<< And all of this gazing-into-the-whoskey-glass discussion fails to recognize the very real differences that the candidates have, which have very real impacts

<< And all of this gazing-into-the-whoskey-glass discussion fails to recognize the very real differences that the candidates have, which have very real impacts on millions of people. I like that phrase. I may end up stealing that. I didn't say there are no differences or that there are no impacts. I said there were no real differences. Just because something has an impact on a number of people, does not make it important. Google email change may have a greater impact on most people's lives than some of the stuff we are talking about now. But I will make a specific observation here and tell me your thoughts on it. There is an amusing level of 'tax ideas' in the last moments of the campaign including no taxes on tips or no taxes on overtime, which, arguably has little to no real impact on the budget ( despite -- also arguably -- having some positive impact on the poor people ). Naturally, all of that has near zero chance of passing, which is partially the point I want to make here for you to consider. This is literally the 'bread' part in panem et circenses and there is literally no chance of it happening despite being practically insignificant amount in the US annual budget. What does that tell you about the priorities of the elected officials? What does it tell you about the candidates? I know what I think here, but I am curious how you will defend espoused values of candidates vs the reality of what is being done ( or has been done or will be done ). << You say we are all slaves, but don't propose any method or course of action that would lead to your fantasy of betterment. Which part? That there may be no way to make it better or the nature the reality we live in? << This is troubling. Zero disagreement. << Somehow you follow up with "public education is good in theory but since it doesn't currently work we should eliminate it". I am a simple man raised on Windows 98. Unfortunately, if there is one thing Microsoft taught me, it is that sometimes fresh install is necessary as no amount of fiddling will save it. This is largely how I feel about public education; no amount of fiddling will save this version.. << I (and presumably you) are privileged that Trump can't deport us, or take away our right to some healthcare choices, and that we have savings accounts and jobs with health insurance. In a sense, it is always a possibility. If you look at some of the fine print lately, you will note that naturalized citizenship could be stripped in some circumstances or that sometimes it does not matter if you are a citizen at all as long as the government deems you a big enough nuisance. But that is not Trump's fault. If anything, he may be a symptom of a greater issue and a convenient face to justify even more fine print on our list of privileges ( just in case that nuance is lost, I am channeling immortal Carlin here ). << I disagree with your worldview. That is ok. I do not come here to seek confirmation. I do come here, because, people here, on average, are interesting, smart, and/or capable ( sometimes all three at the same time too ). Call it aspirational voyeurism.