of social security, cheneys, and judges

First on Social Security. It won't be "insolvent". It will simply exhaust its existing buffer and have to either increase intake or decrease payments. Quite simple.

The real cure is simple: raise the cap on income beyond which people don't pay SS taxes. And means-test the benefits. No reason to continue the fiction that FDR created to get SS passed in the first place that people are getting back what they paid in; they're getting MORE. Call it what it is, a pension for the aged and disabled. Bill Gates or Warren Buffett or Michael Jordan, as hard working as they all have been, don't really need it. Neither do a lot of other less-well-known but well recompensed people.

The Cheneys, Dad and daughter Liz, are having fun bashing Obama. Ok, not very dignified but that's their prerogative; despite Dick Cheney's best efforts, it is still a free country, and thankfully freedom of speech survived the Cheney-Bush regime.

Indirectly, they are bashing Bush, too. Liz Cheney said, "One of the nice things about my dad being out of office is that he doesn't need sign-off. He is out there speaking out because he personally feels so strongly about these issues."

And not always in agreement with what was the policy of the de facto Bush Administration. Interesting...

Oh and finally on justices and candidates to replace Souter, that paragon of positive race relations Jeff Sessions, the Republican Senator from Alabama, presumes to tell Obama what will be an acceptable nominee. Sessions, speaking behalf of the Senate and you and me, said if Obama sends "a highly qualified individual with a distinguished record that demonstrates judicial restraint, integrity and a commitment to the rule of law, his nominee will be welcomed in the Senate and by the American people."

But remember GOP lingo. "Judicial restraint" means "liberal judges don't act like liberals". CONSERVATIVE judges need no such restraint. Or else Roberts and Alito and Scalia and Thomas would never have been approved.

Indeed, if conservative judges acted with judicial restraint, it's a pretty good bet the Supreme Court would have returned the Bush vs Gore decision to the State of Florida to decide however it saw fit. That my friends was a state issue, and the GOP is all for states' rights. Unless, of course, that would result in Al Gore being President. Just as the Republicans were all for seating people in Congress even during recounts. Unless of course that would mean a Democrat like Al Franken being seated...