Its hard to extrapolate ignorance of correct State nomenclature when we're routinely so casually informal and imprecise regarding our own United States of America. (Devil's advocate here. Our general ignorance is unquestionable.)

Either the "Republicans are playing them for fools" (and have been for years,) or the media are co-conspirators. If co-conspirators they've been awake all along. If they've indeed been comatose I believe it should be "are reviving" not "waking up." They could hardly have slept through the last eight years. (All my quatloons are on co-conspirators.)

And isn't excessive executive compensation when you pay someone more than others are willing to take to do the same job? That's the rationale for out-sourcing and renegotiating salaries touted by these same executives, right?

And since New York (not to mention the world) is FULL of MBAs willing to run companies for six-figure salaries isn't anything in seven and eight "excessive?" Or does that only apply to peons -- I mean "workers"? (I can't be the only one old enough to remember when management was classed as unproductive "overhead" can I? They still are, by the way -- unproductive, not classed that way.)

Chris, my own two cents would be: let's have a pay cap similar to what professional sports franchises are given. let AIG hand out $50 million in bonuses, and let the executives have a big cage match to divvy that up. (Then sell the bloodsport on pay-per-view to recoup some of the money spent on the bailout...)

But seriously, it's been no shock to see the GOP doubling down on Teh Crazee (sic). The fringe is all they have left to count on anymore, and they've convinced themselves that they lost because they weren't right-wing ENOUGH. When Michelle Bachmann proposed her Constitutional amendment against replacing the dollar, she's speaking directly to that wingaloid element in her party. So after this attempt at pushing a quasi flat-tax (and doing away with Medicare in the bargain!), expect more items to come off their dream lists: Constitutional amendments to ban abortion, for instance. This will only get worse.

Slightly O/T: did you see Newt Gingrich today saying that 2012 is the GOP's last chance to avoid a third party? That's Kulturkampf. That's pure "Last Stand" meme-making. And it's only the beginning of Teh Wacky(tm) we'll be seeing between now and November 2012.

...Stan