First of all, Old Guy, unless you are a memeber of the First Nation, you are a descendant of an immigrant... The strength of the US economy thru the 90's was greatly enhanced by the inexpensive labor of Hispanics... Note that I would no more use the term "wetback" than I would "niggar"... It is a racist term... But that's for another thread...

As for Dr. Lakoff's observations I would partially agree with him... He makes a general statement about the way folks look what we expect from the federal governemnt... The conservative movement has for the last several decades, especially since Goldwater, been is the "starve the beast" mode of thinking where tax cuts would eventually make the feds provide less services to the genaerl population... Problem with Bush is that he delivered on the tyax cut part but hasn't had the conservative guts to cut the spending... This isn't inherently conservative... This is some bastardized idealistis radicalism where economic suicide seem to be the goal...

As for my net worth??? I began buildin' it in 1985 and by 2000 it was purdy much what it is today... Most can be attributed to the roarin' 90's when Slick Willie, the best ***pure*** Republican that the Repubs have had in my life time, was in office... Since 2000, I've had to work awfully hard to just maintain the net worth I had in 2000... But I'm like most small businessmen who haven't enjoyed the supposed strong economy that Bush keeps talkin' about... The 300% increse in my health insurance, for one, has eroded any gains I might have made... This one expense has hurt the small buisnessman harder than any other and purdy much offset any gains... I know a lot of other small businessmen and this is what I hear from them, as well...

Now back to Katrina...

Gotta go to work...

Bobert