#1. Welcome to the world of inequality. They have the vast majority of income. Thus they pay taxes on it. Strongly suggest that you watch this video from one of America's honest billionaires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUxY_KmvXOM

Has the writer changed? The "voice" on these posts seems to have changed writing styles considerably over the past week or so...

You nailed it, Willy.

The biggest threat to our democracy is from within, as the People cede more and more of their political and economic power to a tiny class of the economically privileged, whose single-minded goal is the ultimate control of the masses to do their bidding and to pay their bills.

And the clearest example of our steep tilt toward runaway fascism is the priority we place on all things military over every other consideration. "Wars and rumors of wars" is the most critical issue facing humankind -- after anthropogenic climate disruption! Why have these two hugely important issues been essentially erased from our political discourse and largely from everyday public consciousness? Scientists and other truth-tellers can barely break the sound barrier.

My personal opinion for what it's worth is that we should not reactivate the military draft until Congress starts fulfilling one of its essential Constitutional duties, which is to debate issues of war and peace on behalf of the interests of the American people instead of what might only enhance the profits of private industry and the donor class, e.g., oil companies, defense contractors, and Wall Street greedmongers. Otherwise, the good citizens will be forced into becoming nothing more than throwaway chaff, expendable cannon fodder in endless corporate warfare for resources and profits.

Violence is learned behavior. And millionaires and billionaires for decades have been steadily cranking up their self-serving propaganda, including mindless and ever-present fear and hate of other people and different cultures, through their wall-to-wall media outlets and their subservient politicians. Why then should a draft, as a way to repay society for its many wonderful benefits and to fulfill our shared civic duties, only include the military whose basic MOS is to destroy things and kill people? Should not our young people emerging as responsible adults have a variety of healthier options from which to choose, an array of programs that are inherently peaceful and beneficial to society as a whole, meaning to as much of the citizenry as possible, and not just to the ruling economic elites?

We are wasting too much of our nation's blood and treasure (trillions every year!) on war matériel, and we have too many hapless soldiers sucking on the government teat -- because we are fighting too many f*cking wars! The ever-expanding U.S. corporate-sponsored war machine and its omnipresent satellite industries have engendered the largest welfare program in history, with most of it going to our filthy rich overlords.

Innocent children, not old white men with authoritarian tendencies, are our most valuable resource. We need to teach them a better way. Homo sapiens are at a critical stage of evolution when all life on Earth is facing the very real possibility of mass extinction and nuclear annihilation. When you peel away the onion, the primary cause for such calamity, indeed the only cause, is the human mind itself. Isn't it time for a mass epiphany, both individually and collectively?

https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBHrh3H?m=en-us

I like the border parrol idea.

Hi Thom,

I always appreciate your perspective. It is also refreshing to see thoughtful responses.

The republican party and it's staunch devotees have proven themselves to be more ardent about their aberrant ideological hoax hidden behind a populist rhetoric than the "Ethics and Morality" for citizens stated and consecrated in the Declaration of Independence. The links established between government, the corporate and economic elite, who have nothing but disdain for Democracy and the "Rights of Man", are eerily similar to those during 1930's Europe, the age of "dictatorial FASCISM"

Daily, we are witnessing attacks on the foundations and social pillars of our society by a party whose self-interests have jaded their ability to faithfully represent "ALL" their constituents; their acquiescence and support for the demagogue in the White House only validate their abetment of the perfidies committed by those whose mission it is to "Undermine and Destroy" the Social Contract between the government and it's citizens.

This sanctimonious populist propaganda with it's bread and butter clarion call of “Free Enterprise”, which is nothing but a euphemism for fascism. The outright Machiavellian disregard for American Laws they object to, viewing any person who questions their "ideology" as an "Enemy of the People", and now jailing citizens and reporters for daring to question their authority, are the actions of an authoritarian regime. As dangerous a threat to US democracy our "Dictator in Chief" is becoming, it is only possible through the aegis of an authoritarian congress. These sanctimonious peculators who call themselves "servants of the people", are in fact, acolytes of an economic and political ideology that does not believe in the value of our social pillars of society, nor does it believe in Democracy. This is the attempted "Rise" of a proto-fascist regime in the United States, based on the works of Hayek, Strauss, Friedman, etal. through, quietly and incrementally, vitiating the legal regulations for corporations and downloadinging their corporate employment costs to the taxpayers and workers. This ideology and it's adherents are "TREASONOUS" to the Democracy created by our Fore Fathers.The perfidies of these "TRAITORS to Democracy" need to be exposed for the “Very Real” threat they pose to our way of life!

Franken is crass, but neither a rapist nor a pediphile. Appology was enough. I hope he stands up to "peer pressure" from "establishment" demo-peers and recinds his resignation. He's a clear-headed liberal thinker with a genetic liability--i.e., a penis.

Hot Coffee: How about you stop helping the billionaire/fascists dictate our lives. Do you really think that unregulated capitalism equals freedom of choice for those high school grads? ....Really??? Freedom to drink polluted water, work at Walmart, face crushing student debt, face climate change disaster, religious beliefs forced on them, all part of non-government structured life. C'mon wake up.

The Police State exists already... it is here and now!

Serve, protect, deter, prevent ethos is GONE... GONE!!!

The draft is a great idea and bring it on in spades

Parents today have been brought up to believe behaviour of their offspring is the reponsibility of others

Sadly, then others get blamed for their own lack of discipline

They then object when a sense of human "rightness" is proferred in place of their dearth

Al Franken should have (my opinion) allowed the ethics commite to investigate and present their findings. The other dems that forced Franken out abided Bill Clinton's indescritions. This is inconsistant, and taking the moral high ground now to prove something to and about the Republicans ....... I am sure that Trump and the GOP don't care about morals. They only pay homage to their bankers, not morals, country, constituants et al. I do not think the Dems thought this through or am I missimg something?

Speaking of Authoritarian-minded people (Thom)...perhaps high school grads would like to decide themselves what to do with their first year of non government structured life.

They just spent 13 years or more being told where to be and what to do. In most states they probably need a year or more of remedial math and reading classes.

Maybe they want to travel and find out about places in the world they were never even told existed with their US education.

They are human beings not tools for the left... right propaganda machine. Perhaps we could let them live just a tiny bit of their own life.

Diane is celebrating how Fascism works. There is also an ugly side.

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