Christmas preparations

Got the house lights up without anyone falling off of the roof. always a plus. I'll post a picture if I can...going to be pretty dark we are not Domino Farms..just doing our little bit to cheer up the neighbourhood. Not many people with light this year. This is one way to gauge the local economy. Up here in N. Michigan it's probably waymore than 7.7 % unemployment. probably anywhere from 15-25%. I was reading in the local rag (Oscoda Press if you're interested) about a HS student, Patrick Maher who is trying to collect 1,000 peanut butter jars for poor students and their families. It also mention that 80% of the HS students are eligible for free or reduced cost lunches. Not a good statistic. But the GOP wants to cut these 'moochers'... argh... Coming as I do from the 'Welfare State' of the UK in the 60s with the Labor government with free health care and a national insurance and pension scheme, subsidized college education (free if you are poor but a good/smart student), it strange to listen to people complain about 'European Socialism' and 'Obama is a Socialist/Marxist' over here. They have no idea what they are talking about. I LOVE America and I love the country and it's institutions be we need to go back a little to the 'socialism' of FDR. If you don't care about your citizens, young, old, sick, poor you are not a civilized country, let alone a super power. IMHO...