Randy , I agree with most of what you say. In expressing your opinion here you are showing you care. We are not too old to give an opinion. In fact we might have some wisdom gained fro our life to give. I do not know enough about American domestic policitc to comment on some of your points. However in foreign policy I think Obama is right. I hope the American electors will give him a shance to bring change.

Randy, you haven't worn out your welcome--not here, anyway. And you're saying a lot of things I've heard other people say, so you're not alone.

But I wonder if the now times are that much different from the then times. There's always been war, dishonesty, murder, homosexuality--even street gangs. There's just a lot more of now and communication is instantaneous, so there's a lot of lies and half-truths floating around the ether.

End-times?--as in 2012? I hope not, same as you. But the poor, old world may be ripe for a decimation of large numbers of people through something 'natural' such as the swine flu. Of course, if that were to happen, the US would be expected to help fix it all.

Seriously, I do believe that changes will happen, but they'll happen slowly. The financial crises was an eye-opener, wasn't it? But some good has come out of it. People are spending less and saving more. And I think there are other more basic changes that'll take place simply because they must. I don't know where the US will stand as a result, but I don't really care. Our life-styles will change, our children and grandchildren will also be faced with expecting less rather than demanding more.

Yes, I do have ideas; I don't know how to implement them, is all. We have a Chinese man, a doctor (he says) who comes on periodically to complain about the pollution in his country. Some of his pictures are in the photo side-bar. We've all tried to make suggestions in an effort to 'help,' but he's really in the same position we're in--how does one break through to a government that doesn't listen?

How does one break through to ANYONE who doesn't listen? It's really not a problem of DOESN'T, as much as WON'T. And, there in lies the problem. A lot of whites won't listen to blacks, rich won't listen to poor, men won't listen to women, etc. etc..It's how we ARE, and have been for eons. The only thing we can do is try to make the best of a bad situation that's getting worse. You cannot explain something to someone who doesn't WANT to understand. Native cultures differ as much as spoken dialect. It would be much easier if we all spoke one language, with no different accent. Then understanding would much easier for everyone. Also if every individual had the same I.Q. and the same talents, likes, dislikes, personality, right on down to hair color. It would be such a perfect world if every man looked exactly like....... Charlie Sheen, and every woman like....... say Mariska Hagritay. There would be much less divorce from people cheating, no ugly babies, all boys and girls would have good looking Prom dates. Of course it would be hard to win at sports, excel in scholastics, etc. and we'd all die of boredom from sensory deprivation.....then there's the question of inbreeding........cross eyed children with crooks in their tails?
Not to make light of a bad situation, but a sence of humor, warped as it is, is the only thing they can't take from me. THERE IS NO REAL ANSWER HERE. The world can't start out with a clean slate without civilization, as we know it, ending and a whole fresh new population taking over to replace us, and guess what,.....in a few hundred years, they'd screw it up just as bad as we have, because they too would be human. It's human nature. And rule number two is that we can't change rule number one. Catch Twenty-two. So my advice is eat, drink and be merry, 'cause no one gets out alive.
On our President, I believe he's a good man. Like many, I was skeptical, and more than anything, saw him as the "lesser of evils" in the election. He seems to be thinking of the country rather than himself. Maybe he can make some of the necessary changes. Time will tell. All I know is that it'll be an uphill battle for him. He has a lot of ignorant, obstinate, stupid, and crooked people to deal with and overcome. Hopefully he won't get as frustrated with the world population as I am.

Hopefully, he won't, Randy--and hopefully, his opposition won't win.

Hopefully, when he talks about the UN and the rest of the world being more involved in its own problem solving, he doesn't mean the US will seek the approval of the UN or this so called world community before taking action to preserve or better itself.

The US has been accused of going after its own best interests. Well, if you're not looking out for yourself, don't count on anyone else to.

We have a saying in CERT. Who's number one? I am. It means that when TSHTF, you look out for yourself first. Help where you can with the damage and do not become another part of it. Don't try to do more than you can. Don't try to fix what you can't. Do keep yourself safe as you help others. Otherwise, you're someone else who needs help. Every year, rescuers get hurt or die and more rescuers have to go get them. That makes the situation worse. I am number one. I will self rescue whenever possible and then do whatever I can. If that means giving first aid, searching for survivors or manning a phone, that's what I'll do. If it means covering my own ass so as not to be another job for the next guy, that's what I'll do.