Some one posted a video of George Carlin speaking to the issue. I remember seeing it and thought being involved in resistance would push the pendulum back towards the progressive. But I am losing that hope. The pendulum idea may be a false narrative anyway.....because the swing left at this point would have to be a dismantling of the plutocracy....fat chance of that. I keep thinking of the people of Germany before WWII trying to decide if they should leave Germany. Damn.

@mary25y I fear you’re right.. and try hard to maintain some kind of positive momentum. It’s far more difficult to educate than to scare & confuse, so attempting to share my life-learned knowledge & observations feels like rolling a boulder uphill, whereas it’s about to roll back over me any second

The Plutocrats are going to take a hit, but as mentioned, the laws now working in their favor will likely remain in place even as their government representatives thin and their media propaganda mills shift focus ..to target any Democratic up & comers… They got their supreme court pick, and will likely get another.. They’re tax reductions can be funneled back into ‘think tanks’ without any appreciable loss … and when the Obama Recovery ends, they can come after social services to make up the difference.

I skipped the Carlin piece, think I’ve saw it, too. I believe he does what ..most do - lump ‘all politicians’ into the same basket ..of deplorables … thus increasing voter apathy (‘it’s no use voting,’ ‘they’re all the same’ ) and running off those in the middle.. Makes me sick and drives me nuts That’s thick around here, too.. To most it comes off as ‘cool, wise or all-knowing’ … while giving folks an excuse to turn away. Just what the opposition wants.

Don’t know if you’ve got kids… but mine likely make the difference for me. If I had none, maybe I’d be looking for reasons to ignore this, too. I considered several other nations before making a major move myself, entry requirements or language barriers were more than I cared to deal with..

I don’t see what’s happening at the moment life threatening, in fact, the blow-back from this narcissistic POS is encouraging. What sickens me is knowing I won’t live long enough to see my nation, which I love.. become as good as it should … and that the battle I’ve fought my entire adult life will be passed on to my innocent daughters to spend an inordinate about of their life energy attempting to win. Perhaps a selfish reason on my part, but that it would ultimately benefit our nation, and by extension the world, I feel it’s a just goal.

I appreciate very much your opening up to this - if it’s starts to get dangerous, let’s talk ~

[yes, edited to remove a 'winky smily face' due to the use of punctuation]

@Varn Yes, I have three grown children and two grandchildren so far....and worrying about their future is a given. Where have you moved?

@mary25y I’m in Virginia, SW of Roanoke, an ‘area’ chosen years ago by those wanting to survive a nuclear war. Populated by some very progressive aging Hippies and their descendants, having blended nicely with the ‘now appreciative’ long-time locals. It’s still in the US, and surrounded by ‘red,’ but folks are kind, honest and a bit more aware of their potential than most in the deeper South… There are a select few I’d offer refuge, from what I’ve read, you’d qualify..

Yes, cutting/ eliminating Medicare and Social Security is being pushed by the business sector. We tend to forget they have to contribute for each employee. And what a windfall for financial companies is it becomes a voucher system. This is so painful to contemplate.

The system has been corrupted. If you read what the architects of our government warned against, you’d easily see how we are long gone from their foundation.

??????
What he said.

@DinnerandaMovie Bernie was in favor of a $15.00 minimum wage. Economists know that if you put money in the hands of poor and middle class they will spend it, create demand for goods and services and the economy will prosper. He also had a plan to have free college for all. Experts know that college educated people earn more money and will then pay more in taxes. He had a plan to tax stock and bond transfers. This would have raised $80 billion a year. This tax would mainly impact the very rich.

Hillary basically funded the DNC, and they legitimately backed her. ‘Bernie’ wasn’t even a Democrat. So, had Sanders been the Democratic candidate, or a spoiler/ Independant, he’d have won..? If anything would have handed that election to trump - he’d have been it..

It’s hard to stomach those proclaiming pie-in-the-sky claims as they discredit the on-the-ground battles necessary to recover lost ground, let alone forge ahead…

@nicknotes ...and had HRC made the same unrealistic proclamations as did Bernie (his brother in England laughs, saying, “We call him Bernard” ) ...she may have energized the less political savvy, too.. But she didn’t, she knew what she’d be up against with Congress. But, we’d have the Supreme Court.. and a slow progression toward equality.

Those clinging to the Bernie As Savior belief are as disillusioned as our religious counterparts looking for their Spiritual Messiah. Not gonna happen. We need Congress & the Supreme Court, too. We’re [we are] screwed ~

[edited to remove garbled text due to the platforms use of funny faces]

@Varn If you like oligarchy, that sounds great. Certainly paying for the nomination can’t be considered democratic.

@nicknotes You’re preaching to the choir, but I love that cadence.

@DinnerandaMovie Oligarchy for the people would be a fine alternative to what we’re experiencing now. The DNC needed help to stay alive, it’s not got the donors of the RNC.. HRC earned that nomination, as she’d nearly eared it 8 years prior.

@Varn She cheated the people out of the decision and handed us Donald Trump.

Yes ...I think Bernie would have easily beaten Trump.@DinnerandaMovie

Clinton was a very flawed candidate....@Varn

Bernie had a program to fix America's problems But you saw Hillary's Ads ....no substance but she just tried to trash Trump. @Varn

@DinnerandaMovie Bernard would have been chewed to pieces by the R’s in the general … you could see them salivating.. Honeymooning in Russia? Again - trump’s highway to the White House! There’s a good reason Bernie hadn’t been touched in the primary, if nearly endorsed, and ‘defended’ by trump during the primary … the Russians obviously didn’t want HRC, either.

What’s tragic is the ignorance of Berniebots basically claiming Clinton supporters were against his desired proposals … when in reality, HRC herself would have signed any of those having come from Congress! But she was honest enough not to trade votes for lies or unrealistic claims.. Actually, the first in a long time not to have done that, which is why some label her ‘a flawed candidate.’ She was an honest candidate with a realistic and practical agenda … destroyed by her enemies ..with the help of her should-be friends…

@nicknotes Americans, if you’ve not noticed, don’t respond to substance - they respond to trash.. The best supported her, the worst didn’t … as the remainder wavered ..assuming the rest of us would elect her so they wouldn’t have to. Surprise!

@Varn Lol!!! That's hilarious. Hillary, honest? Her rampant dishonesty and her elitism destroyed her.

Her own campaign colluded with DNC crony journalists to give credence to Trump because he was the the only turd low enough that she might possibly beat. She set him up to win the R nomination and couldn't even beat him. She's responsible for the Trump presidency.

@DinnerandaMovie Got it, no dinner & no movie Can’t remember your face, but will no longer take your moniker seriously..

@Varn Read all about it in their own emails, made available via Wikileaks. Or continue to hide from it.

@Varn [wikileaks.org]

I'm sure you're feigning ignorance about the DNC/Clinton pied piper strategy.

Yes...never heard of Clinton's pied piper strategy. Enlighten me please. @DinnerandaMovie

I like your style....@DinnerandaMovie

??????
Also, what surfpirate said. This is the situation we’re facing. Trump is barely a blip on the radar.

@DinnerandaMovie he's really just a pawn in the game, the big money bought and paid for all the politicians long ago. I tend to think of Trump as a silly, orange meat puppet that dances which ever way his strings are pulled by the people who really own America and the World for that matter.

@rogeralyn I thought electing Bernie Sanders was the best chance we had to hack away at the underpinnings of the current disaster. Anti-corruption progressives are our best chance, I think.

@rogeralyn That's trick now isn't it? How do we stop the repressive cycle so that we can evolve as a species before we destroy ourselves and pretty much everything else on the planet? The present cycle is self perpetuating, even a revolution just means that the people at the top see some rearranging of the seats of power, much like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as the band plays heroically in the background. I focus on insulating myself from the worst of it and enjoying my life as much as possible, occasionally I rant and rage against the dying of the light.

