"Obama Supporters Actually Hate Obama's Policies"

It should come as no surprise here. Obama supporters, so-called "liberals" in general, have shown time and time again their ignorance on political affairs, and their outright gut-wrenching hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty. This is one of the reason why I argue that Americans themselves are to blame for most of their problems, as they willingly elect into office, representatives of the Global Corporate Financier Oligarchy otherwise known as "The Elites," who enact detrimental policies not in their best interests. And then choose to dismiss any and all facts when confronted with their favorite "candidates." As in the words of Gerald Celente, "Things won't change until the American people change."

Luke Rudowski of We Are Change, employs a brilliant political report tactic to show just how ridiculous the electorate in this country really is.

It's Time to Admit That We Are Part of the Problem

There are many things wrong with the United States. And while people like to call it great, I beg to differ.I really wish they were right. I still do love this country, and I wish the best for it each and every day. But now it is time to admit that "we the people" have become part of the problems of our ailing society. Throughout this country known as the U.S.A, there is a fundamental consensus that things have turned the wrong direction completely, and yet the majority don't want to do anything about it. Ignorance and apathy are as common as common sense is uncommon. It is easy to blame the president, or congress. But now it is time to admit, that we are part of the problem. Our bloated and ill society is a reflection of who we have become. I will identify what the problems are from my perspective, and what ought to be done.

Greed, Materialism, Indulgence.
If you ever take a dollar bill, and pay attention, you can't help but notice the inscription stating, "In God We Trust." Well, I can certainly say it is not the God of the Bible that so many people think it's referring to. For that "God" has come to be replaced with a much more different. The God that the dollar refers to, is itself. Yes, money. Money has become our God. "In God (money) We Trust." We live in a greedy and materialistic culture. People are encouraged to be selfish, put material wealth on a pedestal, and spend, spend, spend because they work hard and they deserve to treat themselves a "little." But it's not little. The fact is, that Americans spend too much on things they don't need. And they always want more. Nothing satisfies their insatiable thirst for material goods. They have been conditioned this way. In turn you have a society that is racked with and wrecked by debt. On top of that we are blessed with the privilege to watch rich people on T.V spend their money away, inducing us with fantasies like maybe one day, we too could be like them. It's one of the primary reasons people gamble away their savings and participate in the lottery, even though winning it is statistically impossible. Our cultural mantra seems to be "drink today for tomorrow we may die." We live in a debt-based society, where our spending has gotten out of control. The holidays (i.e Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving), are also indications of how greedy, materialistic and self-indulgent we've become. Obesity is on the rise, and while the reason it is so isn't that simple, it also reflects the self-indulgence of our society. Another indication of materialism and self-indulgence is the music industry that has helped to shape this kind of culture.

This behavior reflects the behavior of our Federal Government that spends money in the stupidest ways possible, while racking up the debt precipitously in doing so (the worst part of all this is that none of that money goes to the American  people).This rampant consumerism that has become part of the American way of life has led to disastrous consequences and will lead to more. With their vast amounts of money, Americans give corporations like Bank Of America, Exxon Mobile and plenty of other institutions a bloated amount of resources, only in turn to have them put into office their rubber-stamped politicians who direct policy against the interests of the American people. On top of that, Bankers are expected to capitalize on this consumerism and should be suspected as the primary beneficiaries  as they are today the main perpetrators of usury and financial fraud, which destroys lives and destabilizes families, and can lead to poverty and eventually civil unrest. Debt and Conflict are the Endgame of our consumerist culture. Funny enough (though it's not really funny) the U.S government with massive debt through a spending habit equivalent to its own citizens has propagated, is propagating, and perpetuating numerous conflicts around the globe.

