Though well crafted, only partially correct. We were already well on that road before Trump. There is no democrat candidate either that is capable of stopping this train.

Also by branding people as members of a cult it only helps in keeping the country divided. Same happened in the Obama years. Obama’s tenure was the first time I ever heard avid supporters referred to as cult members. It was divisive then too.

Trump didn’t get us here. How did we get here is the question and blaming it on one person is a cop out.

Welcome to the United States of Dystopia!
This reminds me of a few things …
First, a metaphor from Shakespearean days, at the Bard's theater, where the nobles sat safely above the pit, watching both the play and the rabble below in the pit, who whooped and hollered at the actors, and occasionally threw rotten vegetables onto the state, while brawling with one another in the pit.
It reminds me of the days before the French Revolution, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots was as great as it is here today, and the attitudes of both sides are similar.
But more than anything, it reminds me of the WWE, where the rabble surrounding the ring behave much as the wrestlers in the square circle … booing the good guy and cheering the baddie. Where winning mostly involves an illegal hold or substance out of the sight of the referee, and the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Where civility is non-existent and morality is focused on 'winning' at all costs.
We are at a point in our culture where a bald-faced lie on the floor of the U.S. Senate goes unchallenged under the auspices of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
We are at a point where the President can slur rivals (or anyone who disagrees with him) on Twitter and destroy reputations or re-election chances.
We are at a point where no matter what the President says or does, the members of his cult blindly follow and accept those actions and words as gospel.
We are at a point where the actions of the government are so melded with the actions benefitting the holder of the presidency that the two are indistinguishable.
We are at a point where the president can spend $100,000,000 of taxpayer dollars so that he can golf one-third of the time that he has been in office and nobody says a word.
We are at a point akin to Nazi Germany in the mid-1930's immediately prior to Hitler's rise to power. Granted, the economic situation is better, but the underlying sentiments of grievance and loss of power because of 'others' is almost identical.
This is the state that we find ourselves today and these are but a few of the problems that we face.
We have a morality problem, in that what we are seeing in our society is a lack of it. Some claim to be "devout Christians" yet still support a man in the presidency that has broken most of the Commandments that they cling to as a basis for their own morality. Those two situations cannot exist simultaneously.
We treat each other with a grossness and lack of civility that I don't remember being this bad in my almost eighty years of memory. It seems that we have receded from a civilized society to one of pseudo-anarchy where it's every 'man' for themselves and the rules are only enforced when the flagrance of the offense cannot be ignored. "Might makes right, and justice is the interest of the stronger" [paraphrased from Plato's Republic, Chapter 1].
The justice system has two branches … one for the well-to-do and another for the rest of us. A well-publicized case in San Francisco involved F. Lee Bailey, the well-known lawyer, who was accused of drunk driving. He brought in two of his high-priced lawyers from his law firm, made mincemeat of the arresting officer, was acquitted in spite of overwhelming evidence, and avoided felony conviction. That would not have happened to most of us.
The economic system isn't much better. The stock market is OK, but for most of us, our economic situations haven't improved. Automation is taking more and more of our jobs, and retraining a secretary to be a computer technician to maintain a robot probably isn't in the cards. This is going to get exponentially worse.
Finding a place to work where the employer values their employees and treats them well is rare these days, and most of the jobs are where the employee just fills a slot and does rote work is the norm (for low wages, too.)
All in all, we're becoming a dystopian society. There's no denying this. And I'm not sure that recovery will ever be complete, if at all. Trump will probably be reelected … we have to remember that this is a person that will use every trick (legal and illegal) to win the election, and we can underestimate him at our peril. After that, it's gonna be a rough patch for the country.

Though well crafted, only partially correct. We were already well on that road before Trump. There is no democrat candidate either that is capable of stopping this train.

Also by branding people as members of a cult it only helps in keeping the country divided. Same happened in the Obama years. Obama’s tenure was the first time I ever heard avid supporters referred to as cult members. It was divisive then too.

Trump didn’t get us here. How did we get here is the question and blaming it on one person is a cop out.

Hi Whitnbrat...

Hope all is well...

Seems to me there are plenty of folk who have no problem criticizing the POTUS when they feel he needs it... Supporters I mean.... I've disagreed with him more than once...

