I have been crazed, hair-on-fire busy at work. (I need an asbestos helmet!) Without time to write anything original, I will just hand over this space today for two items:

First, from Holly, a whale of a story.

Second, Nick Kristof wrote a compelling column in the NYT recently. It was so good that I quoted it below at length...but if you want the whole article, I will e-mail it to you. One thing I like about Kristof is that while he is a liberal/progressive, he is not afraid to smack democrats hard when they deserve it...see below.

Nicholas Kristof, August 2, 2007, New York Times:

"One measure of the inanity of our national farm policy is that you, as a taxpayer, are paying me not to grow crops here in Oregon.

Democratic House leaders have rammed through another grotesque farm bill on the assumption that the only people who will pay attention will be the beneficiaries. Let’s hope that they’re wrong, because this is a classic example of weak-kneed politicians caving in to special interests.

I grew up on a sheep and cherry farm here in Yamhill, Ore., and still have some timberland outside of town. Every year I get paid $588 not to farm it, under the Conservation Reserve Program.

That’s right: taxpayers are subsidizing a New York columnist not to plant crops in a forest in Oregon."

And the last part of the piece:

"There is a familiar trajectory when a political party takes power. At first, it brims with ideals. Then it makes compromises to stay in power. Finally, it becomes devoted simply to staying in office. Can Ms. Pelosi really have compressed this downward spiral into just six months?

President Bush had sought to place a ceiling on payments to any farmer of $200,000 per year, but the Democratic leaders have set it at $1 million ($2 million for a couple). Any time the Democrats find themselves fighting on behalf of fat cats, against a Republican White House that says enough is enough, it’s time for the donkey to kick itself in the head."