On Tuesday, President Bush called for Congress to approve his $7.1 billion initiative to fight pandemic influenza in the wake of news reports about Bird Flu, which has in recent years killed exactly zero Americans. Yes, you read it correctly: it primarily afflicts animals--and non-mammallian animals at that--and has yet to take the life of a single American. But it is in the news a lot, and politicians have to act as if they're rescuing us. When you don't die from Avian Flu, be sure to send a card to President Bush thanking him for saving your life.

Dan, I have an idea for a new book:

Moronic Morons: How Ideology Makes Dumb People Fall for Dumb Ideas.

Please devote at least 13 chapters to Bush's wanton spending.

"Killa Beez", sounds like a rap group.

I think the Government should stop spending money on silly things like bird flu and spend money on important things, like Smurfs. The little blue buggers are a menace to the American way of life!

Things that haven't killed me - redux: Bird Flu.

Bush, that crafty bastaghd! He's going to spend the money up front and not get caught unprepared like he did with Katrina.

What a maroon.

American deaths due to Ted Kennedy's car: 1.

American deaths due to bird flu: 0.

Cars don't kill people. People kill people.

He should be spending the $7.1 billion on keeping our borders safe from illegal aliens streaming across it and exposing the legal americans to bird flu. Thats prevention!!

Ok.. First off, the only reason it hasn't killed anyone here yet is that it hasn't reached this far. This doesn't mean it *won't*. And for that matter, much of the money spent to increase vaccine production and other benefits are likely to help with 'all' diseases, including *normal* flew. And, I am not sure where 'you' live, but killer bees **are** a problem in California and parts of several southern states, they have killed people, and they are taken quite seriously by everyone, except apparently you, since you seem to have the same odd aversion to real dangers as Republicans have to labelled pictures of a virgina in a teen girls magazines...

There are plenty of stupid things we shouldn't spend money on, this is not ironically one of them.

This is for the birds! Bush's plan won't fly!
The price of the vaccine will be sky high and the drug companies will be feathering their nests.
Even with soaring prices, people will flock to the drug stores.
Anyone who doesn't, must be out of their tree.
A right wing conspiracy in the hand is worth
7 billion in the Bush!

to raise the argumentagainst the flu that no one here has died , yet, is absurd and idiotic. It will not take much for this virus to mutate into a human transferable strain so don't laugh. If similar to the pandemic at the beginning of the 20th century, it will kill 1 of every 20 people...

the sad part is that we can not have a immunization for the deadly strain until it starts killing. that’s why buying all these vaccines is absurd too.