Shocked at your statement concerning morality...

We have different views on the term...

I find the thought of infanticide, freeloading, suppressing religious beliefs, and generalizing those who disagree with me immoral...

Trump? will most certainly be reelected... And you're correct, he does use every "trick"... Name a politician who doesn't?

The world is changing... Perhaps America needs to look to her own borders and citizens, rather than attempting to play "king of the world"...

Though well crafted, only partially correct. We were already well on that road before Trump. There is no democrat candidate either that is capable of stopping this train.

Also by branding people as members of a cult it only helps in keeping the country divided. Same happened in the Obama years. Obama’s tenure was the first time I ever heard avid supporters referred to as cult members. It was divisive then too.

Trump didn’t get us here. How did we get here is the question and blaming it on one person is a cop out.

Welcome to the United States of Dystopia!
This reminds me of a few things …
First, a metaphor from Shakespearean days, at the Bard's theater, where the nobles sat safely above the pit, watching both the play and the rabble below in the pit, who whooped and hollered at the actors, and occasionally threw rotten vegetables onto the state, while brawling with one another in the pit.
It reminds me of the days before the French Revolution, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots was as great as it is here today, and the attitudes of both sides are similar.
But more than anything, it reminds me of the WWE, where the rabble surrounding the ring behave much as the wrestlers in the square circle … booing the good guy and cheering the baddie. Where winning mostly involves an illegal hold or substance out of the sight of the referee, and the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Where civility is non-existent and morality is focused on 'winning' at all costs.
We are at a point in our culture where a bald-faced lie on the floor of the U.S. Senate goes unchallenged under the auspices of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
We are at a point where the President can slur rivals (or anyone who disagrees with him) on Twitter and destroy reputations or re-election chances.
We are at a point where no matter what the President says or does, the members of his cult blindly follow and accept those actions and words as gospel.
We are at a point where the actions of the government are so melded with the actions benefitting the holder of the presidency that the two are indistinguishable.
We are at a point where the president can spend $100,000,000 of taxpayer dollars so that he can golf one-third of the time that he has been in office and nobody says a word.
We are at a point akin to Nazi Germany in the mid-1930's immediately prior to Hitler's rise to power. Granted, the economic situation is better, but the underlying sentiments of grievance and loss of power because of 'others' is almost identical.
This is the state that we find ourselves today and these are but a few of the problems that we face.
We have a morality problem, in that what we are seeing in our society is a lack of it. Some claim to be "devout Christians" yet still support a man in the presidency that has broken most of the Commandments that they cling to as a basis for their own morality. Those two situations cannot exist simultaneously.
We treat each other with a grossness and lack of civility that I don't remember being this bad in my almost eighty years of memory. It seems that we have receded from a civilized society to one of pseudo-anarchy where it's every 'man' for themselves and the rules are only enforced when the flagrance of the offense cannot be ignored. "Might makes right, and justice is the interest of the stronger" [paraphrased from Plato's Republic, Chapter 1].
The justice system has two branches … one for the well-to-do and another for the rest of us. A well-publicized case in San Francisco involved F. Lee Bailey, the well-known lawyer, who was accused of drunk driving. He brought in two of his high-priced lawyers from his law firm, made mincemeat of the arresting officer, was acquitted in spite of overwhelming evidence, and avoided felony conviction. That would not have happened to most of us.
The economic system isn't much better. The stock market is OK, but for most of us, our economic situations haven't improved. Automation is taking more and more of our jobs, and retraining a secretary to be a computer technician to maintain a robot probably isn't in the cards. This is going to get exponentially worse.
Finding a place to work where the employer values their employees and treats them well is rare these days, and most of the jobs are where the employee just fills a slot and does rote work is the norm (for low wages, too.)
All in all, we're becoming a dystopian society. There's no denying this. And I'm not sure that recovery will ever be complete, if at all. Trump will probably be reelected … we have to remember that this is a person that will use every trick (legal and illegal) to win the election, and we can underestimate him at our peril. After that, it's gonna be a rough patch for the country.

