Dougie, I too pay my taxes before they are due. I have mutual funds (Fidelity Magellan, in fact, among others) and they have taken quite a beating since your man Bush came to power -- as have my wife's annuities and her TIA-CREF funds. Investment-wise, Dougie, we're back where we were about 1990.

And I have told two of regular Catters who I am. They know who I am, where I came up with US $35,000 (and yes, it's quite legal AND taxes at several levels have been paid on it). A troll -- no, just someone challenging you and others to put your money where your mouth is.

Right now an helluva lot of US treasury notes and bills are held by China and other countries. It used to be said, "Don't worry about the national debt; after all, we only owe it to ourselves." That isn't true anymore, if it ever was. Seems to me that a true patriot would be trying to help their country by keeping the national debt at home.

Big Mick -- I had simply wanted to find a nice picture of a date for Dougie. I apologize for the one I chose. To me she's like so many of movie and TV stars -- irrelevant.