All roads lead to Rome. Know why?

[RegieRocker]

Because they built them. Without government there will be nothing. Something many seem to not be able to grasp.

[elleng]

1. Yes. Our educational system is hopelessly impaired,

and consequently our electorate is so ignorant as to be useless to the demands of a democratic system.

x(

[RKP5637]

2. And hence the ignorant electorate will eventually vote in a fascist theocratic dystopia. I see ALL

the handwriting on the walls, one can even feel it in the air. Just the fact we have this lineup of R pres. hopefuls scares the sh** out of me.

And then Romney's statement, I want someone like Cheney for VP. I feel like we're living in pre WWII Germany and one of these dick-heads is going to come along and promise the ignorant electorate the world, they will fall for it, then there we are.

Frankly, I'm scared of the future here in the US. Seriously. I've NEVER seen this country this screwed up.

[elleng]

3. Yes, and in case they need the help, they'll steal the election,

Think I'll have a drink.

[RKP5637]

9. I'll drink to that!

:toast:

[RegieRocker]

6. It's both sides from my point of view. There seems to be missing

compassion and genuine concern on the left. You expect it from the right but from the left? Naturally it's much worse on the right on most things but I've have noticed a change on the left that is very disturbing.

[RKP5637]

8. Yes, I've noticed that too. We seem to be growing as a nation that lacks

compassion and genuine concern. I don't know where it's headed, I hope not worse, but it is very disturbing. I try to not let my imagination run away, but I'm old enough to remember some pretty horrible times here and abroad.

[Golden Raisin]

15. Some days I feel as if I'm living

in some weird American combination of the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of the Nazis/Weimar Republic. I agree that I've never seen the country so screwed up and harshly DIVIDED, and share your fears for the future.

[HappyMe]

17. This, exactly.

The unreasonable/crazy seems to have been turned up to 11.

[RKP5637]

18. Looking into the future as best one can, I see little being done to correct the

financial situation of this country for "ALL" of the people. We don't have the momentum forward that we did after WWII, and we never have had the global competition we do now. The economic engine of this country, people working at many levels, has been torn apart and basically given to the rest of the world. I hear lots of rhetoric about how it's going to be fixed, but I hear nothing substantial. We are in a national crisis and congress rips at each others throats. And from a sociological perspective, IMO, we have become a country filled with sociopathic-like behavior.

In essence, America has no value added in a global sense financially. The rest of the world can do anything we can and American exceptionalism IMO is is a cruel joke on American citizens, a catch phrase for politicians. We are just one more house on the block in a crowded city, less than 5% of the worlds' population, yet we have armed forces in about 130 countries, a number of wars going on, and a country dedicated to the MIC. And a gov. IMO dedicated to enhancing the wealth of the few, and a SCOTUS dedicated to making sure that happens, as in the Citizens United ruling.

Additionally, this country is failing on almost all parameters/metrics when compared to the rest of the industrialized world. Not just a little down on the list, but often 2/3's of the way down.

Layer on this we have a society with failing education, wherein for many it's a badge of honor to be ignorant. Many of the smart people have now avoided politics, I think. Who in their right mind wants to enter the M$M sideshow and have their lives ripped apart as a national sport. We also have, IMO, a citizenry wherein many are often clueless as to what is "really" going on ... and they fall for the propaganda and lies of which we have a lot.

Anyway, on that, I'll stop, I've painted enough of a picture of what I see from my perspective.

As to 2012. If Obama is in, which I hope he is, I see more of the same continuing or a steady level for much of it ... If the R's are in, I see us moving a significant step more into a fascist theocratic dystopia of sorts.

In my personal life I'm now toying with the idea of liquidating all of my assets, house, cars, possessions and drastically altering my lifestyle to a very simple existence. I've also considered being an expatriate. I've been through some really major corporate failings, and I sadly see much of the same key-points occurring in the US. Those with lots and lots of wealth are going to do just fine, but just reading the writing on the wall I think the rest of us are headed for some pretty bad uncharted territory.

I've always been an eternal optimist, but over the past 10 years or so, that has pretty much faded. A lot of disappointment has crept in where a lot of hopefulness used to be.

Oh well, I just rambled on here, but that was some of the stuff swimming around in my head.

[Golden Raisin]

16. I can't help but feel

impairment of the educational system and the concomitant dumbing down of the electorate since approximately WWII has been deliberate. They WANT an under or un-educated electorate that either doesn't vote at all or is easily swayed by Fox-like propaganda. Old fashioned Civics courses, just as one example, are no longer taught for a reason. It's hard to know when your Constitutional rights are being usurped or taken away when you've never actually read or studied the Constitution.

[provis99]

4. All right...all right...

But apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?

[BeFree]

5. They didn't have nukes

If they had nukes we'd be cleaning up the waste today. If we survived, which we probably wouldn't have. This planet would be real different. Thanks Romans!

[AnnieBW]

7. Now THAT was some SERIOUS Infrastructure!

Roads, bridges, aqueducts, domed temples that are in use today, massive baths with hot running water. The Romans sure built 'em right.

Of course, they used slaves to build all of that.

[RKP5637]

10. Don't give the RW tea baggers more ideas. "Of course, they used slaves to build all of that." n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. Is it not true?

[RKP5637]

12. We're getting there. n/t

[AnnieBW]

13. Oops

Forgot the :sarcasm: tag.

[RKP5637]

14. Yep, 'casue they even want min wage gone ... I can see what that could

lead to with a teabagger majority in congress and a bagger pres. I think Bachmann already said young people should work for nothing in restaurants for awhile to learn a job. That's just the beginning of slave labor again.

:argh: