15 Things to do now

[Denninmi]

While I certainly don't agree with all of his points, Michael Moore certainly does have some interesting thoughts.

October 22nd, 2009 5:51 AM
"Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now"
You've Seen the Movie -- Now It's Time to ACT!

Friends,

It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"

You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.

Here they are:

FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:

1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.

2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is H.R. 3200 -- but this bill is worthless without the amendment from Rep. Anthony Weiner that will bring us closer to the real bill that should be passed: H.R. 676. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.

3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists. Yes, those very members of Congress who solicit and receive millions of dollars from wealthy interests must vote to remove ALL money from our electoral and legislative process. Tell your members of Congress they must support campaign finance bill H.R.1826.

4. Each of the 50 states must create a state-owned public bank like they have in North Dakota. Then congress MUST reinstate all the strict pre-Reagan regulations on all commercial banks, investment firms, insurance companies -- and all the other industries that have been savaged by deregulation: Airlines, the food industry, pharmaceutical companies -- you name it. If a company's primary motive to exist is to make a profit, then it needs a set of stringent rules to live by -- and the first rule is "Do no harm." The second rule: The question must always be asked -- "Is this for the common good?" (Click here for some info about the state-owned Bank of North Dakota.)

5. Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us. Just like they do it in Sarah Palin's socialist Alaska. We only have a few decades of oil left. The public must be the owners and landlords of the natural resources and energy that exists within our borders or we will descend further into corporate anarchy. And when it comes to burning fossil fuels to transport ourselves, we must cease using the internal combustion engine and instruct our auto/transportation companies to rehire our skilled workforce and build mass transit (clean buses, light rail, subways, bullet trains, etc.) and new cars that don't contribute to climate change. (For more on this, here's a proposal I wrote in December.) Demand that General Motors' de facto chairman, Barack Obama, issue a JFK man-on-the-moon-style challenge to turn our country into a nation of trains and buses and subways. For Pete's sake, people, we were the ones who invented (or perfected) these damn things in the first place!!

FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:

1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent -- or even a candidate from another party -- if they don't do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!

2. Take over your local Democratic Party. Remember how much fun you had with all those friends and neighbors working together to get Barack Obama elected? YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. It's time to re-up! Get everyone back together and go to the monthly meeting of your town or county Democratic Party -- and become the majority that runs it! There will not be many in attendance and they will either be happy or in shock that you and the Obama Revolution have entered the room looking like you mean business. President Obama's agenda will never happen without mass grass roots action -- and he won't feel encouraged to do the right thing if no one has his back, whether it's to stand with him, or push him in the right direction. When you all become the local Democratic Party, send me a photo of the group and I'll post it on my website.

3. Recruit someone to run for office who can win in your local elections next year -- or, better yet, consider running for office yourself! You don't have to settle for the incumbent who always expects to win. You can be our next representative! Don't believe it can happen? Check out these examples of regular citizens who got elected: State Senator Deb Simpson, California State Assemblyman Isadore Hall, Tempe, Arizona City Councilman Corey Woods, Wisconsin State Assemblyman Chris Danou, and Washington State Representative Larry Seaquist. The list goes on and on -- and you should be on it!

4. Show up. Picket the local branch of a big bank that took the bailout money. Hold vigils and marches. Consider civil disobedience. Those town hall meetings are open to you, too (and there's more of us than there are of them!). Make some noise, have some fun, get on the local news. Place "Capitalism Did This" signs on empty foreclosed homes, closed down businesses, crumbling schools and infrastructure. (You can download them from my website.)

5. Start your own media. You. Just you (or you and a couple friends). The mainstream media is owned by corporate America and, with few exceptions, it will never tell the whole truth -- so you have to do it! Start a blog! Start a website of real local news (here's an example: The Michigan Messenger). Tweet your friends and use Facebook to let them know what they need to do politically. The daily papers are dying. If you don't fill that void, who will?

FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:

1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.

2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.

3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.

