COME ON AMERICA SHOW YOUR STUFF NOW

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SEC SUBPOENAS GM

General Motors Corp. confirmed Wednesday evening that the Securities and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed records from it about its accounting practices, creating further headaches for the already embattled automaker.

It also disclosed its finance unit, GMAC, has received subpoenas in a separate probe of insurance industry practices related to use of products such as finite risk insurance to control reported losses.

Hmmmmm, very interesting. . .

REAL ESTATE: WHY ARE YOU PAYING 6%?

The real estate industry strives to keep the commission rates high. Here's how.

You save by buying prescriptions and contacts via the Internet. You can now trade stocks for just $10. You purchase airline tickets, rent cars, and book hotel rooms with no transaction fees on the Web.

Yet sell your house and you still pay a 6 percent commission -- a whopping $12,000 or so on an average U.S. house.

Why hasn't the Internet age ushered in lower real-estate costs?

House prices are going up yet the commission has stayed the same.

LIES AND CONSEQUENCES

Liberal humorist Al Franken is out with a new book, "The Truth (with Jokes)," a sequel to his previous book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." The book is a serious (with laughs) lefty political analysis of the Bush campaign and administration.

But it might be the title that sells it. Franken has the same knack for a picking title as New York Times reporter-celeb Judy Miller whose book "Germs" about biological weapons and terrorism, just happened to hit the stands in the midst of the anthrax scare following 9/11.

For some reason, the crime of perjury, of lying under oath, became a minor offense. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison test-drove some White House spin Sunday, as she tried to play down what kind of jeopardy administration officials might be facing.

"I certainly hope," said the Texas Republican, "that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn't indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars."

Honesty is still the only policy, for politicians and for journalists. Those who lie need to know there is a price to pay.

Let the trial begain.

"FINNEGAN" THE SQUIRREL

SAVING DAVIS-BACON

It was announced today that the President will overturn his Gulf Coast wage cut on November 8. This was a direct result of intense pressure from Democrats and labor and religious leaders.

With the support of every House Democrat and 37 House Republicans, we would have won that vote. Boxed in by that embarrassing scenario, the White House chose to reverse itself.

This wage cut was a mistake from the beginning and never should have been ordered. But today's news is a victory for workers in the Gulf Coast and all over America. The President chose to undermine workers' wages at a time when they needed the most help. Democrats had a better idea: pay people a decent wage for the hard work they do.

This was a bad idea from the start. Helps you understand why the presidents poll numbers are as low as they are.

THE GREAT PUMPKIN

PRETTY GOOD JOKE

An Old Farmer's Advice:

Things People Said Anecdotes of Stupidity Overheard this on a London bus: First Woman: "I don't know what to get Fred for his birthday." Second Woman: "Why don't you get him a book?" First Woman: (after a moment's thought) "Nah, he's already got a book."