here, but I've noticed there is a level of cognitive dissonance as to what is going on.

I am terrified or income inequality and the power of wealth, but not because it's our worst problem. It's because it makes it impossible for us to deal with our worst problem. When our worst problem hits, its possible if we have organized correctly, that people will understand what's happening and we will finally be able to reorganize society in a healthier way.

That problem is climate change.

The thing about the worsening environment is that it is in fact directly tied with income inequality.

In societies with a large middle class, people throughout the country have a sufficient voice to make people aware of how their environment is, and can force change. When you have a society of powerful aristocrats and weak peasants, one of the defining traits of that society is that whenever the peasants complain, rich people think their whining. That's about the most base generalization I can make.

I've noticed that no amount of scientific opinion can get people to wake up now. But trust me, in the end the way society goes will come down to how it responds to starvation and the loss of coastal cities. According to information from the University of Miami, we will probably lose Miami as a useful city in 20 years.

This isn't something that's happening to our kids anymore. We are going to see it.

That's why we have to get the basis of a movement going now.

is to get Bernie in the White House. And work with Brand New Congress to unseat some republicans [which they are working on right now].

And then see what the People's Summit comes up with. Hopefully, they can form a coalition party [by any name] and then I'll try to get it on the ballot and work for its candidates.

Perhaps we can start to make a real difference in 2018. But only if we understand that we have to do this without the benefit of Big Money.

Bernie has decided [I think] to not spend money on television advertising in California and instead to invest in the ground game. If he can win CA without TV, it might really have an impact on the electoral process.

Yeah, I'm a dreamer, too. But we have the chance of a lifetime right now. We gotta give it everything we got, even if we wind up looking like fools for trying.

I first voted for McGovern, so I go back. Not as far as Don, but... And, it wasn't the politicians that lit my lightbulb. It was the MSM lame stream media. It was MSLSD and the Sunday Wonk Shows. I kept seeing some RW numbnut, George Will, on one of the Sunday wonk shows. George f'ing Will? That asshat hasn't been right about anything in 20 years. And noticed all the other George Wills on the wonk shows. None of whom had a fucking clue in 20 years or more, hadn't taken a whiff outside the Beltway in all that time. Week after week, same asshats on the same wonk shows. And, I'm "slow," just a C HS student and D college "student," but the lightbulb finally showed a flicker. "This is just a Village Fest," I said to no one in particular. "Why am I watching asshats dumber than me?" I noticed the same thing over at MSLSD, although they still had K.O. at the time, and Rachel was watchable. So it finally dawned on my lame brain, the lightbulb finally lit, that "The Media" either didn't give a damn what was going on, was lazy, or both. But what they weren't was honest. They weren't being honest. See, during the Nixon Occupation we citizens may have had a love-hate thing with "The Media," but we at least knew they mostly did their job. The WaPo demonstrated that by pursuing The Trickster through the Watergate story. Wow, I though. Woodstein are actually going to bring down the president. A newspaper was going to bring down the f'ing president. The asshat that drafted my butt was going down! Now, up 'til then we had Uncle Walter telling us how fucked up Vietnam was every night on CBS. Love 'em or hate 'em, there was a STRONG sense that "The Media" was doing its job. Watergate was just icing on the cake. Simply put, "The Media" could be trusted. Or mostly trusted. So we all went off into the '80s, having kids, climbing that Corporate Ladder, with the sense that all was right with the world, any wrongs would be righted by the ever vigilant Media. No need to pay that close attention, CBS and the WaPo got our backs, let's go have some fun! And, the '80s wrong - Reagan - was righted with the election of Bubba. See! We have a self-correcting USA! All is right with the world. Kick back, watch Dan Rather and relax. He's got this! What could go wrong with Bubba and Dan in charge?! This is written for the under-40 crowd that must wonder how Boomers dropped the ball. Easy. After the Watergate reinforcement (if any was needed), we went about the business of living our lives expecting The Powers That Be - Dem politicians and The Media - would take care of business on their end. Would have our backs like Uncle Walter and the WaPo had ours way back when. If nothing else we had CBS' 60 Minutes reminding us every week that "we got this, go play with your kids." And so we did. It wasn't until G. Dubya beating Al Gore that lightbulbs started to flicker and more of us Boomers started paying attention - and wasn't until Dubya got reelected that we REALLY started paying attention. By then, of course, it was almost too late. The Oligarchy had all but taken over. Some say already has. Hard to argue with that, except some of us still remember Watergate. We remember real reporting and we know numbnuts Chuck the Toad ain't it. If you're still watching that asshat on Sundays stop. You're smarter than he is, smarter than all of those Village Idiots. You're not going to learn a damn thing by watching those Sunday wonk shows other than you're smarter than they are, so turn it off. Yes, we Boomers dropped the ball during the '80s and '90s while we were raising kids, but we fully expected "The Media" to do their job while we were off living our lives. Our "responsibility" was to read the daily newspaper and watch Dan every night. We did that. What we didn't know until G. Dubya came around was Rupert and the big boys were blowing smoke up our ass. Some say we caught on too late. WAY too late. Maybe. But, I still have faith we can get it back. Why I'm a #Berner. I'm in it to get it back.

Bill is charismatic. While that is a good thing in a way he has used it to his own benefit. (sadly) I remember seeing him back in the day at some high school in Las Vegas. I was impressed. Now I can see him as what he is. It is not impressive. (Such a shame but he is now a rich man)