CHEAP SLEEP
Mindy: ‘My family and I used to sleep in Motel 6’s exclusively, but have since switched to two-star hotels from Priceline because they’re even cheaper. (My frugal brother, however, is still trying to convince me that a $28 hotel stay is extravagant and that I’d be better off in a $12/night campground.)’
CHEAP CREDIT REPORTS
David Fischer: ‘You can get a triple merged (all 3 bureaus merged and sorted by account) credit report with credit score from Privacy Guard. You can get a 3 month trial period for $1. Go to Privacyguard.com.’
Bob Fyfe: ‘I just heard an ad on the radio this morning for freecreditreport.com. I have not yet tried it, but apparently you can get a free online Equifax credit report. They’re trying to sell a credit monitoring service and the free report is their hook.’
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK
James Papiano: ‘I would be interested to hear your take on whether the Democrat establishment would rally around General Clark as a Presidential candidate. I would much rather have him in the race than on the sidelines. (I have already sent a message expressing this to the General via DraftWesleyClark.com.) So how about it? Does he have a chance of getting the leadership’s support?’
☞ If General Clark jumps in the race, I expect the leadership would be enthusiastic about his candidacy, just as it is about the others. Republicans tend to be more disciplined in choosing their candidate (unwelcome McCain challenges notwithstanding). Democrats favor — some would say are stuck with — a truly democratic primary process. Hats off to you for being part of it!
FOOLISH BUDGET CUTS
Monday‘s column questioned the wisdom of cutting taxes for millionaires while also cutting government services. I had wanted to append this, but had already cut deep into your morning, so offer it now: Nicholas Kristof this past Saturday described, among other tight-budget consequences, a 37-year-old epileptic whose $13-a-day medication was eliminated. He ran out of pills in February, had a seizure the following week, and is now in a permanent vegetative state. Apart from the human tragedy, the cost to the taxpayers has thus far been $500,000. It makes you wonder whether tax cuts for the rich are truly the best way to keep America strong and secure.
‘If this is class warfare, then my class is winning.’
– Warren Buffett
