George,

Young Tyler deplores trade unionism, minimum wage, Goverment regulation in the interest of consumers and other stuff we pinko, Com-symp, whining bed-wetter Yellow Dog Liberal Democrats think are a good idea. He cites the basic Republican "value" that the forces of the market place are what alone must drive our economy. Actually this is a very secondary Republican "value." The only real Republican belief about anything is elimination of capital gains tax. All other Republican "values" are negotiable depending upon how much greed for money or political power is involved.

Of course, The Republican's loud veneration of the "invisible hand" of market forces is just bloviation. Reoublicans only believe in the efficacy of the "invisible hand" when it is mashing down hard on behalf of rich people and generous Republican political donors. A recent shameful example of this is that proposed Bushie Medicare phamaceutical initiatives all specifically prevent government from negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers to lower prices for U.S. consumers. If this is the way the wonderful forces of a the free market are supposed to work, then I'll take vanilla. It is no coincidence that the Pharmys are the most generous contributors to Republican political coffers and have about the highest corporate priofit margins in the U.S. "Viva Viagra!" ought to be the Bushie battle cry. In effect they have sold out America in almost every particular to make the Bush Rangers happy, why not throw in a little free advertising for their old Pfizer buddies?

The great old Virginia Populist Democrat, Henry Howell, always wanted to "keep the Big Boys honest." All the Bushies, Virgil Jr. and young Tyler want to do is to "keep the Big Boys happy.",

In closing, Connie Rice has an interesting observation on the "invisible hand" so pseudo venerated by the R's. Connie is Condileeza Rice's cousin, also from Birmingham, who did not sell out. Connie "no Dee" is a lawyer who works for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She says, "It's not an invisible hand, it's an invisible penis, and my clients always get screwed."

Ham Caldwell (electronic mail, July 15, 2004)