4. Unionize your workplace so that you and your coworkers have a say in how your business is run. Here's how to do it (more info here). Nothing is more American than democracy, and democracy shouldn't be checked at the door when you enter your workplace. Another way to Americanize your workplace is to turn your business into a worker-owned cooperative. You are not a wage slave. You are a free person, and you giving up eight hours of your life every day to someone else is to be properly compensated and respected.

5. Take care of yourself and your family. Sorry to go all Oprah on you, but she's right: Find a place of peace in your life and make the choice to be around people who are not full of negativity and cynicism. Look for those who nurture and love. Turn off the TV and the Blackberry and go for a 30-minute walk every day. Eat fruits and vegetables and cut down on anything that has sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour or too much sodium (salt) in it (and, as Michael Pollan says, "Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants"). Get seven hours of sleep each night and take the time to read a book a month. I know this sounds like I've turned into your grandma, but, dammit, take a good hard look at Granny -- she's fit, she's rested and she knows the names of both of her U.S. Senators without having to Google them. We might do well to listen to her. If we don't put our own "oxygen mask" on first (as they say on the airplane), we will be of no use to the rest of the nation in enacting any of this action plan!

I'm sure there are many other ideas you can come up with on how we can build this movement. Get creative. Think outside the politics-as-usual box. BE SUBVERSIVE! Think of that local action no one else has tried. Behave as if your life depended on it. Be bold! Try doing something with reckless abandon. It may just liberate you and your community and your nation.

And when you act, send me your stories, your photos and your video -- and be sure to post your ideas in the comments beneath this letter on my site so they can be shared with millions.

C'mon people -- we can do this! I expect nothing less of all of you, my true and trusted fellow travelers!

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

[tughillcam]

Good list ! ;)

[Denninmi]

The title is supposed to read "15 Things to do NOW" I hate my netbook. Stupid tiny screen.

[lorna-organic]

I agree with much of it. I especially like the last item. I'm already doing those things. I wish the majority of Americans were doing those things.

[silverseeds]

I found number five on the first list, very interesting.

as for the rest of the lists, I agree with some and some I dont. I want much of the same things as him, just want to do it a bit different.

[FAADAN]

I agree with much of it. I especially like the last item. I'm already doing those things. I wish the majority of Americans were doing those things.

From the looks of him he certainly isn't doing #5 on his last list. Too many happy meals there.

There are some things on the list that are good but if I did them, I don't think it would make him happy.

[RozieDozie]

I especially like this one: "Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us."

It has always boggled my mind how a corporation can lay claim to our Natural Resources. To me, these things belong to all of us and all of us should share in the spoils.

Like the idea of supporting local banks, credit unions, and local businesses, too.

[FAADAN]

I especially like this one: "Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us."

It has always boggled my mind how a corporation can lay claim to our Natural Resources. To me, these things belong to all of us and all of us should share in the spoils.

Like the idea of supporting local banks, credit unions, and local businesses, too.

They don't lay claim to our natural resources. They pay for mineral rights to the land owners above the resources. They also pay out funds to stock holders which are held by every 401K in the coutry. Energy corporations are not evil entites out to take advantage of Michael Moore.

[darwinslair]

3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.


Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com[/COLOR]

Mike says some smart things, he says some dumb things. This was the worst I saw in here.

If a government is issuing currency faster than toilet paper, lending it back to the government at near 0% interest is in their interest, not yours.

Paying off debt you have is smart. But own things. Money is not worth anything by itself unless it is minted in rare metals, which ours, for the most part, is not.

Tom

[Cliff Timmons]

He's an idiot.

[HillsideDigger]

I bet that some who reply to this thread 'don't have a clue'.

[Cliff Timmons]

I bet that some who reply to this thread 'don't have a clue'.

Michael Moore replied here?

[tughillcam]

He's an idiot.

oh.. all right then. :rolleyes:

[RonnyWil]

You gotta love a country where even those that are selfish and unwilling to help others can still voice their opinions no matter how insulting or misguided they might be.

[older than dirt]

I had a hard time reading that garbage. Really nasty thoughts.

Anyone that can agree with very much of that would have a hard time keeping a strait face swearing to defending the USA Constitution.

