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Originally Posted by host
willravel, I don't mean to take out my anger on you...it's just that I wish that we could articulate our vision for the future in a way that truly sets it apart from the anti-government "reform" of the libertarians and the deliberate destruction of the reputation and fiscal stability of the government by the republicans.
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lol, I'm a tough kid. I can take it. Hope for the future is a funny thing because it seems so different for everyone... only it's really not. My articulation would start simple: I want my daughter to have more and better opportunities than I. Then we expand on that: those opportunities are education, health, vocational, and fiscal. Then we expand in to each of those subjects: education reform that would best benefit my daughter would be smaller classrooms that are able to focus on growth and improvement, self-directed learning, and such; health can be broken up into several, be they health care (like this thread) or environment, for example.
Often it's this method in which I find the most opportunity for growth and mutuality. That and optimism.
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Originally Posted by host
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Oh I remember that one.
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Originally Posted by host
I see Clinton and Obama in their ranks, so I don't share your optimism. We face a rapidly deteriorating federal fiscal and foreign policy environment, and a deteriorating market fundamentals and US currency environment, as well, as baby boomers begin to turn 62 in a wave that will last until 2023 and involve 47 million, aging folks with deteriorating personal health and wealth, if my projections for housing, stocks, bonds, and paper currency valuation are correct.
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They're hardly innocent, of course, but I still see their campaigns being health care focused as the best avenue right now towards health care reform. It's not going to be as simple as one is elected and suddenly everything is okay, but the biggest and most difficult part of any change like this is getting the damn ball rolling. I think that they can spark this thing if smart and invested people can spin it right right way to the right people.
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Originally Posted by host
To avoid mass misery, I see an urgent need for the quick results that a demagogue populist patterned along the lines of a Huey Long, or a Bill Hayward like labor organizer (see the "Reds" thread link) could potentially achieve.
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I hope that's not true, to be honest, because more appeals to fear and such are what has us in this mess. I would like to think a better strategy would be to inoculate people of their chronic fear though teaching people how to think for themselves. It's things like your ginormous posts that help people get a better grasp of the situation, and the best defense against fear-mongering is knowledge.
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Originally Posted by host
I am more radical than possibly anyone here except roachboy, but I am radicalized by the "achievments" of the money party politicians and the neocon corporatists and their business "patrons". What I see coming can be "bloodless" if a ruthless charasmatic populist emerges, and a majority is persuaded to vote it's best interests.
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It still feels like fighting fire with fire, but I do feel like we're headed towards if we haven't already reached the time for last resorts. It's very possible you're right and the only thing left to do is to produce several leftist talking heads that use the same evil and despicable techniques as the Bill Orly's of the world. Like a Super-Olbermann, only with a much bigger audience and a clearer message.
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Originally Posted by host
Small compromises like expansion of health coverage, without radical reform that includes huge tax increases on the top 5 percent and the near elimination of special interest politics, may actually hasten and exacerbate the violence that I see coming, almost inevitably.
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The idea is that change like this comes either through a slow turn or revolution. I love revolutions as much as the next guy, but they are something that is useful only if all other routes have failed and there is no chance. If social medicine is able to squeak through, that might just be the foot in the door necessary to start the turn-around.
"Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."
- Dennis Miller