Violence, Apathy and a Tribalism
We live in a very apathetic society. And as for me I consider apathy a form of moral depravity. A morally sick nation breeds and nurtures morally sick citizens. There is a reason why the issue of guns can be such a heated topic. You can also clearly see by the violent and horror movies of carnage and destruction we so love to watch. The apathy part plays in when Americans clearly don't seem to care about other people on the other side of the world. Two cities can get annihilated by nuclear bombs, yet the citizens of the nation that dropped them cheer with an unprecedented avidity because WWII was over. An alleged mastermind of a terror plot that shook the nation had his compound raided and was killed, and the whole nation cheers at his death, betraying their whole narrative of being a world leader, a Shining Castle on the Hill, a democratic society where criminals stand on trial. As long as the government gives the people their social security, medicare, and other social service programs, Americans don't care or care to know about the egregious contraventions of international law or the violations of human rights that their government constantly commits or is complicit in. They shed a crocodile tear and move on, pretending to care while doing nothing, as their government continues to engage in illegal wars, fund terrorists in Syria and in other countries, conduct murderous drone assaults in which the majority of casualties are non-combatants, while callously referring to them as "collateral damage." It has become obvious what kind of society we are rapidly degenerating into. Our government reflects our trivialization of violence and conflict as we remain in a state of perpetual war (pun intended). One indication is the fact that national sports has been militarized, where military ceremonies can be conducted on sports fields. America is a war culture, and this is even shown in its avidity for sports and a very much tribal fan base. As former President George Bush coined as the slogan for his terrorist campaign which he ironically dubbed the War on Terrorism: "You are either with us, or against us." We stand divided and conquered by the Elites.

The Farcical Reality of Voting
It's a farce, plain and simple. Every two to four years Americans get to choose corporate representatives to run their lives. Americans have become so dishonest, it's sickening. They complain about these same people they put in office, but insist on re-electing those same representatives of the Corporate Financier Oligarchy. They never want to acknowledge the fact that no matter who they put in office, things won't change. They know nothing about the candidates they wish to vote for, and seem to disregard the fact that these candidates are funded by corporate interests. By doing this, not only are Americans dishonest, but they are pimping themselves out to the very same interests they claim to be against by endorsing these candidates/representatives of oligarchy with their time, money, energy and effort. The result is an endless cycle of unconstitutional policies, wars, economic ruin, death and destruction. And since it is easy to blame someone else and abdicate all responsibility, Americans have learned to simply shrug their shoulders and blame the president for his failures and/or complain endlessly about his policies. But Americans don't want to admit that they have become complicit in the crimes of their national leaders.

What to do..
All our failing institutions whether they be financial, educational, political, and our crumbling infrastructure give a vivid picture of our continuing failure of character, moral decay, and the break down of the human spirit and subsequently our society. They must reject this blatantly materialistic culture, a culture of hedonism, self-indulgence and commercialism. It is time for Americans to look in the mirror and be honest with themselves.

It is time for Americans to put more emphasis on the things that matter. Things such as service to others, family, outstanding moral character, pursuits in life that bring real joy. It is time to reject a culture hand-fed to them. It is time to leave this false cultural paradigm that the Financier Oligarchy has created for them, and reassess themselves as a country, and who we would like to become and be seen as. They can get active, organized and together with other fellow Americans begin to create their own alternatives rather than allow the ruling class to choose for them. They can begin to read a little more about history and learn from its lessons (in respect to materialism, and greed and other vices do to a society), get more engaged with their community, get in touch spiritually, educate themselves as opposed to being "zombified" by rampant commercialism. It is time to change. And a true change won't come until the American people change.

And if things don't change, things will get a lot worse.

It's World Food Day, but why are so many people hungry?

You know what that means.....it's time for the English speaking world and the rest of the West to pretend they actually give a flying pig about the plight of the starving black and brown poor peoples all over the third world. According to the World Food Program, 1 in 7 people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight. There's more, according to the WFP, hunger "is the number one health risk. It kills more people than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined." Well I think what they really mean is starvation. Because after all, we ALL get hungry. But not all of us, have the means of having food on the table day in and day out. If you want more hunger stats, you can find them here(World Hunger Problem: Fact, Figures, and Statistics), here (Stopthehunger.com), and here (bread.org), and many more. Throwing statistics about starvation to you all day long is simply redundant. It is safe to assume every adult in the world is aware that there is a global starvation crisis and there has been one for a very long time. Even the disingenuous U.N has acknowledged this in an article by Reuters.

But why are so many people starving? Coincidence will be a dishonest (as well as lazy) answer. So will "untended consequences." Some people will say that overpopulation is one contributing factor. When we go deeper into world starvation, as I'd rather call it, we see that the problem isn't an issue of spontaneity, or naive agricultural policy. Rather it's designed to be this way. There is a systematic meddling by the major financial institutions of the West, to rip up developing nation's economies. The IMF, the World Bank, and other major Western financial institutions have played a major role in the destruction of the food security of many developing countries.

