As long as I (running as a Rethug) can get the deep pockets in my corner, I’ve got the main stream media in my corner, and 80% of the rest of America can be brainwashed with the hot new commercials I will campaign with. If I was opposed to switching parties, I’d think the only way to beat out McCain would be to show the deep pockets how I was going to escalate military spending even MORE than McCain. Of course this would involve choosing from a large pallette of Bovine Excrement, but Red States eat that crap like it was the last Kit Kat in the store.

It WOULD be interesting to see how a majorly Anti-war Rethug would poll, though. Seriously, very recently, talking to a guy who works at NASA (not a low-IQ, mind you…just no heart) said, “I’d rather see 1000 foreigners die before one American got killed.” He said it quietly (since the Dems are now in charge…), but I think the Rethug citizenry hasn’t really changed their hearts deep down…most of them still buy heavily into the “us or them” mentality.

Auguste: Dude! Wouldn’t that solution just add to the overpopulation problem???
;-)

I say healthcare should start focusing on quality instead of extending the length of life. This will begin by signing into law my “Pop a Cap on Centenarians” bill. As a great citizen of America you’ll still get social security when you reach your sixties, and free health care that will give you extraordinary quality of life, but when you hit 100, you’ve had your share. Time to let somebody else enjoy your pad. We pop a cap in yo’ ass.”

Fascinating stuff! Those $$$ figures you post are certainly eye-opening.

I know the defense contractors of the world have a lot to gain from perpetual war, and appealing to them might be the easiest way for any candidate to build a campaign war chest.

But if you were a Rethug candidate not named McCain, wouldn’t you be looking for ways to stand out from him (besides not looking like you’ve already been embalmed)? Most of the big defense money will go to him or someone like him. Even if they cut you in, won’t most of the chickenhawks vote for our National Chickenhawk (that would be McCain again)?

All I’m saying is that if a Republican wanted to make some noise, not only would that person come out against the specific handling of Iraq, but as a changed soul who sees the light and would never seek to nation-build again.

“Expensive and revolutionary treatment of disease for ordinary Americans will never stop as long as Big Healthcare is getting fat off government contracts. As activists gathered to protest the extension of the American lifespan to 215 years, analysts estimated that $250 million per day was being spent on curing painful forms of cancer and worldwide distribution of the AIDS vaccine.

“‘Look at it this way,’ Craven McTaxpayerteat, spokesman for Northrup Gamma Knife said. ‘It’s still $5 million less than we’d be spending on war, and tax revenue has never been higher, since days lost to illness has dwindled and productivity skyrocketed. I can’t believe any of us were ever stupid enough to oppose this. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And evil.’

“‘Also, since we couldn’t figure out what to do with all that money, we’ve cured everyone in the entire world of all disease and decay, which means no one will attack us. Which doesn’t really matter, now that we have the Resurrection Engine in preliminary testing anyway.’”

If anyone brings up how this solution would add to the overpopulation problem, I’ll kick you. Of course, if we had a massive moneyhungry medical lobby, you could get that looked at for free and any fractures would be cured instantly with a super new quickie-heal heat ray.

Over $250 million is spent on the Iraq war per day. I look around and see the money here…Boeing, United Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, General Dynamics…all sucking back $2 billion a year. The budget numbers for the defense programs here are mind-numbing, considering it’s a small southern city:

$3 billion for Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
$856.4 million for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
$489 million for 108 Patriot missiles.
$324.2 million for the Non-Line-of-Sight-Launch System.
$167.1 million for the Army Light Utility Helicopter program.
$144.9 million for the Multiple Kill Vehicle program.
$101.8 million for 12 armed reconnaissance helicopters.

There are a lot of people who want the war to continue because it is putting filet mignon on the table and the latest Callaway drivers in the golf bags, and that’s enough for most people to convince themselves that we really should stay the course. And that $255 million per day is enough for most people to put off thinking about it for at least one more day, and like Annie said, tomorrow is always a day away.

Anyway, with so much money rewarding so many people for keeping the war chugging,well…these crazy rednecks had been waiting forever to get into Iraq, and now that people are even possibly still THINKING about popping Iran—-I mean, the best thing that could happen for most people here is that there is a SUPER quaqmire in Iran, because the engineers and subcontractors designing missiles will be assured a job till they’re retirement age—they won’t have to worry about contracts getting renewed, and unfortunately, that weighs more on their mind than some kid they don’t know getting blown to bits by an IED.

So, while the tide is turning, there’s still a LOT ($) of current ($) beneath the surface ($) pulling in the wrong direction…