-=> RICHARD WEBB wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-

 RW> Hello Wayne,

Hello Richard.

 WC> most Americans is truely beyond my abilty to understand.

 WC> Once upon a time I believed the U.S. Constitution really mattered.

 RW> Why does this surprise you?  The American people are told
 RW> they're consumer, in all that "consumer" implies.  They
 RW> promise to pay for it later.  Tell your innermost secrets on myspace
 RW> and watch other people make idiots of themselves on
 RW> American IDol or so-called reality television, but just buy
 RW> more shit will ya?

We'd better start making stuff again.
That and a funding a LOT of research and development.

Instead of pouring funds into the banks, Wall Street and an automotive
industry that ignored the call to change.

It just isn't going to get any better otherwise.

We can lead but the price of following is just too incomprehensible to me, or
do I mean it is _too comprehensable_?

The latter I think.

Don't get me wrong.
I'm not against the oil companies getting rich, I'm opposed to them
getting rich at the cost of what I used to regard as a great democracy.

Just change the _oil_ in "oil industry", to _energy_ industry.
They broke it, let 'em fix it while creating jobs and yes even staying wealthy.


Of course this requires foresight and critical thinking.

Whoever thunk up "trickle down economics anyway"?

If the rich want to stay rich you'd think they'd want the consumer to have
the financial resources to continue to buy products and services?

I call it, "trickle up economics", and I seem to recall it built
this country.

 RW> They don't want to think about who might have their medical
 RW> records, their credit data, etc.  "I got nothing to hide ...
" is the
 RW> mantra. OF course you don't, you have whatever
 RW> every other fool has, a radio telephone that can be easily
 RW> monitored by authorities that lets the poor guy on the other end hear
 RW> half what you say to him and every time you gas up
 RW> you give your money for the product to people who hate you.
 RW> AT least, you're told the majority of them hate you.

What we're told?
Hell, Congress isn't even told anything anymore.

I recall at the beginning of this Iraq war thinking what with all the
Congressional aides and resources at their disposal how come no one
in Congress appeared informed?

To the best of my knowledge not one member of Congress even ever bothered to
attempt to read 
the unabridged National Intelligence Estimate which actually had some of the
canards and questions
about the accuracy of Intel on Iraq.
 
 RW> on the six o'clock news that says " if you have .... see
 RW> your doctor and tell him that you want him to prescribe .... "  Be

That's another thing, drug compamies allowed to market directly to the American
people???
I don't recall going to medical school or being especially good at biology.
Who else does this in the world?

My personal favorite is the drug marketed for Alzheimers or Parkinson's 
disease, I forget which. 

It was ineffective so the pharmacutical companies invented "restless leg
syndrome."  

 RW> scared, whatever you do, be very afraid, but dammit go to the mall on
 RW> your day off. Wal Mart's open 24 hours for
 RW> your convenience.
 RW> Go home from Wal Mart and hide out in your bunker, you've
 RW> got plenty of toys to play with.  Siddown and shuddup, just
 RW> be scared and hide in your bunker.

 A couple of years ago I actually gave a damn.

I can still recall Carl Sagan calling into question the value of intelligence
as an unproven survival trait.

Here's another area I hope I'm proven wrong in my beliefs.
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