Trump does not need any tricks. He does not need any help from anyone to "corrupt" his election. He is who he is, and you just don't like it that a LOT of Americans just plain like the guy. He can win without Soros. He can win without Zukerberg. He can and will win on his own. Look at his rally plans for this week: The arena in New Jersey holds 7,286 people. 100,000 people applied for tickets! And this is 9 months before his re-election in just one town!

People. Like. Trump.

Welcome to the United States of Dystopia!
This reminds me of a few things …
First, a metaphor from Shakespearean days, at the Bard's theater, where the nobles sat safely above the pit, watching both the play and the rabble below in the pit, who whooped and hollered at the actors, and occasionally threw rotten vegetables onto the state, while brawling with one another in the pit.
It reminds me of the days before the French Revolution, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots was as great as it is here today, and the attitudes of both sides are similar.
But more than anything, it reminds me of the WWE, where the rabble surrounding the ring behave much as the wrestlers in the square circle … booing the good guy and cheering the baddie. Where winning mostly involves an illegal hold or substance out of the sight of the referee, and the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Where civility is non-existent and morality is focused on 'winning' at all costs.
We are at a point in our culture where a bald-faced lie on the floor of the U.S. Senate goes unchallenged under the auspices of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
We are at a point where the President can slur rivals (or anyone who disagrees with him) on Twitter and destroy reputations or re-election chances.
We are at a point where no matter what the President says or does, the members of his cult blindly follow and accept those actions and words as gospel.
We are at a point where the actions of the government are so melded with the actions benefitting the holder of the presidency that the two are indistinguishable.
We are at a point where the president can spend $100,000,000 of taxpayer dollars so that he can golf one-third of the time that he has been in office and nobody says a word.
We are at a point akin to Nazi Germany in the mid-1930's immediately prior to Hitler's rise to power. Granted, the economic situation is better, but the underlying sentiments of grievance and loss of power because of 'others' is almost identical.
This is the state that we find ourselves today and these are but a few of the problems that we face.
We have a morality problem, in that what we are seeing in our society is a lack of it. Some claim to be "devout Christians" yet still support a man in the presidency that has broken most of the Commandments that they cling to as a basis for their own morality. Those two situations cannot exist simultaneously.
We treat each other with a grossness and lack of civility that I don't remember being this bad in my almost eighty years of memory. It seems that we have receded from a civilized society to one of pseudo-anarchy where it's every 'man' for themselves and the rules are only enforced when the flagrance of the offense cannot be ignored. "Might makes right, and justice is the interest of the stronger" [paraphrased from Plato's Republic, Chapter 1].
The justice system has two branches … one for the well-to-do and another for the rest of us. A well-publicized case in San Francisco involved F. Lee Bailey, the well-known lawyer, who was accused of drunk driving. He brought in two of his high-priced lawyers from his law firm, made mincemeat of the arresting officer, was acquitted in spite of overwhelming evidence, and avoided felony conviction. That would not have happened to most of us.
The economic system isn't much better. The stock market is OK, but for most of us, our economic situations haven't improved. Automation is taking more and more of our jobs, and retraining a secretary to be a computer technician to maintain a robot probably isn't in the cards. This is going to get exponentially worse.
Finding a place to work where the employer values their employees and treats them well is rare these days, and most of the jobs are where the employee just fills a slot and does rote work is the norm (for low wages, too.)
All in all, we're becoming a dystopian society. There's no denying this. And I'm not sure that recovery will ever be complete, if at all. Trump will probably be reelected … we have to remember that this is a person that will use every trick (legal and illegal) to win the election, and we can underestimate him at our peril. After that, it's gonna be a rough patch for the country.

