The future of the United States

[realtonygoodwin]

Just trying to get a sense of where you think we are as a country.

Assuming Ron Paul does not get the nomination and does not run 3rd party, do you believe our country

1. Has reached the point of no return and we are all doomed from here on out (at least not without armed resistance). Those who think we will be okay are naive.

or

2. Will still be okay. We will get another shot in 2016. Things may have to get worse before they get better. Those saying we are done with are overreactors.

Please make your choice in the poll.

[Captain Shays]

DOOMED.


I mean that too.

[Muttley]

My thought is that if Ron does not win this time around, things will never be the same for this simple reason. Obama and anyone but Ron are all seemingly hell-bent on bombing Iran regardless of the blowback and I just can't see Russia and or China not getting involved. It's going to get ugly and that's that...none of them care to utilize any sense of diplomacy. It's so blatant at this point (Halliburton selling Iran nuclear devices) that it's very hard to not buy into the conspiracies. :(

[realtonygoodwin]

Then vote in the poll for choice 1. ;)

[Travlyr]

Some people are doomed already and others, who are still above water presently, will be feeling serious decline as inflation ramps up. Others, the chosen ones, and those who see what is coming and prepare, will be just fine.

What people don't understand, and they should, is that,


Under the present fiat system of dishonest money some people prosper based on who they know and others suffer because they do not qualify.
Under a system of honest sound money most people prosper based on how much effort and persistence they put forth and others suffer because they are lazy, disadvantaged, or just don't care to prosper.

[69360]

I'm an average mainstream person. I don't subscribe to conspiracy theory or doom and gloom theory.

We're frikin screwed if Obama or any of the other GOP candidates is president. WW3 will start in the middle east. Monetary system will collapse in EU and spread. There will be armed insurrection against the US government.

NDAA and SOPA were filled with that crap to contain the population when order collapses.

I'm not kidding one bit and will be taking steps to get myself and my kids to a safe place.

[realtonygoodwin]

I'm an average mainstream person. I don't subscribe to conspiracy theory or doom and gloom theory.

We're frikin screwed if Obama or any of the other GOP candidates is president. WW3 will start in the middle east. Monetary system will collapse in EU and spread. There will be armed insurrection against the US government.

NDAA and SOPA were filled with that crap to contain the population when order collapses.

I'm not kidding one bit and will be taking steps to get myself and my kids to a safe place.

Your first two sentences are dismissed by the remainder of your post.

[Endthefednow]

If Ron Paul does not become the next Prez we as a nation will be DOOMED

[lynnf]

It's like the event horizon of a black hole, we are almost there.

[nano1895]

"Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll whisper "no."

It might not totally relate but I keep on thinking of this quote when I think of the future if sheeple continue to be sheeple.

[Svenskar_för_Ron_Paul]

I must say that Ron Paul is the U.S. only hope if they want to restore their reputation abroad internationally. Sad to say (even though many know this already) but a big part of the world hates U.S.A. Many are actually putting more faith in China and Russia, atleast here in Sweden. Many thought that Obama would be a gamechanger from 8 years of Bush, but no no.

It shouldn't really be like that...

[69360]

Your first two sentences are dismissed by the remainder of your post.

Hardly, wake up to what's happening to our republic, it's dying.

I'm not a birther, truther or any of that nonsense, I've always been an average Republican. We are in big trouble here.

[Brick-in-the-Wall]

This is why I don't believe the "we still have Rand in 2016" talk if Ron loses.

If Ron Paul does not win, it's over. Things will have gone too far to be fixed. NDAA showed me how both parties feel and more of this, SOPA for one, will just continue to get pushed through onto the American people who don't give a damn because American Idol is still on.

If Ron Paul doesn't get the nomination, I'm voting for Obama. Why? When Obama got into office last time, gun sales spiked and there was rumblings all over of "the second revolution" or "armed resistance." If a Republican gets into office many people will let their guard down. If Obama gets in, maybe he'll push too hard in one area and ignite this powder keg that has been sitting for far too long.

An armed, well organized resistance, will have to start something that leads to real change and real reform if we don't elect Paul or Congress and the President don't have a serious change of heart.

