...that opinion is moving against this useless war. Not that I expect Obama to get us out anytime soon.

This whole mess was easily predicted on the afternoon of September 12th, 2001. I remember telling my wife on that afternoon, as we continually watched the video of the towers being hit, that we would invade Afghanistan, that it would be immoral, that it would be a mistake (from a realpolitik perspective), and that it would end badly. It was so bloody (pun intended) obvious.

Our political class has ripped countries apart before, and is now moving on to its crowing achievement - making the entire planet uninhabitable.

I almost with I were a blind, stupid, wingnut conservative. At least life would be less painful.

Unless Americans choose to revert to clan-sized polities -- which is unlikely but not impossible

I'm afraid this is exactly what the future holds in store - a fragmentation of the country into smaller polities.

The past decades have brought political polarization which I believe is real and deep. Couple that with the variety of ethnic groups in the country, the tendency of people to identify with their group or "clan", and the willingness of many (especially on the right) to encourage such divisions, and finally the coming economic decline and potential collapse, you've got all the ingredients for the splintering of the country. It won't happen by next Tuesday, but over the next 50 years it's a distinct possibility.

Glenn Beck has already brought up succession, as has Rick Perry for God's sake. There is a only a kernel of seriousness to these threats currently, but the idea is already out there, and such opinions are sure to grow stronger in the coming years.

It's going to get ugly.

Facts should speak for themselves, but myths seem to have more lasting impact.

It took me a while to learn this lesson, but there is no denying its essential truth.

Humans are remarkably adept at ignoring facts. The scientific mindset of reaching conclusions based solely on the testimony of the evidence is extremely rare.

I'll share my favorite recent anecdote. Climate change has ravaged glaciers over the entire planet, caused unprecedented droughts all over the globe, etc. etc. and on and on. But a single September day in New England in the 50's (cool for this time of year) and I hear someone say "This whole global warming thing must be crap."

Hell, the entire field of economics is based on the false assumption that people are rational.

The ubiquity of stubborn ignorance, to cling to myth in the face of overwhelming evidence of its falsity, is a source of never ending frustration.

>>We're going to lose our democracy if we don't wake up

When did we get a democracy?

What we have is better described as corporate/elite rule, which is lent a veneer of legitimacy during elections, which act as a means of allowing the masses to ratify the decisions of the elite.

Too cynical? Maybe. But probably more accurate than calling what we have democracy.

There should be a basic foundation of equality from the getgo, IMO. It should come as a normal function of simply being an American citizen.

I'll go you one better. We need equality of outcome. Everyone makes the same wage. Get rid of private property (which, in the final analysis, is merely theft).

Ultimately, inequality of wealth and income leads inexorably to inequality of political power, which leads inexorably to increasing inequality of wealth and income, ad infinitum.

Naww. I don't want forced equal results. I just want a great foundation, a great starting point, for everyone.

I know YOU don't want equal outcomes (too bad) - I'm the one advocating for that.

What you're advocating is a hell of a lot better than what we have - we have a lot in common.

But if you're going to bother going that far, then why not get the whole enchilada? I notice you failed to address my point about inequality of wealth and power leading to more inequality of wealth and power.

What's the point of equality of opportunity if it won't last? The only way to make it last is equality of outcome.

One last point - the notion that everyone lines up at the same starting line and then finishes the race on merit is just bunk. Merit is certainly a factor, but other factors like luck play a major role as well.

Andy joins startup A and Bob joins startup B. Startup A goes under, but B becomes a market leader. Andy gets another job and does OK, but Bob becomes a multi-millionare. They could both have worked equally hard - in fact, Andy might be the better worker.

But perhaps the management team at B was better, or the market conditions were optimal, or maybe B's main competitor went under when one of their executives embezzled a bunch of money.

Point is, merit is often not the main factor in success.

So let's get rid of the luck factor, and pay everyone the same wage. Why not?