[tughillcam]

:rolleyes:

[FAADAN]

You gotta love a country where even those that are selfish and unwilling to help others can still voice their opinions no matter how insulting or misguided they might be.

There is asignificant difference between voluntarily helping others and having the government steal the fruits of your labor an giving it to someone else. When the latter is carried to the extreme proposed by this administration, those on the producing end have little incentive to produce and will just drift over to the receiving end. No one is going to work 80 hours a week so that his neighbor can sit on the patio and live the same lifestyle.

[RozieDozie]

They don't lay claim to our natural resources. They pay for mineral rights to the land owners above the resources. They also pay out funds to stock holders which are held by every 401K in the coutry. Energy corporations are not evil entites out to take advantage of Michael Moore.

Bologna. Gazillions of dollars of resources have been extracted from public lands without a single royalty being paid to the American People, thanks to the actions of our last Prez and Cheney who passed laws to benefit their buds in the industry and line their own pockets while giving everyone else the shaft.

Corporations aren't evil, but they are greedy and they use their tremendous power and influence to make sure congress passes laws that keep them on top with little regard for the public interest. And they sure don't like to share or be told what to do or be regulated.......

Look at what's happening now to our most important resource, water.

[jaliranchr]

As to natural resources and the pillaging that Bush allowed on public lands? Take a gander at this. It is going to take time to sort this mess out, if they ever can.

http://www.westword.com/2009-10-01/news/ken-salazar-takes-a-step-forward-by-booting-interior-s-royalties-program

[FAADAN]

Bologna. Gazillions of dollars of resources have been extracted from public lands without a single royalty being paid to the American People, thanks to the actions of our last Prez and Cheney who passed laws to benefit their buds in the industry and line their own pockets while giving everyone else the shaft.

Corporations aren't evil, but they are greedy and they use their tremendous power and influence to make sure congress passes laws that keep them on top with little regard for the public interest. And they sure don't like to share or be told what to do or be regulated.......

Look at what's happening now to our most important resource, water.

Read JR's next post. "Billions of dollars of royalties to the Federal Government"

[silverseeds]

Bologna. Gazillions of dollars of resources have been extracted from public lands without a single royalty being paid to the American People, thanks to the actions of our last Prez and Cheney who passed laws to benefit their buds in the industry and line their own pockets while giving everyone else the shaft.

Corporations aren't evil, but they are greedy and they use their tremendous power and influence to make sure congress passes laws that keep them on top with little regard for the public interest. And they sure don't like to share or be told what to do or be regulated.......

Look at what's happening now to our most important resource, water.

I am with you, I see no reason to allow companies to pay measly amounts to mine minerals and fuels in america. If its private land sure its theirs, but if it is public land which most of it is from public lands, why let a select few profit, at the detriment, of ALL americans, and other companies, and such. Sure they can make something refining it, but it should be ours.

[FAADAN]

I am with you, I see no reason to allow companies to pay measly amounts to mine minerals and fuels in america. If its private land sure its theirs, but if it is public land which most of it is from public lands, why let a select few profit, at the detriment, of ALL americans, and other companies, and such. Sure they can make something refining it, but it should be ours.

It is ours. There are billions paid to the federal treasury.

[silverseeds]

It is ours. There are billions paid to the federal treasury.

Yes your right, but it should just be publicly owned to begin with imo. Why let a private company have a slice of the public pie, just because they give us some of the crust?

If public lands harbor minerals or fuels, we should own them publicly, this isnt a bad thing. now if th gov. tried to take things from private land then yes I agree that is wrong.

[FAADAN]

Yes your right, but it should just be publicly owned to begin with imo. Why let a private company have a slice of the public pie, just because they give us some of the crust?

If public lands harbor minerals or fuels, we should own them publicly, this isnt a bad thing. now if th gov. tried to take things from private land then yes I agree that is wrong.

Do you want federal employees setting updrilling rigs and pulling out the oil? I certainly don't.

[Liberty_Man]

While I certainly don't agree with all of his points, Michael Moore certainly does have some interesting thoughts.

October 22nd, 2009 5:51 AM
"Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now"
You've Seen the Movie -- Now It's Time to ACT!

Friends,

It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"

You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.

Here they are:

FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:

1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.

2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is H.R. 3200 -- but this bill is worthless without the amendment from Rep. Anthony Weiner that will bring us closer to the real bill that should be passed: H.R. 676. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.

3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists. Yes, those very members of Congress who solicit and receive millions of dollars from wealthy interests must vote to remove ALL money from our electoral and legislative process. Tell your members of Congress they must support campaign finance bill H.R.1826.

4. Each of the 50 states must create a state-owned public bank like they have in North Dakota. Then congress MUST reinstate all the strict pre-Reagan regulations on all commercial banks, investment firms, insurance companies -- and all the other industries that have been savaged by deregulation: Airlines, the food industry, pharmaceutical companies -- you name it. If a company's primary motive to exist is to make a profit, then it needs a set of stringent rules to live by -- and the first rule is "Do no harm." The second rule: The question must always be asked -- "Is this for the common good?" (Click here for some info about the state-owned Bank of North Dakota.)

5. Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us. Just like they do it in Sarah Palin's socialist Alaska. We only have a few decades of oil left. The public must be the owners and landlords of the natural resources and energy that exists within our borders or we will descend further into corporate anarchy. And when it comes to burning fossil fuels to transport ourselves, we must cease using the internal combustion engine and instruct our auto/transportation companies to rehire our skilled workforce and build mass transit (clean buses, light rail, subways, bullet trains, etc.) and new cars that don't contribute to climate change. (For more on this, here's a proposal I wrote in December.) Demand that General Motors' de facto chairman, Barack Obama, issue a JFK man-on-the-moon-style challenge to turn our country into a nation of trains and buses and subways. For Pete's sake, people, we were the ones who invented (or perfected) these damn things in the first place!!

FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:

1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent -- or even a candidate from another party -- if they don't do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!

2. Take over your local Democratic Party. Remember how much fun you had with all those friends and neighbors working together to get Barack Obama elected? YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. It's time to re-up! Get everyone back together and go to the monthly meeting of your town or county Democratic Party -- and become the majority that runs it! There will not be many in attendance and they will either be happy or in shock that you and the Obama Revolution have entered the room looking like you mean business. President Obama's agenda will never happen without mass grass roots action -- and he won't feel encouraged to do the right thing if no one has his back, whether it's to stand with him, or push him in the right direction. When you all become the local Democratic Party, send me a photo of the group and I'll post it on my website.

3. Recruit someone to run for office who can win in your local elections next year -- or, better yet, consider running for office yourself! You don't have to settle for the incumbent who always expects to win. You can be our next representative! Don't believe it can happen? Check out these examples of regular citizens who got elected: State Senator Deb Simpson, California State Assemblyman Isadore Hall, Tempe, Arizona City Councilman Corey Woods, Wisconsin State Assemblyman Chris Danou, and Washington State Representative Larry Seaquist. The list goes on and on -- and you should be on it!

4. Show up. Picket the local branch of a big bank that took the bailout money. Hold vigils and marches. Consider civil disobedience. Those town hall meetings are open to you, too (and there's more of us than there are of them!). Make some noise, have some fun, get on the local news. Place "Capitalism Did This" signs on empty foreclosed homes, closed down businesses, crumbling schools and infrastructure. (You can download them from my website.)

5. Start your own media. You. Just you (or you and a couple friends). The mainstream media is owned by corporate America and, with few exceptions, it will never tell the whole truth -- so you have to do it! Start a blog! Start a website of real local news (here's an example: The Michigan Messenger). Tweet your friends and use Facebook to let them know what they need to do politically. The daily papers are dying. If you don't fill that void, who will?

FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:

1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.

2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.

3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.

4. Unionize your workplace so that you and your coworkers have a say in how your business is run. Here's how to do it (more info here). Nothing is more American than democracy, and democracy shouldn't be checked at the door when you enter your workplace. Another way to Americanize your workplace is to turn your business into a worker-owned cooperative. You are not a wage slave. You are a free person, and you giving up eight hours of your life every day to someone else is to be properly compensated and respected.

