I think this comparison holds water (so to speak)

Keep in mind, where ever you go "Guns are not bad... people are"
How many are killed in automobile crashes every year?
and this makes cars a bad thing... Right?

#1501

In my day:

Kennedy: assassinated while I was in diapers

Johnson: from what I have read was a biggot

Nixon: just got caught doing what he needed to do for National Security

Ford: took office via chain of command as Spiro couldn't seem to get his tax papers done correctly or on time or both... as President, Ford proved to be unworthy of the job and that does including tripping on the tarmac to Air Force 1 several times.

Carter: other than his "fireside chats" did little to get this land moving in the right direction

Reagan: no complaints, seemed to have an idea of what needed done and how to execute such, had great charisma as I have read Kennedy had.

Bush: please?! One would think as Vice President would have learned a thing or 2 

Clinton: cool guy but cool guys shouldn't be in politics let alone President of the United States

Bush Jr: was what they had to offer... aside Catrina, the damage to the Great Sphinx, Vietnam and what ever else you want to blame him for; did an alright job

 Obama: I see evil in this man. PERIOD!

I think it is time we looked out side of Government "lifers" and Lawyers to fill this job, maybe someone with accounting in their background?

With or without

I pledge allegiance to the Flag. "The Flag" in this case would represent "The State" of the USA. On a deeper note, does this not take a Fascist stance? Fascism being where the State supersedes the individual... Or perhaps that is wrong, "The Flag" standing for America, its ideals and beliefs? Either way with or without God... I pledge allegiance to the flag of the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. I say leave god in the it, gives it more substance, I wonder if Barry (pres Obama) knows this one verbatim?

The simplified version

     Not wanting this to seem like a political blog, really its not but we need to look at things in a global sense.

Yes, peace and harmony would be great but this is the stuff dreams are made of. We can best explain this in extreme terms... bear with me, or should that be bare? 

       I am going to show you how trickle down economics works...

I'm the King... I have nobles and people under me, and then on the bottom we have the peasants. Now really it all starts at the bottom. The peasants till the ground, do services and labor tasks which provides money they pay me... I then take the money I make and disperse it as I see fit. Now if my peasants did not  make money I in turn do not make money. See it all starts at the top. The more I make the more I have to disperse and eventually it does get to the last guy... we will call him the snow remover (since that is the worst job that exists) The problem with this system is corruption and greed... the more hands the money goes through the greater the risk of losing money to corruption and greed. Its a simplified example to show if the money is not available at the top of course the little guy gets screwed. Just think, if peasants do well King does well and will need to build more castles... this makes for more work and the master builder is making more money now, he needs to hire more builders... who need to hire helpers, who get a little take of the money, and need to feed their families and the grocery store, the clothing mill and all the others in the land are making more money. And in the end the snow remover gets his share because it is a needed task that only occurs in the winter time, and only if it is a bad winter with lots of snow. Now if all the countries are doing well so it goes, the earth is doing well. But say China has a down turn in their economy; It would be a rough Christmas as that is where all the toys come from. Hopefully now you can see why it IS a brotherhood of man. 

Thanks?

     Excerpts of how the history text book should read:

... and so the locals decided since the 'visitors' were not going to leave; they would call a truce and have dinner with the visitors. After all they came in large canoes and maybe we can learn something from them.  The pale skinned visitors accept the local's invitation with its terms. After dinner (some time in November) the visitors gather the locals and tell them there are only certain places you folks are allowed to go. The visitors then decide they will call this new land America.