The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

I read several interesting articles and blog posts this last week and thought I'd share them here with faithful and constant readers...because I know you all come here for the news...and to talk about the issues. If there is one thing I really want to address as a blogger, it's the issues. Here's a shout out to good blog posts. These all happen to be political in nature--that's purely coincidental.
"Don't Betray Us, Barack--End the Empire" by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick--I thought this was an interesting perspective comparing President Obama's political approach to that of President Clinton's political approach--and asking him (Obama) to consider Mikhail Gorbachev as a model.
"Obama, Bush, Clinton: Who's Worst on the Deficit?" by Emi at moveon.org--This is just a chart that analyzes the growth of the U.S. national debt. Apparently, the debt grows less during a democratic presidency than under a republican presidency, but it still grows!

"Nine Tax Facts Hardly Anyone Knows" by David Cay Johnston--This is an article from the Oklahoma Gazette, the weekly independent paper in Oklahoma City (I'm sure there's more than one, I just don't read any others). I was actually quite familiar with some of these tax facts, so I guess that makes me a smarty pants.
"In Okla., a Beneficiary Sours on Federal Spending" by Michael A. Fletcher--My home state would prefer less government, even though the government is a huge contributor to our state economy and an employer of many Oklahoma citizens. I think the idea of smaller government is always seductive, but then you think about how many friends and neighbors have found a livelihood through government employment. Smaller Government becomes a lot more problematic in my mind.