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To Susie Q and everyone else who wondered where my Sunday post was...here it is! As you know, I usually write my post very early in the morning, but I spent my normal blogging time today digging out from our latest 6 inches of snow so that we could get out and visit our granddaughter. This was important today, as it was Agnes's last chance to visit with her before she leaves on Friday for two weeks visiting her parents in Germany. And so it was that I shoveled snow from about 5 to 7 AM, and then we went visiting, and just got home a few minutes ago.

So, enough with the excuses - on with today's rant post! Let me introduce my old friend Ed.

Ed and I have known each other for many years. We were friends through four years of high school, roommates through four years of college, and - amazingly enough! - are still speaking to each other. We share many of the same views, and Ed occasionally e-mails me with commentary on my blog or comments on my Facebook page. He's a good guy, not to mention a Professor Emeritus of some exotic branch of science I can't even spell.

Well, Ed e-mailed me earlier this week after reading my spluttering tirades about the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (the astounding decision that basically sold our electoral process to corporations and organizations with deep pockets). He had a brilliant idea that he said I was free to plagiarize use on my blog if I wanted, and I thought I'd share it with you...it's not only a brilliant concept, but - properly implemented - could result in a sharp increase in government income without raising taxes (cue the screaming Republicans)...

Ed's idea is simple: since corporations are now allowed to pump unlimited money into the political process, why not sell naming rights to the parts of government that they've purchased? One of the cartoons in yesterday's Cartoon Saturday touched on this idea, but here are a few more specific examples:

* The Honorable Microsoft-Boeing Senator from Washington, and the Exxon-Mobil Representative from the Shell District of Texas.

* The White House could be named The PPG Paints House of Many Colors (double points for the nod to "diversity"!).

* The Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe Supreme Court (sponsored by the law firm of the same name).

* The Blackwater/Xe-Halliburton-General Dynamics Department of Defense.

* The Monsanto-ConAgra Department of Agriculture.

The possibilities are endless. As the old saying goes, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade...and considering the size of the lemon the Supremes have dropped on us, we could crank out a whole lot of lemonade.

Thanks, Ed! And if anyone else has any good sponsorship ideas, feel free to add them to the comments.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo