"Freedom" Isn't Free

If you caught Dubya's speech from the Capitol balcony the other day, then you know what we're in for: four more years of spreading freedom. Janis Joplin said that "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," but she's been posthumously shilling for Mercedes Benz. Yes, everything and everyone has its price. On that note, now that W. is safely ensconsed for another term, he's requested $80 billlion from Congress to keep spreading liberty and freedom and other theoretical concepts around the globe. Knight-Ridder has broken this cost down to the second, putting the Joe Taxpayer's bill somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500/second. That's $100,000 spent since you began reading this post.

That's another $12,500 gone as you paused after reading that last sentence.