lol, i love all b.s. about i.e. i've been using i.e. for years without a single infection. no web browser is 100% safe.
firefox is a memory leak looking for a place to pollute. without no-script firefox is weaker than i.e.
chrome is ok if you don't mind google tracking...and, you're going to want to install notscripts if you want to be protected from those nasty scripts.
there is a chrome knock off called comodo dragon that is supposed to be more secure than any of them but...ya never know, i haven't really pushed it to find out.
Zack, you might want to find a better anti-virus/malware solution than microsoft security essentials.