Diplomacy

Would not buy.

Yeh - it's waaaaay too inclusive.

Damn all the political correctness I plan to have a merry Christmas and a happy new year and wish the same for you. You don't celebrate Christmas? My greeting means nothing to you so ignore it.

Seasonal greetings to the TVA that increased utility rates last year then met some low hurdles and according to their management deserve a 12,000 dollar bonus each. Not bad for a non profit highly regulated operation. Too bad regulating doesn't include financial. Another non profit managed similarly although not publicly owned is BCBS, see the monument on the hill and the CEO and other management compensation. Seasonal greetings to the non profit mayor and city counsel that increased the cost of living in the city or operating a business by around 19% last year in order to provide us a blue Rhino and similar essentials. How can one not feel thankful for such fine examples for those greedy for profit businesses that cut and control cost and don't pay as well as the non profits. They need to learn from the non profits, just charge people more for their goods or services. Be more elaborate, your employees will like you better, the public will like you and you may even become not profitable in the process.

Our society has commercialized the celebration of the fulfillment of God's promise. That is the real outrage.

Happy Christmas/Hannukah/Hijra/Kwanzaa/Boxing Day/None of the above

librul: You and your ilk don't know squat about inclusion. In fact, you're about 180* off on the inclusion compass.

It's not going to be a Merry Christmas at Cleveland-based Life Care Centers of America. Seems the fraud and thievery has finally caught up with them. Let's hope that some of these hypocritical Christians spend next Christmas singing in the prison choir. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/20...

Great job of digging and reporting TFP. May you have the best Festivus ever.

My family has always had a secular Christmas. You cannot force me to change that to fit your twisted ideology. If you overbearing religious zealots don't like how I celebrate, go pound sand.

And another thing... to you idiots who protested Target for saying 'happy holidays' instead of 'merry Christmas', you are morons and about as far from 'loving your neighbor' as anyone I've ever seen.

Gittin into the xmas spirit there ain'tcha Davis13!

Gotta LOVE the morons and idiots too!

Jesus is the reason for the season.

Actually, conservative, Jesus was likely born in April. The early church placed the Christmas holiday over a much older Midwinter or Winter Solstice observance in part to try and convert pagans.

Lu: Most insightful. Obviously that strategy failed on many levels.

davissss: "overbearing zealots"? "Morons"? You're right, enlightened one. Someone IS out of kilter.

MTJohn, you got that right, right-wingers like to get hysteria about some war on Christmas, but they don't realize that it's already been a defeat.

I suggest Festivus...it's for the rest of us.

Jack_Dennis said... "librul: You and your ilk don't know squat about inclusion. In fact, you're about 180* off on the inclusion compass."

Yeah, Jack_, as proven by the last election. You guys stomped us in every demographic except "not old white male." LOL You must have a * in compass misreading! That, or the * of difficulty of this subject is too high for you.

jesse said..."Gittin into the xmas spirit there ain'tcha Davis13! Gotta LOVE the morons and idiots too!"

Do you mean like calling "Christmas" "xmas"?

I never said i was gittin into it!

Just another day to me!

"Actually, conservative, Jesus was likely born in April." - lkeithlu

Actually, Jesus was most likely never born at all. He is/was a myth, pure and simple. His life was merely an allegory for the sun and its life-giving properties. Other than a very brief mention of him by the Roman historian Flavius Josephus, which most theologians and even many Christian apologists have agreed is most likely a forgery, there is not one shred of historical evidence indicating that he actually lived, not even as a great preacher/teacher. Everything that he said or did can be traced to the assorted mythical men/gods/saviors eerily similar to him from the pagan religions that preceded Christianity.

daytonsdarwin said..."It's not going to be a Merry Christmas at Cleveland-based Life Care Centers of America."

The Conservatives are always complaining about waste, fraud and abuse in social programs, sort of implying that it is the recipients of those programs that are the perpetrators. In reality, the big money fraud is perpetrated by the providers of those services, some of whom lobby hard against the kinds of regulations that would prevent them from bilking the American taxpayer.

