When I wrote the post just before this one, I thought I was being biting, sarcastic, and rather "out there". I now realize I am really not that far from the truth. Our corporate overlords - both Republican and Democratic - would not be that upset if a whole bunch of us old folks were to just "go away".

the call is for "austerity", "balanced budgets", and REDUCED SERVICES (read: eliminate).

Now, the MYTH of our "miracle" in Texas, where low taxes and limited services, along with a "business friendly environment" (read: air you can both see and taste in Houston, as well as other places) has "spared" us from the major effects of the current DEPRESSION (that's right, the "recession" is really over - unfortunately, the DEPRESSION isn't) -- here's a chart by way of Paul Krugman (I think I posted it before -- but nothing beats context and repetition)