In classic fashion, this week's edition of The Onion once again finds the humor in life's challenges...

"Unlike our mammalian citizens, who maintain a consistent body temperature and have the option of throwing on a sweater, reptiles are entirely dependent on external heat sources," Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) said. "All my constituents are facing rate hikes of 21 percent or more. But some of them, like it or not, may be forced into a quasi-hibernative state if they do not receive emergency fuel-price relief."

The article goes on to provide a face to the statistics. 

"I don't ask for the average American to understand my lifestyle," said Arthur Marsters, 141, a cost-benefit analyst for Prudential Financial in Boston. "But there's no changing the fact that I am a giant tortoise. If I cannot maintain my core temperature, I cannot be a productive member of society, nor can I provide for my wife and latest clutch of hatchlings."

So, as you and your family gather around the fire for Christmas this weekend be sure to say a brief prayer for our forgotten mammalian friends who may not have so much under the tree this year as they struggle to keep warm and still make ends meet.