Neo-Liberalism
In an article by Walden Bello titled, Africa's Food Crisis, the Handiwork of IMF, World Bank, Bello asserts that these institutions would infiltrate weaker governments to dictate their role in economic affairs, such as "how fast subsidies should be phased out," or even in the case of Malawi, "how much of the country's grain reserve should be sold, and to whom." Bello also mentions how these weaker African governments (of the West and South) had their markets pried open to European and U.S exploitation by allowing "low-priced-subsidized European beef to enter and drive many West African and South African cattle raisers to ruin." "These dismal outcomes were not accidental," Bello asserts. This is just an example, as Bello asserts many. This is known as Structural Adjustment, as the IMF and World like to call it. It is basically prying open the markets of developing nations to Western vulture capitalism, eventually phasing that nation into a neo-feudalistic corporate state. This is the neo-liberal "free market" doctrine. Also known as Globalism. This is when a nation extradites it's sovereignty to off-shore or supranational entities. The West has been phasing out peasant-based farming systems, replacing it with commercial farming. By obviating the state from the administration of farming, the World Bank and IMF took away "access to land, credit, insurance inputs, and cooperative organization" for farmers. As Bello also points out in a report by Oxfam, the number of Africans living on two dollars a day "more than doubled" between 1981 and 2001. This is 46 percent of the whole continent.

U.S Agricultural Secretary John Blocke, in 1986 at the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations stated: "The idea that the developing countries should feed themselves is an anachronism from a bygone era. They could better ensure their food security by relying on U.S agricultural products, which are available, in most cases at lower cost." So in other words, he is presenting the problem as the solution. If one pays attention, he is actually contradicting himself. "Food security" and the reliance on imports are a juxtaposition of contrasting terms. So one can suspect the West through narrative and policy, to encourage importation and discourage self-sufficiency. To make matters worse, the U.S has decided to start burning corn for fuel (a source of alternative energy not even reliable), a disastrous policy since many countries are inclined to rely on importation. This is contributing to the global food shortage. I believe you get the idea.

The Example of Malawi
Malawi clearly exemplifies the topic. The article, How to Manufacture a Global Food Crisis: Lessons learned from the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, explains how in 1998-99, Malawi engaged in a subsidy program to provide the poorest of families with a "starter pack" of free fertilizers and seeds. This resulted in a surplus of corn. But then something happened.

The World Bank and other donors to the government forced it to slash this program. The IMF even convinced the food reserve agency to" sell off its strategic food reserves to settle it's commercial debts" (a proven tactic of the IMF). A famine resulted in 2001-02. And one can only imagine since the government didn't have any reserves to go to. Nearly 1500 people died of starvation. Subsequently, an even worse food crisis emerged in 2005. The government finally rejected the IMF's policy. It reinstated the subsidy program under its new president, making fertilizers "about a third of the retail price, and seeds at a discount." This returned the food surplus. Malawi is now a supplier of corn to other Southern African countries.

Refusing to own up to its discredited policy, the World Bank's country director insisted that the re-instated subsidy program was "better for food security, but even worse for market development." He is of course wrong. There is hardly any historical evidence or basis that a country dependent heavily on food importation has ever developed a strong economy. These types of catastrophes are not only present in Africa, but also in places like India and parts of Asia.

What should be done
There is a reason why many of the major corporations of the West and other neo-colonial foundations have always had a disdain for a strong Nation-State. Because they can resist the parasitical influences of these vulture institutions, and often eventually do. The IMF, World Bank and other Western financial institutions are not what they seem, as they have shown time and time again to be an anti-thesis to their very thesis---economic development. They represent a neo-feudal model,  based on the impediment of growth of developing countries.

 Agricultural self-sufficiency can do many things. Surpluses can be counted on to occur. This will encourage trade among nations and could eventually lead to economic cooperation (and possibly extended forms of diplomacy). It could drive down the number of cases of nutrition-related diseases, birth-defects, and so on. It could help avoid civil unrest, or other forms of social disruption. As any one knows, control a nation's food, and you essentially control the nation. These nations can start coming together and creating their own alternatives together, boycotting and phasing out Western dictates over the agricultural (and subsequently economic) future of their countries.

The IMF and World Bank should not only be replaced, but their doctrine of neo-liberalism must also be rejected. These institutions and the policies they represent, are at the heart of many of the economic and social hardships that are so incumbent upon third world nations, and in turn the world. My golden rule for any developing country, is to first attain self-sufficiency in agriculture before they can ever attain true development.  Our world starvation crisis is not an accident.

