"Bottom line? IMO..so much money was involved here that one would be hard pressed to find a politician that did or does not have his hand in the cookie jar somehow, some way." Here are a few more folks who have made out handsomely at the communal 'cookie jar'. Namely, Henry Paulson and his close circle of friends... Who is Henry Paulson? By Tom Eley September 23, 2008 The plan to rescue the US financial industry arrogates virtually unlimited money and power over the financial affairs of the state to the office of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Paulson is a figure with a long history of intimate connections to the political and financial elite. In 1970, fresh from the Masters program of the Harvard Business School, Paulson entered the Nixon administration, working first as staff assistant to the assistant secretary of defense. In 1972-73, Paulson worked as office assistant to John Erlichman, assistant to the president for domestic affairs. Erlichman was one of the key figures involved in organizing President Richard Nixon's notorious plumbers' unit that carried out illegal covert operations against the president's political opponents, including espionage, blackmail, and revenge. Ehlichman resigned in 1973, and in 1975 he was convicted of obstruction of justice, perjury, and conspiracy, and was imprisoned for 18 months. Utilizing his connections, Paulson went to work for Goldman Sachs in 1974. In a 2007 feature, the British newspaper the Guardian wrote, Not only was he well connected enough to get the job [in the Nixon White House], but well connected enough to resign in the thick of the Watergate scandal without ever getting caught up in the fallout. He went straight to Goldman back home in Illinois.... A link that might be useful: www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/paul-s23.shtml

I have a purple (!) microsuede slip-covered sectional;about 10 years old. I was leery at purchase time b/c it was not at all what I'd imagined, but it has been wonderful. It cleans easily with a wet paper towel (until it's time to toss the slips into the washer), dog fur vacuums off easily, and it is soft and cozy but still stays tidy looking. The brand is Rowe (which does not have terrific online reviews ) but we've been very happy with it. The slips fit tightly and the purple color doesn't look crazy with my other furniture. The one problem is that the pieces do not fasten together well.

Check out Palliser Furniture. They offer top grain on all of the insides where your body will touch and vinyl on the parts you don't touch like the outsides and outback. If you shop at a discount retailer you should be able to buy the reclining loveseat delivered for under your budget. Palliser is viewed as average to above average quality and they make an excellent motion piece that comes with their warranty.

I know this is old but we have the Arhaus Dune sectional. We have had it for 6 years. The frame has held up as well as the fabric but the end cushions we sit on the most broke down. They replaced them 3 times and told me every time they replaced them the cushions started over with a 2 yr warranty. After the 3rd replacement, they just said no more even though it was less than 2 years, and even though their inspectors verified they kept breaking down. I would say they would last about 6 months before feeling pretty flat. They offered to sell me more inserts but decided if I was going to pay for them I would go with an upholstery co. The ordering process was a joke and they first made our sectional backwards so we waited like 6 mon for the correct one. I found their customer service poor. We are looking for a new sofa and I can say I haven't been back to their store since we got this Dune.