Give yourself an A for being presumptuous. And give yourself an A+ at kissing your own ass.

And they'd be right, I am part of the system. What they don't understand is if it weren't for people like me, it would be much, much worse.
People like me, who have "raged against the machine", and been slapped down so many damned times we've learned to pick out fights more carefully.
Where do you think, "Think globally, act locally", came from?

Primal thinks I haven't got a clue when actually I've been there, done that.;)
I understand why Primal's frustration with my "ignorance", but my attempt at a humorous response stems from trying not to give advice because....

The way that it works is that other countries are in deep debt to us.

Nobody's paid us for WWII yet. Oh wait, I kind of remember hearing that maybe Finland did ...

My sig line contains a quote from a book that you have to read.

Rationalization and cognitive dissonance. :-)

It's actually quite possible to get good advice from elders. But, like every other cohort or demographic group, some of them are assholes. You have to be selective.

Well, actually, lend lease payments from the UK might be completed at the end of this year.:yelgreedy

BTW, at no point have we lent out the trillion dollars in debt that are held in Asia.

It may not look like it but there is an "American dream". Read some history on English life & law in the 16th and 17th centuries, then read the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Remember that the rest of the western world was living under monarchical rule at the time. In fact what we accomplished was extraordinary. And the fact that we're still here, bitching and moaning, means that we've succeeded in holding onto these democratic ideals. Give credit where due.

Yeah, we've lost our way...who hasn't? In fact many times. And many times we found our way back. If America is known for one thing it's its constant state of change and flux. Don't give up.

Excellent book...sad and depressing, but pulls us out of the trees to see the forest. And there's no question that the vortex has given industry, government and the wealthy a free pass for decades. Thank you Mr. Greenspan, et al..

I think it goes like this

The teenager understands 20% of the world, and believes s/he understands 80%.

The adult understands 30%, and believes s/he understands 60%.

The elderly adult understands 40% and believes s/he understands 40%.

The people I've voted for CAN'T do their job because they're outnumbered by an administration and Congress that WON'T let them.

I know exactly how that goes...but at the same time, that's like saying the system accomplished its mission...to so discourage change, to turn such a deaf ear, that there's no alternative but to hunker down, nose to the grindstone, and try to survive. Also known as oppression.

At 21 maybe Primal is frightened by the current conditions. I know I was - way back when. And way back then we did something about it. We marched, took tear gas, bled, some died, but we persisted, and our world changed. Difference today? Not enough of the young are united under a common banner. They're the only ones who are free enough of the vortex to get out there and make the change happen...that's what pisses me off when youth complains. Don't like it....THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...we did...it's now their turn.

:) Well said! Which is why we "seasoned" folk shouldn't be put off by the extremism of youth. In fact, we have a responsibility to pass on the knowledge if we want our kids to have a liveable world.

And then the world changes.

Whoa, don't diss teens. I don't believe I understand more than 70%!

:notworthy

70%?...so with that blissful ignorance, get the hell out there and make the system change!! If your house & car won't be re-possessed, if you aren't hogtied to a job, if you don't have debt in the thousands, if you have no kids to feed and haven't had to face your mortality, then you have the time and wherewithal to make it happen! Make it happen, Cap'n!!

amen brother