13 Days until Inauguration - No one can pin the "T" word on Obama.

President-elect Barack Obama, flanked by Budget Director-designate Peter Orszag (left) and Deputy Budget Director-designate Rob Nabors, speaks to reporters after a meeting Tuesday with his top economic advisers at his transition office in Washington. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

(click title to entry - thank you) ...Obama told reporters that the deficit will probably hit $1 trillion this year and that "potentially we've got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, even with the economic recovery that we are working on."
Eight years ago the federal budget ran a surplus, and the deficit on Sept. 30 was about $455 billion. Obama promised to make difficult choices and to "eliminate outmoded programs and make the ones we do need work better," but did not specify which programs might be trimmed or eliminated....

President-Elect Obama began his run for the White House years ago. It was a difficult run including 'political land mines' everywhere. He over came every one. With the same style and grace he conducted his campaign he is now taking on the profound problems of the USA left by exploitive Republican administrations, some dating back over thirty years ago with environmental legislation, while good for 'the times' is grossly outdated today.

The current problems we face are immense in their planning to resolve, their cost to that end and the actual acts needed to navigate to come out with a world worthy of the world's children's futures.

He is up to it.

However, there is no way the cost of any of the recovery or the deficit can be pinned on his administration. The assault on this country was and is based in Republican values that simply don't work. They have never worked, but, were allowed to exist because it served to be a 'difference' between two American political parties. The Republicans established their principles in greed and privitization at any cost, including the health of Americans.

To prove how much of this is 'inherited' from the Bush/Cheney Executive Branch all one has to do is look to Bush's speech following his election of 2004 where he called for $2 Trillion US to 'remodel' Social Security. Those words and numbers rolled off that man's lips like it was casual conversation over morning coffee.

The Obama Administration will prove how to 'rescue' an economy exploited beyond imagination and will do it successfully.

The principles are easy.

No corruption.

Sound values in decision making to sculpt a 'socially moral, lasting and free future' for all Americans.

No greed to derail frugal decision making to squeeze every advantage out of every penny we spend along the way.

And last, but, never least. Public awareness and involvement.

The electorate has participated to elect this President, there is no reason to believe involvement ends there. It is up to us to monitor progress and help form decision making in using public funds to their best end.

I have a great deal of confidence we will succeed, "Oh, yes we can."

Creative Ways to Wage War on a US Senator.

Let's just say the OBVIOUS here.

"Innocent until Proven Guilty."

The very people that would play political football with Senator-Select Burris's nomination, like Mary Brigid Kenney, are participating in a public lynching of a qualified U. S. Senator without abiding by her own rules.

Mary Brigid Kenney resigned after Roland Burris ignored her plea that he was prosecuting an innocent man. (Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times, AP

The U. S. Senate was correct in that they need complete paperwork to seat the Senator-Select and to date that has yet to be forthcoming. Either one abides by the rules of one doesn't.

Ms. Kennedy would like to 'cite' ethics as an issue and poor judgement on Burris and somehow intertwine some wrongful decision making by Burris decades ago as a very good analogy to the circumstances today.

Huh?

...Ultimately, Cruz was acquitted. By then, DNA evidence linked Brian Dugan to the murder. Dugan, who is serving a life sentence for two other similar murders, is now awaiting trial in that case....

Evidently, after DUE PROCESS occurred Ms. Kennedy's defendant was found innocent. I'll be darn, the process actually works.

What that has to do with any of the issues regarding this Senator-Select candidate and the Illinios Governor is beyond comprehension.

Ms. Kennedy, with a recognizable name, is a prime example of the lynch mob attitude surrounding the 'complaint' by Patrick Fitzgerald against Gov. Rod Blagojevich. She would like all of us to understand her superior intellect in citing an innocent person that was prosecuted. IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME !!!!

There are rules to be followed in every venue regarding these circumstances. The judge overseeing the complaint by Mr. Burris regarding the insubordination of the Secretary of State of Illinois needs to rule so that it can be moved to the US Supreme Court. There is no way that a Secretary of State should have veto power over a freely elected Governor still legally in office. It's an outrageous reality to consider and perhaps when the interpretation by the US Supreme Court convenes the 'Secretary of State' requirement will be removed completely.

Mr. Burris is taking the only reasonable path to his seat at the US Senate and there are greater ethics at play here. The ethics that demand the people of the State of Illinois be represented at the US Senate as soon as possible. The delay is silly. If the signature of the Secretary of State of any state is not a Constitutional requirement than it should be rescinded. Absolutely.

Roland Burris is perfectly qualified and there is absolutely no question he is above reproach.

INNOCENT until PROVEN GUILTY. That is the law of the land as opposed to the laws of Great Britain where one is guilty until proven innocent. There is a reason for all that and Ms. Kennedy should be ashamed of herself in attempting to indicate that the laws of our country don't matter in light of her past success in proving her client's innocence.

It is amazing the degree of hubris that exists in Illinois at all levels of society with the election of their Senator to the Presidency. Ms. Kennedy is wrong and she owes the US Constitution an apology.