Good morning, again, everyone. We had a dusting of snow last night. Just a dusting. But then it is December 1. I am still in the midst of cleaning up the computer/sewing/whatever room. As I mentioned before this will be the major project for this month. We haven't changed much in this room since we set it up although we have pared down the things in it. It is definitely time for another culling.

So, if the morning news is correct, the Obamas' proposal to improve the quality of the school lunch programs will get passed--at the expense of the food stamp program. Does anyone else get the feeling that our politicians are pitting one disadvantaged group against another? Remember the post on the 24th where I noted the passage of the bill that would pay Indian tribes for the royalties they never got from the lease or sale of natural resources on their lands and black farmers for the discrimination which shut them out of government payments their white neighbors got? Well that was to be paid for by taking money from the Women's, Infants' and Children's nutrition program. So what we have is a game of Washington musical chairs where when one needful program is instituted or increased another needful program is cut. And all the while they debate whether or not the top 1 or 2% of Americans really should get a tax cut. I called this game 'Washington musical chairs' but perhaps I should call it 'Russian Roulette--Washington style.'

I also noticed the the Deficit Commission announced that the final report will be released today but that a vote on it will be delayed till Friday to give members a chance to read it. The co-chairs claim that they have listened to the criticisms and have made some changes. How many and how substantive no one knows yet. But, if it resembles the proposed program they released a couple of weeks ago, it will be long on broad goals but short on specifics. And, as I have noted before, the devil is always in the details.

Susie Madrak at Crooks and Liars posted this item today. Some months ago a similar protest appeared on HuffingtonPost where Adriana Huffington suggested that people move their accounts from the big banks to small banks that would be more respectful of their depositors. That was when the banks where canceling lines of credit left and right and refusing to loan money to even very credit worthy patrons. In light of the mortgage fraud that has come bubbling out of the fetid financial swamp, I think the call should be renewed for people to shift their funds to small, local banks.