@DinnerandaMovie is it just me or did Bernie get awfully quiet after the Dems cheated him out of the nomination? Call me conspiratorial but it seems like they managed to hold something over him, either directly or through his wife in order to get him to throw his support behind Hillary. I really don't think the system can be fixed from within anymore, maybe in the 60's but that ship sailed half a century ago.

@rogeralyn Those attempting to tell us ‘it’s rigged,’ or ‘they’re all bought & paid for,’ or ‘they’re all the same’ ...are doing the work of our oppressors - and that can not be stated loud enough! By proclaiming things like, “I focus on insulating myself from the worst of it and enjoying my life as much as possible...” - they’ll attempt to justify their lack of action by convincing us that resistance if futile … thuse becoming agents of our oppressors.

When evil wins, and it often does - new rules and old regulations are changed to favor them. For good to win, it must do so within those ‘new rules.’ If unlimited contributions are allowed (and money talks), matching contributions must be found… But, if good wins, and enough good wins … rules and regulations can be revised toward fairness..

But good will never win when the masses view them as one-in-the-same with evil... And constantly proclaiming the futility of voting, or caring (while bitching at every opportunity) is far worse than taking a side and standing to fight!

@Surfpirate Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

...and send $27. to the Revolution.

@Surfpirate I had images of Jane in the Clinton’s basement weekly in the months after that effing thievery.

@Varn I've walked my walk long enough thanks very much and I am now doing my bit by living well and doing good on a personal level where I can see the results but no I am no longer tilting at windmills anymore. I'm not advocating that people don't vote, I always do in spite of my jaded opinion of the process and I hope others do too, especially at the local level where it is more likely to make a difference. I haven't gone over to the dark side, in spite of the fact that they have cookies and they are tempting but thank you no.
You fight your way and I'll fight mine, make sure your name is one at least a few lists, just so you know you're doing the right thing. Oh yes, almost forgot, a two party system is so easy to rig that it is impossible to instigate real change, it would be good if there was a third party because it is much harder to keep everybody honest when there are 3 at the table but 2 can make a backroom deal quite easily.

@Surfpirate Feels like I’m nearing the same point in life.. But I’m not going to take my ball and go home, I’d like to hand it off, encouraging another to move it forward. I realize how we’d like to soothe fears, but complacency gets us nowhere against those awake all night trying to secure more wealth & power...

I’d give all I’ve got to have a Parliamentary system, but ours is a winner take all, and you’d think with our founding guys, having come away from the Parliamentary thing, would have come up with something superior. We do have primaries, at this moment, that’s where everyone’s free to step up..

Listened to my dad … to this day bitching about everything that’s wrong with society/ government, yet spends his time watching ‘ball games’... Mom points out what’s wrong, then helps to correct it (and can’t stand ball games). Dad will proclaim that ‘it’s fixed, they’re all crooks’… Mom meets politicians, and knows different. Sometimes dad doesn't even vote! Mom votes.. But as a retired barber, I don’t know how many men my dad wrongly advised or persuaded not to give a damn ...and he’s fairly persuasive..

What I’m getting at is when only 53% of registered (those having made that much effort) voters actually voted in my former county with a race as important as the last for Prez, apathy may kill us all. Maybe I take this shit too serious ... care too much about my neighbors, my nation, or humanity in general.. Thanks, Mom

@rogeralyn That's where I am now....thinking a lot about pre WWII Germany....do we leave?

@mary25y The next question is 'If I do leave, where do I go?'
I've lived on a few Caribbean Islands but I wouldn't want to be there if the SHTF, I'm a bit too pale to blend in with the locals and some of them still harbour some strong resentment. Mexico would be a disaster for Expats if America continues heading in the current direction, not the place to be a Gringo with the current rhetoric and worse if things escalate, I have several friends who have sold up and left, others that are sticking it out and I worry about them.
South America could be a possibility if you spoke Spanish, Ecuador could be good or Uruguay, but Brazil and Argentina not so much. No hablar Espanol, no tenga nada.
Europe could be alright if you had enough money and didn't need a Social Security check as those would likely stop coming if things continue to go south.
New Zealand is hard to get into and the same applies to Australia. Asia is nice to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. Africa I can't say because I don't know but something tells me NO.