Welcome to the United States of Dystopia!
This reminds me of a few things …
First, a metaphor from Shakespearean days, at the Bard's theater, where the nobles sat safely above the pit, watching both the play and the rabble below in the pit, who whooped and hollered at the actors, and occasionally threw rotten vegetables onto the state, while brawling with one another in the pit.
It reminds me of the days before the French Revolution, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots was as great as it is here today, and the attitudes of both sides are similar.
But more than anything, it reminds me of the WWE, where the rabble surrounding the ring behave much as the wrestlers in the square circle … booing the good guy and cheering the baddie. Where winning mostly involves an illegal hold or substance out of the sight of the referee, and the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Where civility is non-existent and morality is focused on 'winning' at all costs.
We are at a point in our culture where a bald-faced lie on the floor of the U.S. Senate goes unchallenged under the auspices of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
We are at a point where the President can slur rivals (or anyone who disagrees with him) on Twitter and destroy reputations or re-election chances.
We are at a point where no matter what the President says or does, the members of his cult blindly follow and accept those actions and words as gospel.
We are at a point where the actions of the government are so melded with the actions benefitting the holder of the presidency that the two are indistinguishable.
We are at a point where the president can spend $100,000,000 of taxpayer dollars so that he can golf one-third of the time that he has been in office and nobody says a word.
We are at a point akin to Nazi Germany in the mid-1930's immediately prior to Hitler's rise to power. Granted, the economic situation is better, but the underlying sentiments of grievance and loss of power because of 'others' is almost identical.
This is the state that we find ourselves today and these are but a few of the problems that we face.
We have a morality problem, in that what we are seeing in our society is a lack of it. Some claim to be "devout Christians" yet still support a man in the presidency that has broken most of the Commandments that they cling to as a basis for their own morality. Those two situations cannot exist simultaneously.
We treat each other with a grossness and lack of civility that I don't remember being this bad in my almost eighty years of memory. It seems that we have receded from a civilized society to one of pseudo-anarchy where it's every 'man' for themselves and the rules are only enforced when the flagrance of the offense cannot be ignored. "Might makes right, and justice is the interest of the stronger" [paraphrased from Plato's Republic, Chapter 1].
The justice system has two branches … one for the well-to-do and another for the rest of us. A well-publicized case in San Francisco involved F. Lee Bailey, the well-known lawyer, who was accused of drunk driving. He brought in two of his high-priced lawyers from his law firm, made mincemeat of the arresting officer, was acquitted in spite of overwhelming evidence, and avoided felony conviction. That would not have happened to most of us.
The economic system isn't much better. The stock market is OK, but for most of us, our economic situations haven't improved. Automation is taking more and more of our jobs, and retraining a secretary to be a computer technician to maintain a robot probably isn't in the cards. This is going to get exponentially worse.
Finding a place to work where the employer values their employees and treats them well is rare these days, and most of the jobs are where the employee just fills a slot and does rote work is the norm (for low wages, too.)
All in all, we're becoming a dystopian society. There's no denying this. And I'm not sure that recovery will ever be complete, if at all. Trump will probably be reelected … we have to remember that this is a person that will use every trick (legal and illegal) to win the election, and we can underestimate him at our peril. After that, it's gonna be a rough patch for the country.

Have to disagree with you on this one slatts.

I'm friends with and also casually know people that are from every income bracket from the lowest to the highest....every one of them has told me they are doing better and have been doing better in the last 3 years then in the previous 24 years of 3 dismal Administrations.

I see Help Wanted signs everywhere and there are now two million jobs available and not enough qualified people to fill those jobs due to the inadequate federal education and indoctrination system.
I'm sorry but someone who majored in gender studies accumulating massive student debt will really not qualify them for anything but to be an assistant professor at one of the liberal colleges.

The trade schools in my area are packed with eager high school graduates ready to make some real money......and they will within 12 months after their training with no student debt and no gender studies degree.

I also realize that opinions vary.
And yes I know this statement was made due to my observations in North Carolina so I don't know what's going on in States like New York and California, but I do know people are moving out of those two states in record numbers for a reason.

So that's my two cents worth..... One can either take it or leave it, or please dispute what I've posted.

>>>

Brother please... there is no recovery, never was... money moves up not down...the gap is growing.
My brother works for a premier bankruptcy firm, they’ve been in business over 25years...prominent...
They are at record chapter 7 filings... business and personal...
The next wave he told me are all the hidden delinquencies and foreclosures coming on all the adjustable 7 and 10 year mortgages and worse.

I can go on and on and give you 2 dozen economic stats that show we’ve been sliding for a long time.

Trump keeps signing Budget gap spending crap because he knows the whole thing is going to crash and soon...

He has no backup plan, no one does....