55% of the vote in Arizona's most populous county.

If this nation had about 500 more Joe Arpaios, the illegal alien problem, and its associated chaos, would be nonexistent. He's unique among politicians: one of those who refuses to have his better judgment clouded by political correctness and bleeding heart liberalism.

Maybe Lou Dobbs can be his running mate in 2012. They'll have my vote!

Yes, Arpaio/Dobbs, that would work out well.

On Thanksgiving, the good news is ...

By GottaLaff

As Paddy said earlier, today will most likely be a light posting day. But before I take off, I wanted to share some excerpts from an L.A. Times editorial. The good news is:

Our troops and their families. For yet another year, members of the armed forces have served with distinction in the face of renewed instability in Afghanistan and psychological and physical injuries from combat. [...]

Protesters in Iran who courageously fought back against a repressive regime and in some cases paid with their lives. [...]

Pixar, for showing once again, with "Up," that filmmakers can create a movie that's just as richly rewarding for adults as it is for children.

Barack Obama. Yes, the Nobel Peace Prize was over the top, and his popularity has dropped as Americans have learned that most of his big ideas come with a big price tag. He has nonetheless greatly improved the United States' relations with the rest of the world, set groundbreaking regulatory standards to fight climate change, overseen a stimulus program that set the stage for today's nascent recovery and begun the process of closing the disgraceful Guantanamo Bay detention facility. By the end of the year, he might even have reinvented the nation's healthcare system.

Sarah Palin, for releasing her book, "Going Rogue," just in time to remind us about how right we were to elect Obama. [...]

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, for reminding us of the uniqueness, preciousness and fragility of our national parks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for its rediscovered role as protector of the public health.

While we're at it: We like the new dedication to science and the environment at the Environmental Protection Agency too. [...]

Jon Stewart. We were disturbed when a Time magazine poll dubbed the comedian the most trusted newscaster in America, but we have to admit that his uproariousanalysis of political issues is usually smarter than anything else on TV. [...]

The legislatures of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, for legalizing same-sex marriage (even if the Maine legislation was overturned by popular vote this month).

Pilot Chesley Sullenberger III, who in January averted catastrophe in spectacular style by landing a US Airways jet with engine trouble on the Hudson River without a single fatality. [...]

Lou Dobbs, for migrating from CNN in search of a better life. [...]

Pope Benedict XVI, for affirming that "animals, too, are God's creatures" and that cooping chickens close together or overfeeding geese contradicts "the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible." We assume the pontiff will now forswear fur-lined vestments.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, for refocusing our minds on the beauty and importance of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail along the Eastern Seaboard, even if he wasn't really there.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, for ruling that five victims of extraordinary rendition and torture deserved their day in court despite the U.S. government's claim that the case involved too many state secrets to go forward. [...]

Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video, for prompting a spate of entertaining parodies and earnest imitations by trios of women (and some men) all over the world. And putting Justin Timberlake in high heels.

We hope each and every one of you has a wonderful, healthy, and filling Thanksgiving. We are thankful for your company, and wish you a happy holiday.

"Why are Democrats throwing women under the bus...?"

By GottaLaff

Via letters to the L.A. Times editor (emphasis mine):

Re “Bishops’ role in health debate,” Nov. 16

Why does a group of male bishops, representing a religion that I am not a member of, have more input on how I receive healthcare than I do?

Why are Democrats throwing women under the bus for an interest group that sometimes supports them?

I always stand with the Democratic Party, but if the Stupak amendment makes it through the Senate, the Democratic Party will be telling me, and millions of women, that we are less important than religious doctrine, and that to vote for the Democrats is to vote against our interests.

Healthcare reform should expand access to healthcare, not make women's health worse off. Our leaders in Congress need to stand up for women and kill the Stupak amendment.

****

The Catholic Church built a level of trust that other antiabortion groups could not? This has gotten it a "seat" at the lawmaking table? Where in the Constitution does it cover buying a seat at the table?
I am 76 years old. I am a mother and a grandmother. I have voted as a Democrat since I was 21. I have been elected to my county's Democratic central committee and to the Democratic state central committee. I have served on the board of the Democratic Women's Caucus. I am a member of the National Organization for Women, NARAL and other women's organizations.

