Liza, Thanks so much for all the fun and wisdom this year. I appreciate your contributions to this site and The New Yorker. This cartoon is the ultimate “tree hugger” statement. (I can say that I am from Oregon and loves trees) But I wonder if your vision could also represent the idea that we should decorate what we have, where we are and whoever we are with. We need a new national attitude to pull together and work on our mutual problems. Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the improvements to the site. I enjoy coming here and will spend more time checking out the site because it is easier to use.

Joni-thanks for the warning; this problem doesn’t seen to be getting much publicity. Is Microsoft trying to keep the attention down?

Bonnie, Sorry, I tried to post the link and it didn’t work and I didn’t realize. I am trying again. I am only slightly tech savy. I didn’t post the information to defend Barney Frank, but just as a matter of interest and understanding. Like so many I am trying to understand what went wrong here. I have a banking background so I know there is plenty of opportunity for plain old human greed and my take is that when the dollars get so large,the temptation is great. Anyway Merry Christmas. Vanity Fair - January 2009

Bonnie, This is a really comprehensive article about the economy by Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize winning economist. Pertty balanced and shows the history and events that lead us to this point. Lots of blame to go around. See what you think.

Frank- I think you are lost; don’t you belong on the Savage thread, where you can vent your anger. I must say I am impressed with how you are able to divine people’s motives and intentions, not to mention their sexual orientation, through the internet. You need to pace yourself though, because Obama is going to be on office for four years.

I always root for Liza; she is alive with talent and I never fail to see a lot of Judy in her. And I have the same worried feeling when she performs, as I did watching Judy, years ago; is she going to make it through. But that electricity just keeps em coming back. Judy’s wonderfully rich, compassionate, deeply moving voice got me through a very tough childhood. When I heard her sing I knew someone out there understood my pain and that I could survive. I will always be a loyal fan of Liza’s; you go girl. I hope you bring out a CD of your show-so I can buy it!

Wonderful comments all; it is a pleasure to read and learn from such a grteat group of posters. Thank you.

Since I know little about this woman, I will trust that Pres-elect Obama is choosing her because she is the best person for the job. So far I like the way he is filling in the Cabinet “puzzle”. I hope they can all work together to change the course of the ship of State. It is a little frustrating that WOW chooses to present this Cabinet pick in the context of her personal life. Serena is right, did we talk about Joe Biden as the heterosexual, father and husband? It is demeaning to women to be defined by the “roles” they play, as opposed to their achievements and attributes. For me it reflects age old “sexism” and makes WOW look like they are stuck in the 1950’s, where this headline belongs.

Kathleen, I have been following the discussion on this thread and am intrigued by your thoughts. I have been thinking about this issue of intolerance, which seems to be growing exponentially worldwide, and it seems that it is based in ignorance and fear. Once the fear takes hold (fear of anyone different, loss of resources, loss of standing in the world, loss of way of life-etc), rational thinking and argument go out the window. I think that is why discussion can turn emotional and personal so quickly, on many of these issues. For me the most interesting thing about all the conflict, division and desire to control others, is rooted in your search of the Bible about specific direction on how to treat others. The most useful Biblical prescriptions I have learned to combat fear and intolerance are: not judge, treat others as we would be treated and to have faith in the ultimate outcome. Why are so many steeped in religious extremism the first to forget these simple directions when it serves their purposes? I wonder? Anyway great discussion and I admire your rhetorical discipline.

Wonderfully expressed and I couldn’t agree with you more about an underlying disease. I believe that we have become so brainwashed and succumbed to a herd mentality that we seem to retreat from thinking for ourselves about critical issues such as war, poverty and our relationship to the planet on which we live. “Madison Avenue” seems to have found the magic elixir that focuses our attention on consumption, making sure we get “our share”, while ignoring the state of our neighbors or the world. And to hear many tell it, to question our current relationship, government to governed, is unpatriotic, unchristian and possibly sympathetic to terrorism. There has been a huge conflict, frequently resulting in wars, anytime people try to assert their rights, in opposition to the powers that be. Throughout history those in power (governments, religious institutions, economic stakeholders, etc) never wanted, and indeed predicted danger, about the “unwashed masses” speaking a common language, learning to read and write, owning land, holding office and voting. Witness the cry of outrage and demand for control over the internet. Need I say more? It is no coincidence that women were the last to receive the vote in this country. So while our private lives are not the business of the government, religious institutions, focus groups or pollsters, we have little choice but to stand and fight the battle where it is being waged. I think you are on the right track-we should go back to the Constitution and hold our government accountable for what is dilineated there and when they overstep-throw them out. Has that ship already sailed?

Sorry Liza, the cartoon is great, if very sad, especially on Thanksgiving Day. I meant to say that above, but got on my soapbox. The dollars that are involved in this crisis are so large that they seem abstract. I think it helps to have visual evidence of the reality, which is that there are real people effected by the foreclosures, job losses and pension/401K losses. Thanks for staying in touch with the reality of this mess.

James, I have been thinking the exact same thing. Why are the people who seem to get on TV and say let them go-mostly from the South? And I wondered too whether they have Honda, Nissan or Toyota plants in their States. And how can anyone in Congress justify the huge, useless AIG (a primary promotor of these speculative financial instruments) bailout and talk about letting American companies that manufacture a product go down the drain? If the domestic auto industry fails it will mean more dollars going overseas (Japan, South Korea, Germany and eventually China), sending our economy further into the tank. What is wrong with these people? We should have let AIG go-then maybe next time Wall Street gets greedy, they will think twice.

Zera Lee, I enjoyed your post. Have you read Andrew Bacevich’s book “The Limits of Power”. Only 182 pages, but an excellent, succinct, non-partisan account of how we ended up with this national security behemoth that includes Homeland Security. Not a pretty story!

Jane-Is it my imagination or are your friends smiling, gleefully? Oh, it is just too sweet. Wonder what the first dude is going to do for a living now (actually I really don’t care). We can’t forget that the drill, baby, drill mentality is alive and well. Maybe someday we will be able to see the wisdom of Mother Nature and realize that all the creatures of the Earth are in this together. SInk or swim!