Congress, normally not around this time of year, will apparently
return to Washington next week, to bail out the car companies.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to take 25-billion of your
700-billion dollar bailout...and funnel it to Detroit’s Big-Three,
to keep them from going-under.

The White House says it’s okay with the plan.
Pelosi was hoping for a little more enthusiasm than that.

Barack Obama says the President has the authority to do this himself,
without bringing the lawmakers back to town.

But the White House says it DOESN’T have the authority,
and needs Congress to act.

And, although both Bush and Obama—and the lawmakers--know they can’t
let Detroit go-under...they also know Detroit got itself into this mess,
and they also wonder—as we do—Where does it stop?

The car-makers, meanwhile, are pulling out of this year’s auto shows.

G-M says it won’t be sending any of its new cars—or even any prototypes—
to next week’s annual Auto Show in Los Angeles.

The debut of the Buick Lacrosse and the Cadillac CTS Coupe
will have to wait.

Chrysler—which has three new electric prototypes—says its L-A exhibit
has been scaled back...and will ONLY appear if local car-dealers
pay for it.

Volkswagen has canceled the unveiling of its new roadster there.

Ford WILL make the show, as usual...with its redesigned Mustang...
but officials say, overall, it’ll be a 20 percent SMALLER show,
this year.

And they’re worried that motor-heads won’t be willing to pay the ten bucks admission, knowing that—inside—there isn’t much to see.

Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover, and Suzuki have pulled out entirely,
from the big show in Detroit, in January. 
That event will be twenty percent smaller, as well.

In the meantime, step this way, if you’d like some of that
sweet bailout money.

The first half of your 700-billion dollar bailout—350 billion dollars—
has now mostly been spent. All but about 60 billion. 

Lobbyists swooped in from every industry you could imagine...
and a few you couldn’t. 

And The New York Times says the line at the bailout buffet
is getting longer.

Among those in line? 

Accounting firms who wanna help the government MANAGE all this money...
and even plumbers...who say many of those foreclosed houses,
need repairs.

Average Americans are NOT getting in line. 
Average Americans...are being patient.

A new survey shows that—while most middle-class taxpayers look FORWARD
to their promised tax cut—MOST are willing to wait for it.

The survey shows Americans putting fixing the overall economy
as a higher priority than getting their own tax relief.

Eighty-four percent of us put fixing the economy at number-one.  Fix it!

Eighty percent say creating jobs, is Job Two.

Only 36 percent chose their own tax cuts as the top priority...
and even fewer people—29 percent thought raising taxes on the rich
should be our first move.

Again, nearly three out of four of us expressed confidence
Obama can get it done.

From the 1950’s, into the 1980’s, Americans spent
ninety percent of their money, and SAVED ten percent of it. 

Since the ‘80’s, we have spent NINETY-NINE
percent of our money, and saved only ONE percent.

But now, once again, Americans...have stopped spending
beyond their means.

To put it another way, we’ve spent all our money,
and we’re not spending any more...according to a new
national consumer confidence survey by The New York Times.

And new Pew Research shows that most of us are now cutting back,
or planning-to.

But a recent Gallup poll shows consumer confidence ticked up a bit,
after the election. 

To quote one expert there, “Americans get optimistic
at the drop of a hat,” which he says is a GOOD thing.

And a new Labor Department report shows that—although unemployment
WILL be higher next year—personal incomes will also be up.

One of the ways we’re cutting back...is by shopping even harder
for discounted air-fares. 

A new USA Today survey says we’re going more for the cheapest
available ticket...and scoring our own food for the flight.

The airlines’ a-la-carte pricing is biting them in the ass.

The survey shows 85 percent of us WILL NOT pay extra for food or baggage,
or any other options—even if they’re bargain bundled.

And, as the restaurant business gets even tougher,
so does the competition.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House is mailing-out 25-dollar-off coupons...
now that business is down seven percent.

Burger King says it’ll start selling nightshirts for men...
to remind them the King is open late. 
Pizza Hut now sells gift cards online. 

And Starbucks is giving free postcards to college students...
that they can send to their parents...to remind them
to add cash to the kid’s coffee card.

If you watched Bones last week, you saw the story of a body
found inside a bale of scrap metal, bound for recycling.

In Twin Falls Idaho this week, they found a body inside a bale of newspaper, bound for recycling.

As in the TV show, police say it may’ve been an accident—
or even a suicide—but they haven’t ruled out...MURDER.

A recent murder in Canada, likewise,
seems to match a storyline on Dexter.

A filmmaker who’s also a fan of the Showtime series is accused of killing one person...and trying to kill another.

In his script, the main character lures a cheating husband
by pretending to be a woman online, then kills him
in an extremely gory and violent manner.

The suspect was arrested...on Halloween.

Dogs and mailmen usually don’t mix...

but in Gaston North Carolina, a female mail carrier is accused of stealing one of the dogs that lived along her route.

Duchess went missing last month, and a neighbor says she saw the dog
in the carrier’s car the same day Duchess disappeared.

The dog owner doesn’t want to press charges—just get Duchess back.

But the letter carrier’s been arrested anyway, on two felony charges.

FINALLY:     

There ARE no ACCIDENTS.

In Brazil, a 76 year old man died Sunday, while dancing at a party.
Not the worst way to go.

His grieving widow was riding in the hearse, on the way to his funeral...
when the driver made a sudden stop...causing the coffin to slide forward,
killing the widow. 

In Sacramento Monday, a woman was driving down the highway
with her eleven year old daughter, when—suddenly—another driver cut her off.

She swerved to avoid the idiot...and rolled her SUV, several times,
before crashing off a 45-foot overpass.

Not-only did mother-and-daughter survive...doctors found a tumor
on the woman’s broken knee...so the accident...may’ve saved her life!