I am old enough to remember the days before Roe. I've seen an illegal abortion in a public restroom.

I am a citizen of this country -- and oh yes, did I mention that I pay taxes? Paying taxes is what buys my "seat at the table." When did the Catholic Church (or any church) start paying taxes?

I have been a Democrat my whole life. No more! I am now an independent voter who is pro-choice. What this country needs is a Women's Party. I'll join.

There are a lot of frustrated pro-choicers out there, they're asking a lot of good questions, and they make a whole lot of sense.

L.A. Times readers: 9/12ers "take to the streets like -- gasp -- Democrats"

By GottaLaff

The majority of L.A. Times letters to the editor about the 9/12ers were like these:

Let me get this straight. During the Bush administration, Republicans took the position that you were a patriot only if you supported Bush and his policies. Protesters were bad.

Now the same people clamor that you are a patriot only if you denounce Obama and his policies. Protesters are now heroes.

Let me simplify this whole situation: Republicans don't like Democratic politicians; Republicans do like Republican politicians. These protests are a testament to Republicans' waning political influence. Now they are forced to take to the streets like -- gasp -- Democrats.

****

Where were all these angry protesters over the last eight years? We went from a budget surplus to the biggest deficits in U.S. history, and our economy was on the verge of collapse, and yet all these protesters were silent. Now, when our president wants to help the unemployed and the uninsured, the conservatives become "angry."

It seems the only way to annoy a conservative is to care about those other than yourself.

****

Nice tantrum, conservatives. You want freedom and smaller government? How about allowing people to marry who they wish, providing women their own reproductive choices and letting those who are able and willing to serve in the military to do so?

You want fiscal responsibility? Only when it doesn't involve war or impeachments, apparently. You don't want government involved in your healthcare? You have complete faith in big business? Only those who can afford it deserve to be healthy?

When you've calmed down, come meet the rest of the nation to work together to make this country great again.

****

And finally, this one, which mirrors what I've been saying on Twitter and in TPC posts for some time:

The Times featured the angry right-wing crowd in Washington, headlined above the fold with a color shot dominating the front page Sunday.

The Times regularly ignored or downplayed the huge peace marches that filled the streets of Los Angeles before and after the start of the Iraq war. Your bias is showing.

Private Insurance Companies to Make Out Like Bandits Under So-Called "Healthcare Reform."

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted excerpts from an L.A. Times piece. Today's Daily Dose of BuzzFlash offers you Mark Karlin's response and analysis:

As BuzzFlash has observed, "The health of the individual insures the health of the American nation."

It is tragic for us that President Obama doesn't have the courage of his promises to ensure such a goal.

Those were his last two sentences. Go here for the whole thing.

Jonah Goldberg blasted for being pro-health care... for his dog

By GottaLaff

Jonah ::shudder:: Goldberg wrote one of his regular columns in the L.A. Times that got the usual response (his columns consistently get extremely negative feedback, along with requests to rid the paper of his ridiculousness). Another day, another Jonah cur-fuffle.

He wrote about how our canine pals are apolitical and swell and stuff, and how he took his to a neurologist, and how that makes Jonah nearly as warm and fuzzy as an apolitical dog, and... well, follow the link and read the letters. They have a real bone to pick and gave him a bit of a r-r-ruff time:

Re "Dogs don’t care about dogma,” Opinion, Aug. 11

I'm happy to read that Jonah Goldberg loves his dog, Cosmo; it somehow makes him more human. But does he realize there are millions of Americans who don't have access to the expensive and easily accessed medical care that Goldberg is able to provide for his pet?

I'm sure he and Cosmo did not spend an entire day sitting in some free-clinic waiting room, nor did they anxiously seek care at an emergency room. And of course Cosmo, regardless of any preexisting doggy conditions, was not denied medical treatment or the battery of tests necessary for these treatments, nor did he lose his coverage if he lost his job chasing balls in the doggy park. I begrudge Cosmo none of these advantages.

I like dogs very much. I just can't help thinking of the millions of Americans who would sure envy Goldberg's dog.

***

What a guy! Isn't Goldberg wonderful? How loving of Goldberg to take his dog to a neurologist. How wrong this liberal could be to think that a conservative doesn't have a heart.

I'm nauseated.

Goldberg's sweet column about taking his dog to a neurologist even though he is a conservative only shows how unfeeling he is. What about the parents who are told by their insurance company that they are not covered for a CAT scan for their child? What about the people who do not have insurance?

If true conservatives can think lovingly only of their animals and not of people, then we can only equate them as being heartless and uncaring toward people in need.

Once again, Jonah's in the L.A. Times dog house. He may have to flea for his life. Life's a bitch, ain't it?

35 Cent Health Care

By GottaLaff

I found an excellent letter to the editor in today's L.A. Times:

In 1967, on the first night of spring break in the Bahamas, I slammed my rented motorcycle into a telephone pole midway through a hairpin curve. Every other day for the next two weeks, I spent a couple of hours sitting on benches at a clinic with dozens of locals, waiting until a doctor could inspect my huge leg abrasion and change the bandage. It cost me, a visiting foreigner, 35 cents a visit.

Today, the richest and most powerful nation in the world still cannot bring itself to rise to the level of healthcare offered 42 years ago by a tiny nation. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at our foolishness.

For less than the cost of a postage stamp...

L.A. Times: Set a date to close Gitmo

By GottaLaff

If the U.S. could so easily and successfully execute Ultra Super Double Secret illegal extraordinary rendition for all these years without one "terrorist" escaping, then why would anyone claim that there would be a sudden epidemic of escapees during a very public transition to supermax prisons?

On the third day of his presidency, Barack Obama dramatically departed from the disastrous policies of the Bush administration by signing an order promising that the Guantanamo Bay detention center would be closed no later than Jan. 22, 2010. But procrastination from the White House is making it easier for congressional critics to frustrate a step vital to restoring American legitimacy. [...]

Unlike Bush, Obama is committed to cooperating with Capitol Hill. But Congress isn't reciprocating. This week, Senate Democratic leaders sidelined the most serious threat to Obama's policy on Guantanamo, an amendment by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) to a defense authorization bill that would have kept the facility open and prohibited the transfer of detainees to the United States. But House Democratic leaders continue to oppose providing funds for the closure that the administration is seeking.

In defending his amendment, Inhofe cited polls showing that "most Americans do not want to close Gitmo, and certainly do not want these terrorist detainees to be transferred to the United States." What he didn't say was that those apprehensions have been fed by nonsensical claims that Obama would free dangerous terrorists to run loose in the streets. In fact, prisoners not sent to other countries probably would be held in "supermax" institutions that already hold hundreds of convicted terrorists and from which no one has escaped. [...]

In pressing Congress to move on healthcare reform, Obama said last week that "if you don't set deadlines in this town, things don't happen." He needs to follow that advice when it comes to closing Guantanamo.

All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.

What L.A. Times readers think of Gov. Schwarzenegger's Calee-for-nee-ah

By GottaLaff

Letters to the Editor, via my morning L.A. Times:

Re “Opposition to budget deal erupts,” July 22

I have to ask: Where will the 27,000 released prisoners go with no jobs and no social service programs to help them?

Next:

I have lived in California for nearly 75 years and have seen good governors and bad governors, and I have seen competent governors and incompetent governors, but never have I seen a governor disgrace his office and the state he represents as much as our current grinning governor as he presides over the destruction of the state.

Our governor began his career as an elected official by pandering to the right wing of his party on fiscal issues, which contributed to the current situation. He became a celebrity governor who failed to exercise leadership or accept responsibility. And now that he is helping ruin the lives of so many, he has the audacity to stand before the cameras with a grin on his face.

Next:

Great. The governor and others will be out of office when the Republican budget takes full effect.

School test scores will be down, crime and homelessness up, the state colleges will fail and oil will spill off the coast. The middle class will flee, but at least we will not have raised taxes on the ultra-rich or on oil companies or on cigarettes.

Despite the direct responsibility of the Republican Party, the GOP will no doubt blame the Democrats and the labor unions for the fact that nothing in the state works.

I firmly believe in a two-party system. I'm just sorry one of them is the Republican Party.

And finally:

Inspired by the courageous actions of our governor and our legislators, my wife and I decided that we too had to make the same kind of "tough choices" to balance our budget. We've decided not to feed the children.

California is not real happy at the moment. I live in California. I am not real happy.