The good news is everyone is so preoccupied with the financial bailout of the US of A that they haven't noticed that Sarah Palin gave an interview to Katie Couric where she sounded stupid. Then, because she's "one tough lady" she bravely took four questions from reporters.
What do you think Wonkette?
If she learned anything at the Idaho community college of local sports commentary, it’s “filling air time.” Exactly like the infamous airhead Miss Teen South Carolina, Palin has been coached to mindlessly say phrases such as “younger generations of Americans” and to dully repeat variations of any vaguely familiar phrase she stumbles upon: “never forgetting,” “never repeating,” “never allowing a repeat,” etc. This is called “autism.”
She continues: "I wish every American would come through here. I wish every world leader would come through here, and understand what it is that took place here and more importantly how America came together and united to commit to never allowing this to happen again.” It’s a sweet platitude, and wouldn’t come off quite so dim if “every world leader” hadn’t already paid their respects at Ground Zero, about seven years ago, when Palin hadn’t yet learned New York was part of the United States.
The bad news is the US is seriously F'ed up because some other brainless republican started a war, pissed off the world, tortured some people, ignored a destroyed US city, and now allowed rich people to anally rape the financial markets. How much is 700 billion dollars?
Slate: If the federal government siphoned off Florida's gross domestic product , we could cover the bailout. Invading the Netherlands might be advisable—that nation's GDP was $768.7 billion last year. Of course, invasions cost a lot of money. Back in 2003, the Bush administration told Congress that the Iraq war would cost between $60 billion and $100 billion, but it's estimated that, so far, we've spent about $600 billion. Should the Treasury receive authority from Congress to borrow $700 billion, the national debt will rise by only about 7 percent. Right now, it's sitting at $9.6 trillion.
And here I was worried that there would be no money left in Social Security when I retired. It looks like there be no money as soon as next week for groceries.
Slate:
Lastly, in apocalyptic terms, $700 billion really isn't all that much. If nothing is done to change the way we finance Social Security, the trust fund reserves will be exhausted by 2041. This means that, in 75 years, there'll be a shortfall of $4.3 trillion —or about six bailouts.