Bad as i hate to i gotta agree w /roo!

In fact i think the entire new test. is proof that somewhere on the road to Damascus Paul found a stash of L.S.D.

conservative said..."Jesus is the reason for the season."

Agreed, with the caveat that, for Christians, Christmas/Easter is an every day event. Christians bear false witness to the significance of Christ's birth when they attempt to impose the "reason for the season" on others who prefer a secular celebration, insist on public displays at public expense of the creche, etc. etc.

"Angels we have heard on high, tell us to go out and buy."

Isn't Christmas about Jesus riding into the mall on a reindeer to get his picture made with Santa and the twelve elves followed by a Cinnabon, new shades from the Sunglasses Hut, and watch a bad Ashton Kutcher movie at the cineplex and pay outrageous prices for popcorn and Junior Mints?

Nothing says birth of a savior as much as a Snuggie, a Justin Bieber CD, Kardashian shoes, cosmetics, and a boob-job (Chris Jenner wants another lobotomy), and drunk old Uncle Henry trying to cop a feel of your son's girlfriend at the Christmas Eve service.

Jesus says, "Thanks and buy all your crap early for My birthday.There's a 10% discount if you bring in your church bulletin, but only if you attend the right church. Don't forget to set out cookies and milk when I come sliding down the chimney or I'll have Big Daddy blow up your house with a gas leak or faulty Christmas lights. Annoy your neighbors as much as possible by playing 'Silent Night' through loudspeakers in your front yard.

Merry Christmas to Me, and spend lots of money you don't have in My honor.I love those who go into debt for My sake."

The true meaning of Christmas.

Make it a good season....

Fair Tax Act (S. 296) I believe it to be far better than our present system. Comments by Oklahoma Senator Tom Colburn M.D.

Each year, Americans waste 7.6 billion hours on tax compliance, which now costs us nearly $200 billion annually, in order to comply with the 60,000-page tax code. This complex tax code also translates into billions of dollars of annual expenses for individuals and business. The system is broken and the Fair Tax is one alternative that will simplify and improve it.

The Fair Tax would repeal the burdensome income tax and replace it with a national consumption tax. The Fair Tax also would jump start our economy by removing the 22 percent cost embedded in American made goods and services because of federal taxes. These embedded costs put American goods at a disadvantage to the goods of almost every other country in the world, making American products less competitive overseas.

The Fair Tax will dramatically reduce prices for consumers, protect Social Security and Medicare and benefit low- and middle-income Americans. Families and individuals will be able to save more for home ownership, retirement, college education and any other expenses.

With these reforms, our country would see great economic growth and this generation would leave future generations with the greatest opportunity to succeed.

My and other supporters opinion....

The wealthy and power brokers in D.C. will fight this bill with all they have, using fear, threats, swear it is not fair etc. It prevents the wealthy from avoiding a higher tax while supporting those on the lower income scale. It is too transparent for those political power brokers that like to manipulate the tax system as indicated by the complex and costly system in place.

dude_: You seem to have a hang-up on old white guys. Not very inclusive for an enlightened lib such as yourself.

Mexico swears in president amid violent protests. I hope their guy turns out better than our guy.

Hey Jack!

I often wonder how polite things would get if we were all sittin around a table discussin this stuff!

jesse: Uh, never? The young lefties on here have no manners. A cultural thang, I guess.

Actually, Jack_, we would love to welcome the old white guys back out of their survivalist bunkers. You guys need to throw your MREs away and get some sunshine! That Hoppe's solvent is destroying your brain cells down there in the KlanKave. Come breathe the fresh air of freedom, and dispense with the stale, musty funk of bed bug infested camouflage sleepovers!

dude_: must be fun for you. but you're just silly. and rude. and childish. you'd best enjoy that sniff of freedom, Bunky. won't be around long.

