Food for thought about what is happening in America today.

[aboutime]

Well said, Aboutime.

Even so .. Obama just gave you the merest taste of Socialism in Government. Check out what happens in the UK to realise how much worse true, unfettered Socialism, can mete out.

'ObamaCare', for example, was only a pale shadow of our NHS (National Health Service) ... with alternatives to the NHS existing, but nothing like as accessible as NHS treatments are.

The NHS gives passably good care, when it runs well. When it fails to, the results can be catastrophic. We have stories of hospitals giving such poor treatments that deaths in their hundreds have been known, from a single Health Trust.

It does, of course, swallow money to a massive extent, funded courtesy of taxation. You pay for it, without choice in that existing.

There are other examples of Socialism, of course. Mass nationalisation. Plundering corpses for organs (the legal term permitting it, so far in Wales but soon to be expanded, is called 'Presumed Consent') .... abortion accepted as a norm ... etc etc.

We thankfully have a President who isn't afraid of those who hate him, and American ways of living. I should honestly feel ashamed of myself for feeling as defenseless as I do, because of my age. Though I worry about our son's, and our grandchildren, and what their future holds. I wuss out in a way, by assuring myself I probably won't be around long enough to see the total demise of the country I love, and gave most of my life to...for nothing but the satisfaction of being part of what this country really is.
Sometimes. I just feel like throwing up my hands, and sounding like Hillary Clinton "What difference does it make now?" But, I can't. Until my last breath. I will FIGHT to keep this nation as the nation I grew up in. Even if it means dying.
I know that sounds harsh. But unless all of America comes together to fight the menace of IGNORANCE, and STUPIDITY, based on hatred of anyone who doesn't agree. We might as well just bury our heads, and watch a repeat of the FALL OF ROME.

[Noir]

Re: Failure of the state - I was listening to Yuval Noah Harari speak and he was asked about the current situation about the pending elections in Brazil, and he had the following to say about democracies, which is just as well applies to the American republic.

“Democracy is not a kind of panacea that works everywhere/anytime, it needs some basic conditions to function. It needs certain technologies, it needs a certain level of education, and it needs a certain level of consensus. Unfortunately if you have a situation where you have no consensus about the most fundamental values of a society a democracy can not function.”

[Drummond]

Re: Failure of the state - I was listening to Yuval Noah Harari speak and he was asked about the current situation about the pending elections in Brazil, and he had the following to say about democracies, which is just as well applies to the American republic.

“Democracy is not a kind of panacea that works everywhere/anytime, it needs some basic conditions to function. It needs certain technologies, it needs a certain level of education, and it needs a certain level of consensus. Unfortunately if you have a situation where you have no consensus about the most fundamental values of a society a democracy can not function.”

Consensus. Well .. what are elections for ?

Education is fine, though, is it vital ? Sheer commonsense .. also useful, and surely completely vital ! An uneducated individual can nonetheless possess commonsense.

As for 'certain technologies' ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy

Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, and is often described as the first known democracy in the world. Other Greek cities set up democracies, most following the Athenian model, but none are as well documented as Athens'.

Noir, the ancient Athenians managed well enough !

A democratic society depends on the Will of the People. Since the best societies are those which best serve what their citizens need from it, democracy is the best facilitator of that there is.

Compare that with the 'mind management' of the Left, dictating for us what THEY want people to think !