[-:Undertaker:-]

As a Briton looking on your growing debt and with the war with Iran looming, you haven't much time left.

The fate of what happened to us when our British Empire fell thanks to war and bankruptcy awaits you.

[tremendoustie]

Just trying to get a sense of where you think we are as a country.

Assuming Ron Paul does not get the nomination and does not run 3rd party, do you believe our country

1. Has reached the point of no return and we are all doomed from here on out (at least not without armed resistance). Those who think we will be okay are naive.

or

2. Will still be okay. We will get another shot in 2016. Things may have to get worse before they get better. Those saying we are done with are overreactors.

Please make your choice in the poll.

The premise of the question is wrong.

1. Electing a president is not necessary or sufficient to change the country to begin to respect liberty again. We won't be done even if Paul is elected, and we sure as heck better not sit on our hands until 2016 if he isn't. We need to be working hard at the local, state, and congressional levels -- especially at the state level.

2. There are many approaches other than politics and "armed resistance" (which would be highly foolish and hugely counterproductive by the way). There's education, civil disobedience, jury nullification, agorism, peaceful independence (although that's sort of political), etc.

Please don't get boxed into this "win the presidency or we're all doomed/take up rifles" sort of thinking.

[69360]

As a Briton looking on your growing debt and with the war with Iran looming, you haven't much time left.

The fate of what happened to us when our British Empire fell thanks to war and bankruptcy awaits you.

The UK might be a good place to be when the shtf. You didn't buy into that euro nonsense and an island is defensible. You held off the nazis well enough.

[Karsten]

If Ron Paul doesn't get the nomination, I'm voting for Obama. Why? When Obama got into office last time, gun sales spiked and there was rumblings all over of "the second revolution" or "armed resistance." If a Republican gets into office many people will let their guard down.

If Ron doesn't get in, I think the best thing we can hope for is that Obama wins and there's a Republican Congress, perhaps with more tea party members. During a Presidency like Bush, the Republicans are just rubber-stamp. But, under Obama, there's at least been token opposition.
That being said, I voted for option 2. Things are bad, but they're not as bad as AJ would have you believe.

[Karsten]

I do NOT recommend voting for Obama, however. No Ron Paul supporter should endorse his platform. But I would hope for Obama/Republican Congress. There is no reason you HAVE to vote if there are no good options. In the absence of a candidate like Ron Paul, DO NOT VOTE.

[tremendoustie]

Yeah, lots of AJ listeners on here. Glad the guy supports RP, but he's way over the top on some things.

Things are getting worse, but it's not the end of the universe, folks.

[tremendoustie]

I do NOT recommend voting for Obama, however. No Ron Paul supporter should endorse his platform. But I would hope for Obama/Republican Congress.

Voting for evil is evil, regardless of what tactical or strategic reasons you may think you have for it.

[Karsten]

Voting for evil is evil, regardless of what tactical or strategic reasons you may think you have for it.
Yep, that's why I say I would hope for Obama to win over the (Non-Paul) Republican candidate due to the reasons I outlined, but under no circumstances whatsoever would I even get within 100 miles of voting for Obama.

[Travlyr]

Yeah, lots of AJ listeners on here. Glad the guy supports RP, but he's way over the top on some things.

Things are getting worse, but it's not the end of the universe, folks.

It's not the end of the universe. It is just the end of the universe for some unfortunate people. That's the point. Some people have already lost their homes, their families, their car, and all hope, so it is now only a matter of time. For others, everything is fine and dandy... so far.

[69360]

Yeah, lots of AJ listeners on here. Glad the guy supports RP, but he's way over the top on some things.

Things are getting worse, but it's not the end of the universe, folks.

I don't listen to AJ or buy into any of those theories, nobody is plotting or conspiring anything. Things are just getting very bad in the world on multiple fronts, economic and political. A perfect storm is brewing. Normal average people are seeing we are in big trouble.

[Gumba of Liberty]

The UK might be a good place to be when the shtf. You didn't buy into that euro nonsense and an island is defensible. You held off the nazis well enough.

Britain is the equivalent of the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT). A disarmed population and well-monitored, well-armed police state. I'd much rather be where I am in rural Virginia will my guns, crops, and small police force.