LOL, what are you, Jack_, an oracle? "won't be around long." LOL I have truly enjoyed listening to you Almanac quoting rubes through the years. "Them wooly worms is brown, that means the President will declare war a country whose name begins with W. Put a clothespin on the steel fuel line to stop vapor lock. They's something a goin' on in the government y'all cain't grasp!"

I'll admit silliness and childishness, but reserve the right to call out stubborn old, self important ignorami.

2 outta 3 ain't bad, dude_

Mr. One sentence has spoken. Yawn.

In communist China God does not exist. When Stalin killed millions in Russia one of his first priorities was to board up all the churches. The Nazi's worshipped their party and their Fuhrer. The United States is still for the most part a God fearing nation but as one can tell from the posts above our focus on "In God We Trust" is quickly erroding due to the Obama loving secular humanist central planners that have apparently gotten soooo smart they don't even believe in God. At the heart of secular humanism is the concept of relative morality which states that with all things in life there is no right or wrong. After all who is to be the judge. The GOOD NEWS is that God provides each and every one of us the greatest equal opportunity program ever brought to the world and that is salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. Salvation through Christ is not an entitlement. Contrary to the relative morality secular humanist's desire that everyone will get a free pass you must accept Jesus as your personal savior in order to obtain the prize of eternal life. God knows we are all flawed, that's why the door is always open to those who will trust and humble themselves to obey. After all Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, was born in a humble manger. Merry Christmas

Just a little fact to throw in your fiction, Maximus, “My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter.” - Adolf Hitler; Mein Kampf

Maximus said..."The United States is still for the most part a God fearing nation but as one can tell from the posts above our focus on "In God We Trust" is quickly erroding due to the Obama loving secular humanist central planners that have apparently gotten soooo smart they don't even believe in God."

Assuming that the United States ever was a God fearing nation, we ceased being so when we made "In God We Trust" and integral component of our currency. Our national religion is capitalism, not Christianity. And, "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not covet" have no place in our catechism.

Thanks for a great card, and I wish a bright and wonderful Winter Solstice to you, Clay! That's the old Celtic holiday that makes this season mean something to me, my favorite day of the year, when the days begin to lengthen and give us more sunny hours again. I thank you for brightening every one of my days with your excellent cartoons -- so beautifully drawn, insightful, instructive, and pertinent. In these dark days in Florida under this governor who is called Voldemort by some of our columnists and Dick Snot by many of us (I prefer Gov. Bat Boy and the Legislature from Hell), your observations are rays of sunshine. I'm still sorry the St. Pete (now Tampa Bay) Times let you go, and I'm most grateful to still be able to enjoy your work via the Internet. All the best to you and yours every day!

dude_: You win, pal. You're just too nasty a guy for me to talk to.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Yessir, cap'n! You, on the other hand, are a forthright, fair minded, stalwart patriot with a keen and broad based understanding of the ways of the world. Good luck to you.

sorry, conservative-your church hijacked the holiday. It doesn't belong to you.

Accuracy isn't high on conservative's list of priorities.

Oh, conservative Christians.... Offering an inclusive greeting at Christmastime to those who may have different beliefs and traditions isn't some sort of heretical acquiescence to "political correctness"; it's merely showing kindness and respect to another human being. In fact, by your own definition, one could say that it's a downright "Christian" thing to do. And, as Ikeithlu correctly pointed out, it's not as if you can lay legitimate claim to this holiday season anyway. It has its roots in paganism and has been commercialized (by Christians!) to the point of overshadowing ANY of its former meanings. Perhaps the challenge is to find a way to come together and celebrate who and what we are NOW - a nation of diverse individuals who still share the most basic of values.... family, friendship, community, peace. That certainly doesn't mean that you can't celebrate the season in whatever religious manner that you wish, but try to find it in your hearts to extend some generosity of spirit to those who are different as well; it TAKES NOTHING FROM YOUR OWN HOLIDAY to do so!

Happy Chrismahannukwanzakah to you!