Which intellectual giant it was who decided the country should grind to a halt every two years so the politicians could play ‘musical chairs,’ I’m not sure. But one thing is increasingly clear – Our wonderful President could lose several seats in the next round.

The GOP has stalled, lied and even sided with BP in an endless and indefensible effort to retard the repairs to this nation that are clearly and desperately needed after eight years of their rule. And their latest bone of press-seeking contention is immigration reform.

Arizona’s xenophobic ‘SB-1070′ law is one of the most repulsive examples of legalized bigotry anyone could imagine – but Republicans love it because hating ‘illegals’ gets them lots of attention – and votes.

Most of those in this country without their documentation are law-abiding, hard-working types would love to get legal – but they dare not step out of the shadows for fear of imprisonment, deportation or both.

If those in D.C. declared amnesty and let them be legal, the tens-of-millions of dollars of new tax revenue this would create would make a large dent in the horrifying deficit the GOP caused with two ‘wars’ and tax cuts.

But does the GOP see this or help it to happen? Of course not.

The President wants comprehensive reform, but the GOP blocks it. And if – as some sources predict – they win control of the House and / or the Senate in November, any reform would be prevented for years.

And when [if] that happens, three things will follow – Those without papers will continue to suffer poor housing, low wages and no access to healthcare, this wonderful nation will slide deeper in debt – and the GOP will preen for the media, purring about how they made the country ‘more safe.’

I would dearly love to have been born an American. But to then be the peer of people so mentally frigid, maleficent and driven by ego would scare me to death.

A lot of firms will gladly relieve you of money to rent a not always well-tended home on the outer shores of these wonderful states, but many people consider the experts in Outer Banks vacation rentals are a firm called Carolina Designs.

In 2008 more than 7,000 people entrusted their vacation plans to this firm, so you’d be in good hands. They have thousands of homes on their files that could provide the best, most uplifting break your family could have.

That link is a good place to start, but do your own research and see what you think…

Well, good news, kids – You don’t have to. If you want good style that won’t rupture the bank, Stuart Weitzman is a name you need to check out. You get designer-class shoes, without the four-figure bill – The best of both worlds.

Take a look at that link – he does wonderful work…

The folks at this wellness clinic focus on analyzing the deficiencies and allowing your body to control its own function – without resorting to drugs as the default solution. When, or even if they are used, pharmaceutical treatments are enabled for as short a period as that patient might need.

The results are not only easier on your whole body, but often achieved at a far lower cost.

It certainly sounds like a change from the cookie-cutter approach of ‘just bomb them with drugs and they’ll learn to behave,’ so if you need to drop a few pounds, this is an option you might want to read…

Without a good hotel reservation new york is a nightmare. 47-million people visit that vibrant metropolis in an average year and the range of hotels and discounts would boggle the mind. If you’re not planning a trip soon, you should. But get it professionally done so you can truly relax.

Just one call-out can cost you over $200. Any rv towing just adds to that bill, and so do repairs. And these can mount up pretty fast.

If you want to relax and enjoy your vacation and skip all the worry of ‘What happens if..?’ Good Sam has club especially for you. Sign up with them and the road will be smooth.

The Riviera hotel has been featured in numerous TV shows and movies and its latest refit has added layers of luxury without raising the cost. Perfectly placed at the north end of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, you’re a brief walk away from both the Convention Center and the Fashion Show mall.

You cannot see America without seeing this, so contact your agent and make it this year.

Is it me or are you also having trouble believing the year is nearly over? There’s all the spooky joys of Halloween on Friday, soon after that the clocks ‘fall back,’ then it’s a brisk downhill slide to the Holidays…Already!

For a few hardy souls, this page of the calendar also induces that curious feast of communal insanity – Standing in line at the Black Friday sales. Brain-numbing hours of borderline frostbite, facing dedicated shoppers whose bloodless tenacity could reduce UFC winners to bereft incoherence.

Christmas in traction is not on my list, and this year there’s a way to avoid it. Get a free membership at iBlackFriday.com and you can browse door-buster deals from all the big stores weeks in advance, make up your list, check on it  twice, and snag all the bargains right from that chair.

Whatever your needs, they’ve got you covered. For the Stylista in your life, Sears’ best offers will all be on show, plus discounts from Macys and bargains from Penney’s that are still under wraps. For the Parents, there are savings from the Toys R Us troop, plus great deals from GameStop and CompUSA for all those whose family includes a tame geek.

Christmas is a joy. Frostbite is not. So this year, let your mouse do the work. Sign up for the emails and start a tradition – A whole festive season without any bruises.

Not being a citizen does have its perks. You can’t be drafted, you never have to serve on a Jury, and this endless, three-ring circus of an Election is purely a spectator sport. I have my opinions, but should I try to enact them by pulling a lever I’d probably spend the foreseeable future dressed entirely in orange.

No, thanks.

On the down-side, it means I have no way to actively block legislation that weakens this wonderful country. The most repugnant example of this – in recent memory, at least – is known to us all as ‘Prop. 8.’

If the people against whom Prop. 8 is aligned were black, not gay, the merest mention of such a proposal would see its creators being burned at the stake. The national media would be in an outrage and the indelible infamy bestowed on the guilty would haunt them to the end of their days. But myopic xenophobia against those who are gay is apparently perfectly fine.

A Prop. 8 supporter is basically saying that a man they don’t know, in a town they’ve never seen, can’t marry a friend they’ve never met and share a house they’ll never visit…because that doesn’t meet their approval.

Then they have the disingenuous guile to suggest it’s the gay guys who have all the problems.

If the gay community tried to constrict our lives in a similar way, the howls of protest would be almost incessant. And for those who embody the land of the free to abuse legislation to dictate and limit the lives of their peers would be an indefensible insult.

A gay person’s free will is not the offense, it’s judgmental zealots who hijack the law to serve their own ends that truly need to be banned. Prop. 8, like its sponsors, should be strangled at birth. On the 4th, you have that chance.

As I reported recently, GM has abandoned plans to be part of the Oscars next year. Today, AdAge has the news that the Korean car maker, Hyundai, has taken all of their spots.

This, dear reader, is no less than tragic. GM and Oscar have a place in the world that is shared by a very small group – They are universal icons for the American dream. Show their logos to any being on Earth and you’re assured of instant connection. They will know the brand and fervently admire that place it calls home. Today, that caché was diminished.

GM has been a friend of the Awards for over ten years, and to have one American icon replaced at the event of another by a firm that embodies the very source of its troubles is almost akin to a death. This is a magnificent country and in these troubled times we need to celebrate that as much as we can, but the forced retirement of an American classic is cause for concern, not rejoicing.

In time, GM’s board will turn things around. Until then, the Awards are undeniably weaker.

Photo by Mika Hiironniemi