Hopefully more and more people can come to understand that.

If You DO Vote, You DON'T Deserve To Complain.

Written by Lawrence Laryea

I have often heard from both my peers and my seniors that at the arrival of every electoral event, I should seize the opportunity to vote. Or else, "If you don't vote, don't complain," they say. This line has been subject to brazen repetition that it has helped to distort the true meaning of democracy. By now if you have not realized that your vote does not matter, I don't know what to tell you. The corny, tired, and weak old slogan of "If you don't vote, don't complain" begins to reveal a deeper issue and if I may add, an abysmal reality. First allow me to put all of this into perspective by identifying the two-headed dragon, also known as the two party dictatorship, also known as the Republicans and the Democrats. The two major crime families of United States politics who have their Headquarters in the halls of Wall Street and the City of London. Let's take a look at exactly who we are voting for, and I will give my take on what ought to be truly done.

Meet the Republicans...The reincarnation of Nazism...yet still the Lesser Evil.
If there was ever a political party that bore a striking resemblance to the right-wing regime that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945, it would be the United States Republican Party. Now this comparison to some may seem harsh or extreme, even hateful. But the fact of the matter is that it's true. The Republicans are brazen Social Darwinists who adulate the likes of Industrialists, hailing them as Captains of Industry instead of the Robber Barons that most of them are or have become. They care little for the poor and as a matter of fact, have led themselves to believe that the poor are in plight due to their own shortcomings. They see a sizable portion of the population (e.g the unemployed, disabled) as "loafers," "freeloaders," "parasites," and so forth who forage on government resources; resources that otherwise could be "expended elsewhere." Remember that the Nazis held similar views regarding the downtrodden of their society.

Hitler didn't just go after Jews, dissidents, and Communists. He also went after Trade Unions. The Republicans are notoriously known for their blatant and unreasonable opposition to organized labor. Thanks partly to their persistence being of the historical contributing factors, participation in organized labor unions has declined sorrowfully especially since the arch-reactionary Republican Ronald Reagan, a student of  Margaret Thatcher, signaled to employers nationwide that Washington was on their side, when he busted the Professional Air Traffic Controllers' Organization (PATCO), an organization that actually supported his campaign. Union membership has been at a 70-year low according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited by the New York Times.

The Republicans also insist on an economic "concentration camp". In addition to busting organized labor, they believe in abolishing the standard minimum wage, child labor laws, workplace safety and other regulations that they disingenuously claim are "crushing" businesses. The world they will realize if their crazed and crackpot policies take true effect is an environment (much similar to a concentration camp) where the individual will work and work and be worked to death, deprived of their economic freedoms and benefits, reminiscent of Oliver Twist in the Parochial Workhouse. And if this isn't bad enough, they wish to balance the federal budget deficit on the backs of the most vulnerable of our society. In other words, "Austerity"---The systematic, barbaric slashing of social services. People will obviously die. At a critical time when social services may be in dire need, now is the time the Republican Party has an even greater urge to cut them. Their idea of relief for the suffering is in fact, no relief at all. All this while expanding the war and military budget; an obvious trait of militarism. Just as the Nazis were militants, the Republicans are notorious for avidly beating the drums of war and also for their crazed bully pulpit against weaker and defenseless nations. All the while they have led people, in particular reactionary disgruntled members of the white middle and lower class who are fed up with the malaise of government, to adopt their policies as in their best interest when this couldn't be further from the truth. As Hitler once said, "Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see Paradise as Hell, and the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise." It is obvious there is a hidden hand at play here. The only difference between the Republicans and the Nazis, is that one had a profound and irrational hatred toward Jews, and the other has a profound and irrational affection towards the same group of people, in respect to the Zionist Regime in Israel.
So this is Option 1

