Let's try something new...an open thread for you guys to play in. We'll kick it off with the news that Bristol Palin and her fiance have broken things off. Do you think the marriage plans were just a show for the election? Discuss. And, while we're talking about teens, have you browsed the photo gallery on your teens phone lately? You might want to get on that.

Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has been saying for a while that he would turn down any stimulus money that comes his way via this economic stimulus bill. And as of yesterday, he made it official ... turning down about a quarter of his state's $2.8 billion share. He says, "Fundamentally, if you boil down what the stimulus means for South Carolina, it means we would go through the process of spending a bunch of money we don't have." Finally, a guy who gets it.

Then, Sanford likened the approach of the Obama administration to that of Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe. He says, "What you're doing is buying into the notion that if we just print some more money that we don't have and send it to different states, we'll create jobs ... If that's the case, why isn't Zimbabwe a rich place? ... 'Cause they're printing money they don't have and sending it around to their different-- I don't know the towns in Zimbabwe but that same logic is being applied there with little effect."

Now enter James Clyburn, South Carolina Senator and carrier of a huge racial chip on his shoulder. Clyburn thinks that Sanford's comparison of Obama's stimulus package to Zimbabwe's economic policies is "beyond the pale." And according to The Politico, Clyburn suggested that the comment might carry a racial subtext. Clyburn says, "For him to compare the president of this country to Mugabe. ... It's just beyond the pale." For Congressional race whore Clyburn, everything is "beyond the pale." This guy has never seen an issue that didn't have some racial component. His day should be done and his type should be fading into the obscurity he so richly deserves.

By now I am sure that you've heard about the Wall Street Journal report on Maxine Waters. Maxine Waters is arguably one of the most brain-dead politicians in Washington today. Do you remember her recent attempt to grill bank CEOs? Yeah, it is hard to watch, ain't it?

It is pretty well-known that Maxine Waters has close ties with OneUnited Bank, which happens to be a minority-owned institution (at least that is the politically correct way to say it). And when I say "close ties" I mean that Maxine and her husband have large financial stakes in the bank and her husband used to be a director. While enjoying the benefits of her family ties to OneUnited Maxine was publicly boosting OneUnited's executives and criticizing its government regulators during congressional hearings. Last fall, according to The Wall Street Journal, Maxine helped secure the bank a meeting with Treasury officials.

Here's more ....

In January, Ms. Waters acknowledged she made a call to the Treasury on OneUnited's behalf. The bank's capital, which was heavily invested in shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, was all but wiped out with the federal takeover of the two mortgage giants, and the bank was seeking help from regulators.

OneUnited eventually secured bailout funds under the government's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was set up later that month.

In a brief interview in January, Ms. Waters said she was unaware the bank received $12 million of TARP money, which arrived in December. OneUnited was "just a small" bank, she said.

A provision designed to aid OneUnited was written into the federal bailout legislation by none other than Barney Frank, the chairman of the financial-services panel. Mr. Frank has said he inserted the provision to help the only African-American owned bank in his home state. He said in an interview that Ms. Waters's interest "had zero impact on the outcome because I would have done it anyway."

All together now ... "Yeah, right."

Out of the corner of my ear I heard a TV commercial on Fox & Friends this morning. The pronouncer said "America is all about freedom, and the freedom to drive everywhere we want is a freedom American cherish," or something very close to that.

You know what? As far as way-too-many Americans are concerned, this pretty well covers it. Our over-hyped love of freedom extends barely beyond the freedom to drive and live anywhere we want, the freedom to choose our video game platforms and our freedom to chose what movie to see. Even with video games and movies we have people out there who think that there is actually too much freedom in these areas.

A question: How about the freedom to be responsible for our own lives, and suffer the consequences of irresponsible or stupid decisions? Sorry ... no thanks. Too much freedom. Give me government.

When it comes to our wounded veterans.

Luckily, this plan doesn't seem to have a lot of momentum. But the Obama administration is considering a plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.

Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, says that the proposal would be "dead on arrival" if it was sent to Congress.

Do you want our government to spend money? Spend it on wounded warriors. Give every one of them a million bucks ... tax free. That would certainly be a better use of our money than funding blueberry research and building butterfly displays.

Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money explains market manipulation.

This email needs absolutely no commentary from me. More than any other email I can remember ... this one speaks volumes all by itself.

Jonah Goldberg on never letting a good crisis go to waste.

In 2008, US household wealth fell by over $11 trillion. Here's an idea. These people haven't been punished enough. Let's increase their taxes and let the government take whatever they have left.

The CEO of Blackstone says that 45% of the world's wealth has been destroyed by this financial crisis.

The honeymoon is fading quickly .. which means that the Obama administration has to work even faster to get its agenda passed before it's too late.

Barack Obama's tax policies are going to turn Silicon Valley into a ghost town. How is that? By increasing taxes on the achievers. Let's kill innovation for the sake of government power.

The Senate still has to have its way with this "cramdown bill" and it looks like we may have a vote on it this month. Look for the interest rates on new mortgages to go up as soon as these ignoranuses pass this thing.

Some politicians, including Republicans, are actually starting to feel sorry for Timothy Geithner. No way. The guy is a tax cheat - a willful and conscious tax cheat. If he can't handle the job, find someone who can.

Obama's third pick for Deputy Treasury Secretary has officially withdrawn his name from the candidate pool. That's his third pick in just one week, by the way.

Freddie Mac is going to tap into another $30.8 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Some governors like Rick Perry of Texas rejected some of the federal stimulus money for unemployment because it would require a change in the state's definition of unemployment.

Obama is going to be the first president since Grover Cleveland to miss the annual Gridiron Dinner. Not much of a jock sniffer, I guess. Maybe if they could just make hammering high-achievers a sport. Wait! It already is.

Utah's solution to budget woes .. put a tax on caffeine. I know it's hard to believe, but I drink decaf.

What would Bernie Madoff's punishment be if he lived in countries without our judicial system? I rather like the idea of hanging him by his ........ oh hell, never mind.

With all that is happening in the world today, the House of Representatives took a moment yesterday to recognize pi. Pi is pleased.

How come we never heard about this guy trying to build a dirty bomb in Maine last year?

Atlas Shrugged updated for the financial crisis? WTH?