I thought it was illegal to give money to individuals.... if so will Hillary have her hand out

It has also been mentioned Obama could use our excess funds to create and maintain programs/systems to facilitate grass-roots participation in the government process.

Is Obama currently financing the transition web site (change.gov) out of this money? If so, I think it's already being put to pretty good use.

Here's my theory why the US doesn't put nearly enough money towards education - people don't want competition both for themselves if they're just out of school, or for their kids if they can afford to put their own kids in private schools.

If I just got out of school, struggled to get through financially and now see that the Government it going to make it easier for the folks right behind me to get through I'm going to be a little bitter. Also say I'm well off enough to be able to send my kids to a private school, the worse the public schools are the more of a leg up my kids will have in the future.

It's dog eat dog.

Before Reagan you could attend college free in California. I have a friend born in severe poverty who claims that he never would have gotten his education (now has a Master's degree) had it been any other way. Higher education should be free for all those wishing to attend...and can be easily done. Plenty of models to go by.

"...Following the shooting, Blackwater became the subject of congressional hearings in Washington and insurgent propaganda videos in Iraq...."

Insurgent propaganda videos??? or the truth told by our opponents?? Decorated vets become paid mercenaries as if that is somehow heroic. No one asks if they just enjoy killing...acting like yahoo cowboys. They murdered people because they could get away with it...and they like it...gives them bragging rights. We trained them to kill,...they murder people and then we turn around and say "well, what did you expect?" as if that somehow justifies or explains it.

They murdered 17 unarmed innocent men women and children and their defense attorneys are in a hurry to "clear their names" because they were decorated vets ignoring the fact that they are now professional paid killers who believed they could murder without consequence because these were not Americans they were killing.

Blckwater...a private army for hire...coming to a neighborhood near you...soon.

Bailout money without accountability or consequences for abuse...without guarantees in writing as to its use... is just going to protect the holdings of the wealthy who have lost nothing and are unwilling to give back what they've gained from causing the disaster.

Freeze and confiscate holdings, tariffs and penalties for doing business outside the country and roll back the Reagan tax cuts for the very wealthy. Financial services fixed.

As for the big 3 auto makers...bail out money must be accompanied by congressional appointed managers to get them up and running...hopefully green.

Any national health care ins. plan that includes private profiteering carriers will always be problematic because they will come with highly paid lobbyists pressuring and legally bribing (campaign donations) congress for laws to increase
their profits. They can never be profitable and still compete with a government system like Medicare which could easily and cheaply be expanded to include all Americans and Medicaid to help the poor. It's a simple solution already proven to be cost effective and successful and could be easily implemented within 3 mos. Plus those private health care ins. employees getting laid off could move over to the expanded Medicare/Medicaid jobs. Republicans, conservatives, republicans are obstructionist groups to solving America's problems for personal profit and gain. Time to get real with the obstructions to progress in America...Republicans and conservatives (DINOs).

Item one for Obama, fire anyone who has attended regent University.

Gen. Shinseki to Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz - "Tell me how my ass tastes"

I hope that whoever replaces Senator Kennedy at the Judiciary Committee is strong and has solid liberal credentials because the next Supreme Court Justice President Obama nominates is going to face aggressive opposition from the Federalist Society wing of Republican politics.