Meet the Democrats....Simply the Greater Evil.
 Democrats are vastly similar to Republicans. But however they are unique. They maneuver differently and more cunningly. As Republicans are openly genocidal, and simplistic in their intentions, Democrats are still yet a greater evil. While the Republicans mobilize predominantly white, disgruntled and narrow scope of middle class to lower class citizens for the interests of Wall Street, Democrats are effectively able to mobilize a various array of factions (gays and lesbians, unions, and so forth)  for the very same interests, thus representing Anti-theses of the Hegelian Dialectic and neutralizing the vast amount of the population, subjugating them under a controlled opposition. Since the Democrats have been historically accredited with the development of the remnants of the popular government programs we have today, naturally they are perceived and expected to be its preservers. By being portrayed as lesser evil, they are subsequently the more desirable one. Because of the diversity within their party and in turn the influence over various factions, they are able to hijack/co-opt and pacify any true political movement that poses as a threat to the moneyed interests of our society. And thus, this renders them the greater evil. They have the same track record of wars, cater-to-the-rich policies, and other abuses just as much as the Republicans, yet they are able to keep the least amount of opposition through their rhetoric and the stark reality of their alleged opponent. If the greatest trick of all was the devil making people believe he doesn't exist, then the second one would have to be the Democrats making the common man think he had their best interest in mind. This is Option 2

Who in their right mind would take either of these options? It's clear that voting for either one is asking for trouble. As a matter of fact, if you do vote for them, you are agreeing that you know what you are getting yourself into; and ignorance is no excuse. So those who vote are actually the ones who shouldn't complain. Those who DON'T vote are sending a clear message, and in a sense they are voting by not voting. That they will not be a part of this mary-go-round political clown show that the Elites have produced for them every two to four years. Both parties have similar financial backing. Both are for war. Both are for big oil. Both are for globalization--the wrecker of national economies. Both are for the indefinite detention of Americans and Foreigners. Both are union busters. Both are for taxes that redistribute wealth from the bottom to the top. Both are for spying on Americans. Both are one in the same. It doesn't matter who you vote for. The Agenda stays in tact. By not voting, I am refusing their policies, their services. I am rejecting their morally bankrupt dispositions. And so if the consequences of these destructive and reckless pursuits that they are associated with befall upon me or my fellow man, I am actually the one with the rationale to complain.

One may often hear someone saying they will "vote" for Candidate X because he/she is the "lesser of two evils." Whether Lesser or Greater, evil is evil. And it takes a significant declivity in dignity and self-respect to make the implication that you are willing to vote for a "lesser" of two evils. As the reputed Trends Forecaster Gerald Celente once made a point: would you have dinner with the lesser of two evils? And so I would also ask: would you do business with the lesser of two evils, or let them babysit your children, or let them date your daughter? So why in the world would you vote for them to run your country? Things won't change for the better until the people themselves truly change.

What do we do?
It's simple. Don't vote, you can start with that. Get out of your passive political consumerism of waiting for pre-packaged insta-politicians manufactured by the Financier Oligarchs, partly at your behest. They are both part of a controlled opposition. You can continue by perpetually boycotting the current illegitimate and rigged electoral system and system in general, presenting genuine solutions of your own, and even perhaps running for local office. There are so many things you can do or at least try. Your vote doesn't matter, but your attitude does. And your attitude can eventually make it matter.

The Healthcare Debate

   Written by Lawrence Laryea

The Healthcare Debate seems to be a complex issue that many people in the U.S think will require an immense amount of resources to solve. But is it really? If we look deeper into the reason why we got to where we are now, we start to see that our problems and the solutions to our problems are really much more simple than we thought they ought to be. The disingenuous Left thinks the centralized control of healthcare will yield the proper and intended results, one example being their mindless support for "Obamacare". While the crazed and reactionary Right thinks the answer lies in the "competition of medicine", or in other words, the sophomoric concept of a Free Market solution. Sadly Medicaid and Medicare take part of the blame for our "Healthcare Crisis."  We are a fat and unhealthy nation. Yet we never asked ourselves why we spend so much money ON healthcare, yet we are as sick as ever.

But why are we so sick as a nation? Well there are a few things I would like to point out, then give what I believe to be their solutions.

Personal Accountability
Many Americans seem to think the answer to this current crisis is insurance for all. And sure I happen to think that's a good thing. But health insurance does not equate to good health, contrary to popular perception. The truth is Americans are obsessed with sugar and processed foods, and lead unhealthy lifestyles. Foods laden with GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, many preservatives that one cannot even mention, different chemicals and additives. We are nutritionally-deficient. We don't eat good food. No amount of health insurance is going to address this issue. It is going to take personal accountability. There are many obesity-related diseases.
These have come from the mindless consumer culture we have so embraced from the Elite. But wait, one may say people these days just don't make enough money to afford healthy food. Sure, that may be partly true. But many of those same people will however find a way to get their pack of beer or their cigarettes.

