[Talisker]

I’d call that essay the unvarnished truth.

Yep.

[Mouton]

As more and more jobs are done by robots or machines, there is now a great surplus of labor. Those at the tippy top don't care they are protected and insured in their insular lives. In the US we used to have a large “middle class” which has been hollowed out. While the averages may look good on paper, the spread of how the actual wealth of the nation is now divided is very one sided. Furthermore, when the notion that everyone has an equal chance on the overall outcome becomes a pipe dream, aside from winning a large lottery, restlessness arrives. There is a strong connection in the latest move to strong gun control to fear in the minds of those who are at the reins of power. First comes buying them off to keep everyone content, then comes subterfuge like rigged elections and finally the use of force to quell any rebellion. In this election we are close to passing step two.

[PUGACHEV]

I have lately come to believe that, as old as I am, I will yet live to witness the end of this country. I cannot say whether a Clinton win or a Trump win will trigger it, but I feel, more than see, the end approaching. On the other hand maybe it already has ended , but we haven’t noticed yet; little is left of the institutions and the society was born into just after WWII.

[jimt]

Yup !