He is left of Carter.
Does that mean something.

Left of Carter?

One can hope.

For the point of view of the presidents in the picture, he is on the far left.

From my point of view the picture is clickable.

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me@rescam.org

I should say the cartoon.

I should say the cartoon.

The cartoon was a joke about the story.

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me@rescam.org

Isn't amazing that all these years these states were rolling in the dough and in a short time they are going belly up. that sounds like poor fiscal planning to me. or counting your chickens before they hatched

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

There are a lot of chickens in Sacramento alright.

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me@rescam.org

California isnt the only state to have fiscal problems. I heard on the radio that 26 states are running into debt.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

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Bad News for John McCain: "Grizzlies Maul Mavericks in Memphis" --Associated Press

'F--- This Impeachment S---': "Blagojevich to Swear in Senate, Then Members Start His Trial" --Chicago Tribune

We Blame Global Warming: "Deutsche Bahn ICE Train Brakes Freeze" --Local (Germany)

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control: "Bat, Maggot Invasion Ruins Australian Couple's $30,000 Wedding" --FoxNews.com

News You Can Use: "Financial Crisis: Boring Jobs Are Still Jobs -- So Be Thankful" --Daily Telegraph (London)

Bottom Stories of the Day: "New Jersey UFO Likely a Hoax" --LiveScience.com

(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto)

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Jay Leno:

Hey, did you all see Barack Obama's speech about the economy [Thursday]? Very sobering. He told Washington, "We've arrived at this point due to an era of profound irresponsibility." Of course, there's only one way out of it. Spend more money we don't have.

The chief of staff for embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich spoke to Illinois state workers on issues of ethics in the workplace. How ironic is that? Was Bernard Madoff not available?

Lawmakers in Illinois voted 114-1 to impeach the governor. So apparently, Blagojevich was only able to bribe one person.

And, you know, I don't think he gets it. When he found out he was impeached, Blagojevich said he has a replacement governor already picked out. He's got somebody ready to move in.

I think President-elect Barack Obama is starting to get an idea of just how hard this job is going to be. [Tuesday] he said he wanted to bring a "sense of accountability to Washington." I think they realize actual accountability is never going to happen. So if you just bring a "sense" of it, that would be fantastic.

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America must unite behind new president

Change arrives

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me@rescam.org

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' ... I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ... And if America is to be a great nation this must become true." --Martin Luther King Jr.

At King's funeral, one Bible passage, Matthew 5:9, summed up his life's mission: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

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Now, we are one America

By Bernie Jones
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

January 20, 2009

Nearly 390 years after the first Africans were brought to America, 146 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, 43 years after President Johnson signed the monumental Civil Rights Act, America is about to take another giant step in racial progress: It is inaugurating its first president of African-American heritage. It is a step that may help pull the nation out of its current profound crisis.

On Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama stood a few feet from where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. It was also on those steps that famed American contralto Marian Anderson staged an Easter Sunday concert to an integrated audience of an estimated 75,000 people after she was banned from performing in the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin.

Watching this past Sunday's concert, “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” one could not help but recognize America's diversity. There was Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Pete Seeger, Bettye LaVette, Jon Bon Jovi, Bono and U2, Usher, Shakira, Heather Headley, John Legend, James Taylor and more. After watching this diverse group, Obama could say with justification, “Anything is possible in America.”

As Obama takes the oath of office becoming the nation's 44th president, he will need to summon all the nation's strengths, including its diversity, to deal with our current crushing problems. At home, we are in the second year of a recession. Industry after industry is announcing job cuts and other economic belt-tightening. Climate change must be addressed in a serious way soon. At any given time, 47 million Americans will be without health care. Our neighbor Mexico is facing a drug violence crisis that is spilling across our border. Overseas, while the war in Iraq is going better, the one in Afghanistan definitely is not. Pakistan is evolving into what could be Obama's biggest foreign policy problem. And the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, to be completed just before Obama is sworn in today, will not end the conflict there.

OK, so what do problems such as drug violence in Mexico or the war in Afghanistan have to do with the nation's diversity? Well, maybe plenty.

For better or worse, expections for an Obama presidency are high. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals that 61 percent of Americans have a “good amount” or “great deal” of confidence that Obama will make the right decisions for the country. About 72 percent are “fairly” or “very” confident that Obama's economic proposals – whatever they may be – will strengthen the economy.

There is no question but that people like Obama and his beautiful family, and different people have different reasons. For African-Americans, Obama represents another barrier that has been broken. African-Americans can say, proudly, that someone who “looks like us” is the most powerful person on Earth. And even though inequities in incomes, health care, education and other areas are not erased with Obama's ascent to the White House, African-Americans will have a harder time time making excuses about not succeeding.

For many African-Americans who have felt estranged from this country, it also means that many will feel stronger about being part of the social fabric and a growing obligation to make it stronger. No matter one's color, the economic crisis is exposing a commonality in all of us. Polls show that for majorities of blacks, whites and Hispanics, it is the nation's most pressing problem.

For many whites I've spoken with or read their letters to the editor or read postings on the Internet, Obama's election also represents racial progress. An ABC News poll conducted in late December and early January found that 66 percent of whites and 65 percent of blacks thought Obama's election represented progress for all blacks. That same poll found that 55 percent of whites and 75 percent of blacks thought Obama's presidency will do more to help race relations in this country.

Comprising about 13.5 percent of the U.S. population, African-Americans realize that they did not elect Barack Obama by themselves. Exit polls showed that both Asian-Americans and Hispanics, as diverse as each group is, voted for Obama by a 2-to-1 ratio.

As you watch inauguration ceremonies today, notice the diversity in the crowds. It is natural that Obama will lose some of that support as he begins to make decisions. But, as bad as the nation may feel about the economy, it feels good about its historic decision to elect Obama. And most of the nation will support him in whatever ways it can as he attempts to solve our problems.

- Jones is editor of the Union-Tribune's Opinion Page.

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me@rescam.org