Solution: There is a rise in farmer's markets. This indicates that more people are taking accountability, and paying more attention for what they put in their body. Ultimately the healthcare crisis will not end until we decide to stop eating all this junk that render us ill. Degenerative and cardiovascular diseases are an epidemic in this country for a reason.

Special Interests and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
As in the words of Dr. Andrew Paul, "Good health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn't make a lot of dollars."  One can also safely say that the FDA lies at the heart of the healthcare crisis. For example, go to a drug store, pick up prescription drugs and look at the ingredients. No doubt if you have watched T.V you have seen ads that urge you to avoid or discontinue use of a drug that has reportedly been causing such things as birth defects, and so on. Just remember that the FDA allowed it, and all those other countless drugs on the shelf that pose dire side-effects that pose a direct threat to your life. You wonder why many people use these drugs for a very long time yet never heal? The Food and Drug industry are not there to make food or medicine. They are there to make money. This is capitalism at it's worst. Remember that, every time you buy a prescription drug, in hopes that your ailments may be relieved. Most doctors are trained only to perform surgery or prescribe you harmful drugs manufactured by corporations. You will never get better. You will keep coming for more, steered with false hope. If you are fortunate enough, you will develop an addiction. The FDA masquerades as our watchdog, yet thousands of people die from prescription drug use every year. In a New York Times Editorial, titled  "Bad Call on Farm Drugs," the FDA  denied "two longstanding petitions" that called to limiting the feeding of antibiotics to farm animals, a practice that "poses a serious risk to human health." And this is supposedly the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the entry of new drugs into the market, and allegedly bases it's decisions on public safety. one can certainly dig deeper and discover a conflict-of-interest in the FDA. When you step inside a supermarket or pharmacy, you see so many things that are bad for you, things I personally wouldn't classify as food. That's because the very basic resources like food and medicine we consume on a daily basis have been "corporatized." There are certain interests that profit off our plight, and unless we become more aware, we can never confront them. It will be an endless, replenished process of illness--drug consumption--death.

Solution: The solution is to boycott these pharmaceutical drugs, and replace them with a much better alternative. Vitamin supplements can be a start. However that does not mean that exactly all supplements are what they are said to be. My best advice is if it is advertised on TV, don't purchase it. But for the first time in our human history, our nutrition can come in tablets on a shelf. Take advantage of that. Your doctor will never inquire of your daily diet when you report a health discrepancy. They will simply write you a slip to go to the pharmacy or propose surgery. Some "doctor," huh?  It is time for people to become people again, and to stop being patients.

Stress from too much work, and little leisure time
Americans work too much. Let's face it. We are a busy country. With so much work and little leisure, is it a surprise why we are an unhealthy nation? A person who is tired after a long day's work will simply want to unwind, crack open a can of beer and turn on the TV. However a person who is still energized after an ample amount of work hours will have the energy for physical activities and leisures. With the way we work and little time we get to ourselves, such as to cook a strong and healthy meal we can eat with the whole family, be active in community projects or personal ones, or whatever it may be, it shouldn't be a wonder that we lead unhealthy lifestyles. As we are always on the go, we demand cheap and fast food. The long hours also contribute to a breakdown of our immune system as we get little rest. Most people I talk to often tell me they are tired. You are not supposed to be tired in the middle of the day. You are supposed to be alert and awake, with energy coursing through your being. Americans have little leisure time. More and more, we are seeing that vacation is becoming a privilege of the Elite, rather than an economic privilege our grandparents enjoyed. And rightfully so. Leisure is a source of well-being, and a producer of culture.

Solution: The solution is quite simple. Mass Struggle. For the economic rights that once made us an envy of the world. Just as our ancestors took to the streets to demand fair wages, shorter working hours and vacation time, so we can once again re-stage their struggles for economic fairness.

The "Free" Market will not solve our healthcare problems. Nor will centralized government oversight. 40+ million are uninsured, that's a tragedy. But it is unfair to couple those people to a broken and inadequate system that keep them sick. It will be like playing a cruel joke. Rather we need to provide real and alternative solutions. There are undoubtedly more than I have mentioned. But these are the ones I find most impressing. Drugs can have a proper role, such as in pain management from things like accidents and so forth. And the government can certainly play a proper role. But we have gone about things the wrong way; much is obviously designed to be that way. If the current health trend continues to progress it will no doubt reach an untenable point where it will become a national embarrassment (if it sin't already) and may even pose a national security threat (e.g fat soldiers). So what do you think?