The best story I’ve heard this week by far was told today over lunch. Â Apparently, a co-worker of mine named George listens to the Rush Limbaugh show in his car, and yesterday heard him discussing Barack Obama’s comments about similarities between the recent housing crisis and the lead-up to the Great DepressionÂ (link goes to transcript).Â Â I imagine the comments were referring to the obvious similarities between those who obtained ridiculous sub-prime loans and those in the 1920s who bought stock they couldn’t afford on margin. Â However, Limbaugh decided that Obama’s comments were the result of a crazy “liberal education” – and even remarks how “lucky” he is that he didn’t graduate from college, thus allowing him to escape the perils of actual knowledge.

To prove his point, Rush says he did some Google searches for “Great Depression” and then proceeds to attack each of the results as liberalÂ propaganda. Â Because we all know that college professors teach straight off of Google results pages. Â So my friend is listening and hears something rather striking… the name of one of our mutual colleagues – Paul Alexander Gusmorino (“The Third!” – I loveÂ the way Limbaugh says that). Â

Limbaugh found among the top results an essay written by Paul, entitled “The Main Causes of the Great Depression,”Â (link goes to essay).Â Â He quotes Paul’s essay and refutes each of its claims, dissecting them as if they were part of a Harvard professor’s lecture on the subject. Â He doesn’t pull any punches either. Â “Mr. Gusmorino, you better check Karl Marx and see if you plagiarized him in putting this piece together.”

Ouch. Â Those words would be harsh if they really were for a Harvard lecturer. Â But that’s not who wrote this essay. Â It was my friend who works as a Program Manager at Microsoft.

When he was in 10th grade.