Still on vacation but a couple of quick hits:
First. The problem in a nutshell: www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/... Repubs - rely on “low info” voters (ignorant, at least when it comes to politics). This may be our biggest challenge - education. T. Jeff said “The best defense of democracy is an informed electorate”. Having spent time around Republican members of congress, it’s obvious that they prefer the people they represent to be low info and to keep quiet.
Second. Most US citizens never travel overseas. This is allowed the concept of “American exceptionalism“ to take hold and fester. We have been in a developed country that has a reputation for “inefficiency” and a screwed up politics/economy. Yet… the infrastructure here - from roads to mass transit systems to municipal common areas - blows away most of the US. So does their use of technology in buildings, retail and restaurants. Basically, I can’t speak to private sector economic health, but their “public goods and systems” leave us in the dust. If only most Americans knew…
