Re-arranging the deck chairs...

We have passed the tipping-point in our entitlement society. It won't matter if we elect repubs or Demos...they are self-serving and corrupt. The Politicians will never take bold action, because they will lose their jobs. We the People are voting ourselves into collapse. At some point, maybe soon, maybe a few decades from now, the whole system will collapse under the weight of greed and entitlements. People will not wakeup someday and decide that we need to slash spending, decentralize the government, and convince politicians to change the taxation system to the Fair-Tax or some other flat tax...it will not happen.

I participated in the conservative movement for the last thirty years, hoping that the tide of liberalism would be reversed. I read an article recently which detailed how in the aftermath of the crash of "29" governments changed all over the world. Some left to right, others right to left. But the commonality was the peoples desire to change because it hurt their pocketbooks. I was horrified and startled when Bill Clinton was re-elected. With all the scandal he was involved in, he was still elected due to the economy and people's selfish desires. What happened to integrity? Morals?

Now I have watched as George W. Bush has destroyed the conservative movement by being anything but...he has damaged the conservative movement immeasurably with his big government actions culminating in bailout mania...which can only warp us forward decades towards total government control of our lives.

All the on-line bloaviating will be meaningless as the government schools have succeeded in dumbing down the populace. The people have no clue about economics, the state of the defecit, all they want is more governmet programs.

Me, me, me....give me free healthcare...give me free college tuition...give me free prescription drugs...give me a free hover-round....pay my mortgage...fill my car up...

Do any of you honestly think Barrack Obama can roll back this mess? Or even wants too? PT Barnum's wisdom was on display this fall...and in two years the Tsunami of lies, misrepresentations, and plattitudes will come hurtling towards the electorate again....and we won't run because we will be mezmerized...and we will end up drowning in political sea water.

Now excuse me while I go re-arange some deck chairs....

We're about to find out. Will this be the first step towards (even more) stupid high taxes and cradle-to-the-grave government, or will it be the first step towards a sensible solution to a problem that has been spiraling out of control for decades? I trust Barack Obama and I think if anyone can lead us to a long term solution to our problems, it's him. Do I agree with his proposed plans? No, but he's smarter than I am, he has access to the best resources, he has very smart, capable people around him, and he's convinced me that he'll be acting in the best interests of our country.

This really is the crossroads. It could be a step back toward the glory days of the United States of America, putting up back on top of the world in almost every category, or it could be a step forward into mediocrity. I'm hoping it's the former, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if it were (and I almost expect it will be) the latter.

In the end, if Obama turns out to be FDR redux, I'll blame myself then. For now though I plan to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope for the best.

Edit: As to the main question, people will never stop voting for freebies.

Our nation will burn, but it has nothing to do with "big government"-- or small government, for that matter.

It has to do with decadence.

We live in a society which measures success not by accomplishment, not by achievement, but by consumption. A man might work all of his life in our society, and build for himself and his heirs a great financial empire-- providing goods and services for society, and providing good hard work for thousands-- but he will not be regarded as much of a success as his offspring who serve no other function but to spend his great wealth. Our society values nothing more than to consume as conspicuously and as wastefully as possible, and to contribute nothing to society in return. Our highest aspiration as a people is to achieve a state of pampered uselessness.

You speak of medicine and education as part of our society's problems, but these are goods and services that allow us to function; they promote purpose and productivity, making the sick healthy enough to work and sometimes, when we are lucky, fostering the ambitions of talented youth so that they desire something greater than forty years of mediocrity and twenty years of obsolescence.

And what do you promote at the expense of providing healthcare and education for the people? Flat income taxes, to encourage the ambitious and the talented to retire sooner and to make it even easier for spoiled heirs and heiresses to contribute nothing to society. Reinvestment of income into the means of production is, after all, one of the many "loopholes" that a flat tax would seek to close.

You deride people for being selfish, wanting the government to ensure that people receive the tools they need to be functional members of society-- but your answer to this is to allow their talents, as meager as they are, to be wasted in favor of more yachts and caviar for people who choose to waste their talents?

Your attitude contributes just as much to the inevitable decline and collapse of our society as that of the masses crying for their bread and circuses. The only difference is that you would prefer only an elite few to enjoy grander spectacles while those outside the tent starve.

Aside from all that there is a lack of honesty, honor and pride in our modern western society... People are stupid bastards, simply put. :lol:

In government in general there is just a lack of direction, lack of long term thinking, planning and organization in favor of chaotic "now" type of governments which just have to deal with all the problems of the previous governments, much of the problem also is democracy which is suppose to give power to the people, but in reality turns politics into a circus and remove power from the people. 4 years isnt by far enough to change things, long term planning of society must look into decades.

Also in a capitalist country there seems to be a lack of will of doing useful things in favor of just thinking profits.