5. Take care of yourself and your family. Sorry to go all Oprah on you, but she's right: Find a place of peace in your life and make the choice to be around people who are not full of negativity and cynicism. Look for those who nurture and love. Turn off the TV and the Blackberry and go for a 30-minute walk every day. Eat fruits and vegetables and cut down on anything that has sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour or too much sodium (salt) in it (and, as Michael Pollan says, "Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants"). Get seven hours of sleep each night and take the time to read a book a month. I know this sounds like I've turned into your grandma, but, dammit, take a good hard look at Granny -- she's fit, she's rested and she knows the names of both of her U.S. Senators without having to Google them. We might do well to listen to her. If we don't put our own "oxygen mask" on first (as they say on the airplane), we will be of no use to the rest of the nation in enacting any of this action plan!

I'm sure there are many other ideas you can come up with on how we can build this movement. Get creative. Think outside the politics-as-usual box. BE SUBVERSIVE! Think of that local action no one else has tried. Behave as if your life depended on it. Be bold! Try doing something with reckless abandon. It may just liberate you and your community and your nation.

And when you act, send me your stories, your photos and your video -- and be sure to post your ideas in the comments beneath this letter on my site so they can be shared with millions.

C'mon people -- we can do this! I expect nothing less of all of you, my true and trusted fellow travelers!

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Well i almost agree with cliff.. the guy isn't all there upstairs. But i like the list of things.

[HillsideDigger]

Do you want federal employees setting updrilling rigs and pulling out the oil? I certainly don't.

Well, I don't. There is an important place for continued private contractors in this country (not in healthcare though).

Really, though, the energy resources on public lands (and private) in the United States won't last very long and what happens after that is what would be better to discuss.

The sooner we find a way to leave the remaining oil, gas and coal in the ground, the water in the rivers and the timber in the woods the better off we will be.

[Liberty_Man]

Well, I don't. There is an important place for continued private contractors in this country (not in healthcare though).

Really, though, the energy resources on public lands :) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGKDKF-jA10)(and private) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anLfoy2XsFw) in the United States won't last very long and what happens after that is what would be better to discuss.:) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXPMYA7EqYE&feature=related)don't look at the light.. and run as far as fast as you can away from the mushroom cloud (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwarCieO1dc&feature=related):( (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s22ufU-67iM&feature=related):( (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLs-iL8BJuI&feature=related):( (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-epFbacUWDY&feature=related)

[HillsideDigger]

:) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXPMYA7EqYE&feature=related)don't look at the light.. and run as far as fast as you can away from the mushroom cloud (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwarCieO1dc&feature=related):( (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s22ufU-67iM&feature=related):( (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLs-iL8BJuI&feature=related)

Yes, Liberty Man, the ever increasing pace of resource exploitation in this world can only lead to wide-spread conflict. (Yes, I know that's not what you meant.)

[deciduousLychees]

1. Yes, except for anyone who tries to play the system.

2. Yes, if it can properly implemented.

3. Yes, but that's less likely than me getting a unicorn for Christmas.

4. No, but yes to regulating the prevention of externalizes.

5. Yes, provided it is done right (nuclear & algae, not food & overgrown fans).

1. Probably a waste of time, but if enough people get shouting...

2. No, political parties are a bad idea anyway.

3. Why not?

4. Started good, ended with a dumb message.

5. Yeah, because Bowling for Columbine was soooo accurate (sarcasm).

1. Not a bad idea.

2. Everyone should do this.

3. Absolutely terrible idea.

4. No, unless it is very necessary. Companies should get the unions they deserve.

5. Not very political, but good advice.

[jemarmy]

Two things...
3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers..

I'm in favor of paying off your mortgage and buying your mother flowers. :D I don't see what you wet-blankets have against flowers. ;)

And...

The sooner we find a way to leave the remaining oil, gas and coal in the ground, the water in the rivers and the timber in the woods the better off we will be.

I think I know this one...HEMP! Right? Right?:D:D;)

[tughillcam]

RIGHT !