A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

For the second week in a row, Obama's stimulus plan kicked up an awful lot of debate at Propeller. First there was "Stock Prices Drop as Investors Await Obama's Stimulus Bill," with 88 props and 40 comments. Said coolslow: "Will somebody, anybody, please explain to me how the stimulus bill and the method it was written and passed is going to help the current situation? Please do not resort to Bush/Republican/greedy rich bashing or give-Obama-a-chance arguments." According to crghss, the bill would do precisely nothing to help the situation: "It doesn't. Half of it is just social programs disguised as a bailout plan." Dionys responded with a syllogism: "Money goes out, creates new positions and jobs. People work jobs, get paid. People spend that money they got paid on Crap from China. The Great American Middleman makes profit on Crap from China. Thus the economy is stimulated." That didn't persuade jmopinion, who said: "Market meltdown today. Horrible market. We are in trouble. Stimulus did not do anything." Replied cherrysweet00: "OMG! The stimulus isn't working yet!!! What're we gonna do NOW?"

Then there was "Obama signs stimulus bill, readies homeowner plan," with 48 props and 110 comments. "Get ready," wrote dunkirk, "the Right should be on this, predicting doom and gloom for not doing the Bush agenda of tax breaks for the wealthy." Replied BB64: "Have you read the Pork-Zilla plan? A stimulus is supposed to be a short-term investment with a short-term gain. What I've been able to read so far is at best a very long-term plan with very little positive in the way of job creation." Meanwhile, JohnGault struck a more bipartisan note: "This is a Democratic party initiative, their names and reputations are at stake. But we all need it to succeed. We may not like the plan, but we have to work that plan." A related story, "Gutless Wonders: Specter Admits GOP's Political Calculus On Stimulus Bill," racked up 73 props, 7 drops, and 182 comments. Said engnr: "Specter is a neo-con, a former liberal who has slightly shifted to the right due to the fact the liberals have shifted so far to the left." Replied PapaWolf: "Saying Specter is a former liberal is like saying Gandhi was a former military-industrial corporatist."

MOTHER KNOWS BEST?

Former GOP It Girl Sarah Palin made the charts at Propeller this week-as did her daughter Bristol. "Palin: Obama Should Have Vetoed the Stimulus Bill" racked up 21 props, 9 drops, and 96 comments. Said engineer: "Palin had no problem under GW Bush accepting $250 million dollars for a bridge to nowhere. What a hypocrite." But hhussk cried foul: "You blame her for the bridge to nowhere, and meanwhile you're supporting a 30 million dollar earmark in the stimulus package for a salt marsh harvest mouse in the San Francisco area. How are you not a hypocrite as well?" But sinophil49 was not convinced that the Alaska governor had claimed the moral high ground: "What a hoot Sarah Paltry is. Today's paper revealed that she also failed to pay taxes on state per diem allowance she took inappropriately."

Meanwhile, Bristol Palin chimed in with some lukewarm comments about precisely the sort of abstinence programs her mother has championed. "Bristol Palin Says Abstinence Doesn't Cut It" generated 65 props, 4 drops, and 95 comments. Said PsychoHosebeast: "Well, if we hear Bristol is moving to the lower 48 later this week, we'll know why. At least one person in that family can face reality." Added Tangent001: "Yes, abstinence is the only surefire way to avoid unwanted pregnancy and STDs, but it is woefully unrealistic, particularly in a society where 13-year-olds are 'sexting' and every other advertisement one sees uses sex as a hook." Retorted bikequus: "Have sex, get baby. What other sex education does any one need to know?" But it was cowboygrandpa who noted his own special technique for eliciting good behavior from hormone-driven teens: "When the young men came to pick up my daughters for dates and I was there, they saw my shotgun, the rattlesnake skin on the wall, and my firm and hard handshake." No doubt the girls got home comfortably before curfew.

TO CATCH A THIEF

"Massive probe of corporate theft to be launched by FBI" notched 107 props, 1 drop, and 270 comments. Said RRcon: "When are people going to realize that there is little difference between either party? Neither represents us, the American public. Our government has evolved into a self-serving, corrupt bureaucracy." Replied Spadecaller: "There's enough blame to go around to both sides of the aisle. But partisan hacks who want to blame liberals for deregulation are no different than people who believe the world is 6,000 years old."

For JEBUS08, the very description of the culprits was galling: "White-collar my ass. Nice way to phrase criminals that destroy the lives of thousands, [who are] no better than drug dealers and robbers." Added rimbaud: "Whenever there is big money involved (bricks of dollars to Iraq, or billions of dollars to Wall Street), even those who see themselves as trustworthy somehow find it hard to stay on the straight path and start going crooked." Meanwhile, in an off-topic aside, CRYMTYPHON articulated the burning question we've all been wrestling with: "Why doesn't the [New York Times] have comics?"

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

Which was the most widely viewed story this week on Propeller? That would be "Wisconsin student arrested, fined for repeated texting," which bagged 45 props, 408 comments (also this week's record), and 45,016 page views. The community was divided about this particular case of crime and punishment. Said Rocketman2005: "If her parents has taught her a shred of respect, she would not be in this situation. I teach at a university and if a student's phone rings, he or she is asked to leave the room for the rest of class." Glimsong felt differently: "I still think this is a heavy-handed approach. We should not be disciplining children at school by having them arrested for nonviolence." But im2cool4usothere had an answer straight out of the Mod Squad: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Point blank."

Elsewhere, the community sounded off about giant strawberries, a heart-shaped island, and Rush Limbaugh. "Teenage handbag thief outpaced by 72-year-old ex-sprinter" rang up 35 props, 40 comments, and 42,090 page views. Said iipripper007: "I'd give anything to meet this grandma and give her a hug, this was one brave and spunky lady. Kudos, Grandma!" Added tkdcorey12: "I love it when old-timers pwn people." And finally, this video of Edwin Starr's 1970 Motown classic got the members voting (113 props) and talking. Most found the song all too relevant to the current day. Said berkeley: "The video is worth watching. The song, unfortunately, is just as true today as when it came out."