This Week on Capitol Hill

Congress returned yesterday to face the daunting task of prepping a $700 billion - $1.3 trillion stimulus bill for the incoming president's signature. The massive "economic recovery" bill - which'll include tax cuts, state aid and infrastructure spending - is all but assured passage, but exactly how plump it'll be and how long it'll take to move through Congress are still open questions.

• read more on stimulus bills of '08 and '09 and Congress' responses to the economic crisis

The rest of Congress' early '09 line-up is still in the works. While a few of the president-elect's campaign initiatives will be rolled into the stimulus package - including green energy investment and middle class tax cuts - no one's saying which of Obama's major reform promises will top the year's agenda, although a few low-hanging fruit have been hinted at for early passage, like expanding children's health care.

Hey there, you froggies! Sure is good to see that there are still froggies jumping into the faces of those greedy, cunning nation wreckers. This is your President and Founder, Bette Hammond, responding to this website that I just happened to come along to. Seems over the past years, I have sort of lost touch with what was going on, but not as to how active I was staying. Besides being considered to join Obama's team, and you know what an insult that was to me as all of you who know meknow, it was nice to be able to email him constantly on his challenge and then, his final win.

As I told him, and McCain, as long as this nation is in the hands of the two major parties, there is nothing ahead for America, except divine intervention. And yes, they were told that by me. They were also told that until they realize that we are now currently fighting the 10th Crusade - Muslims against Christians - well, this world was not for long also.

This Week on Capitol Hill

Car Talks: Congress drops in to DC this week to consider a short-term bailout for Detroit's Big Three. A final bill is still in the making but auto makers look like they'll get up to $17 billion in immediate loans to pay their bills through March.

• read more on the auto industry bailout

Tapping TARP: While they're in town, lawmakers might also give Treasury head Paulson the okay to tap into the $350 billion left in the Trouble Assets Relief Program (aka the Wall Street bailout) - if he asks for it. The Treasury has used up almost half of the $700 billion rescue package and would need Congress' green-light to access the second half.

• read more on Congress' responses to the economic crisis

If you want to let your Congressfolk know where you stand on any of the issues above, you can email them through Congress.org, because...

Hey, it's your democracy too.

Up to 1.4 million people are now at risk from Cholera in the chaos that is Zimbabwe. Lack of clean water, broken water supplies, sewage and rubbish in the streets are all leading to a health problem that will put lives in danger. Still Mugabe refuses to allow aid from the outside world.

That the UN can’t by law intervene highlights a flaw in the UN system whereby it can’t interfere in a country’s domestic matters. Is this right? Can this change? Might a less western biased UN be granted access to Zimbabwe?