[affa]

How bad does it have to get before some of you realize how bad it is? Do we need the economy in crisis? Oh. Wait. Do we need indefinite detention as a matter of policy? Oh. Wait. Do we need 'legal' assasinations of US Citizens? Oh. Wait. Do we need something called 'Homeland Security' erecting search points at travel hubs? Oh. Wait.

Ron Paul. That's it.

As someone who has been fighting for the message of liberty darn near my entire life, I can say this: nothing sickens me more than the 'don't worry, we'll fix it in 4 years, we'll get a good guy in office next time' crowd. No. That's the dangerous thought. We keep getting terrible, terrible presidents, and we just let it keep happening, hoping 'next time' we get some guy in there that can fix it.

Well, guess what? That guy is Ron Paul. He's the only chance we'll ever have at someone so incorruptible, someone with such a vast history of integrity, someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. We're already seeing every political hack, right down to Rick 'no privacy in the bedroom' Santorum, claiming they represent liberty.

Ron Paul or not at all. Ron Paul or I'm gone. Take your 'just wait 4 years' and shove it.

[Karsten]

Ron Paul or not at all. Ron Paul or I'm gone. Take your 'just wait 4 years' and shove it.
Even if Ron Paul doesn't make it, there's no reason to "wait 4 years." Education, campaign for liberty like we've done for the past 4 years, mises.org, running grassroots liberty candidates like we did in 2010, protest, write, spread the word.
Politics doesn't begin and end with the Presidency.

[Machiavelli]

I truly believe if Paul does not become president we will see de-centralization of government and secessions. The majority of RP supporters/alex jones types makes up a lot of the population. As time goes along the number will grow and more people will eventually wake up. Before it gets to a totally tyrannical fascist police state, peoples and states will start nullifying federal laws and eventually lead to secession. It happened in the 1860s, why cant it happen again. This country is based on federalist principles and ideas which are unique to the world.

[Karsten]

I truly believe if Paul does not become president we will see de-centralization of government and secessions. The majority of RP supporters/alex jones types makes up a lot of the population. As time goes along the number will grow and more people will eventually wake up. Before it gets to a totally tyrannical fascist police state, peoples and states will start nullifying federal laws and eventually lead to secession. It happened in the 1860s, why cant it happen again. This country is based on federalist principles and ideas which are unique to the world.
Civil War II.
Would be interesting if one was watching it from afar and not having to live it.
We'll see :p

[affa]

Even if Ron Paul doesn't make it, there's no reason to "wait 4 years." Education, campaign for liberty like we've done for the past 4 years, mises.org, running grassroots liberty candidates like we did in 2010, protest, write, spread the word.
Politics doesn't begin and end with the Presidency.

We are at the breaking point. Sick of the bailouts. Sick of the wars. Sick of the bombings. Sick of the police state. Sick of the war on drugs. Sick of the war on liberty. Sick of it all. When I stop to consider where my tax money goes, and the moral burden I live with simply by continuing to support this country through living here, I feel nauseous.

I have no interest in rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

[bsi]

doomed. look at the headline at drudgereport, very disturbing picture.

[69360]

Britain is the equivalent of the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT). A disarmed population and well-monitored, well-armed police state. I'd much rather be where I am in rural Virginia will my guns, crops, and small police force.

Historically the UK has fared rather well holding their ground in wartime.

I'm in a semi rural area, I can see corn and cows out the window. But I'm between two rather large cities filled with NY and NJ transplants that subsist entirely on entitlements. When shtf and entitlements stop, I'm very worried about rioting and looting of my area. I'd rather not have to hold them off at gunpoint. So I will probably bail out of PA and move to NH if Ron doesn't win.

[Machiavelli]

Civil War II.
Would be interesting if one was watching it from afar and not having to live it.
We'll see :p

Interesting times ahead

[The Free Hornet]

I voted 2: Another shot in 2016. This assumes that the not-Paul candidate (Romney?) has to be defeated in 2012. If Romney or anyone-but-Paul wins the Presidency, it will make it difficult-to-impossible to run a Constitutional Republican in 2016. Pat tried to run against HW Bush and he was slaughtered. Were I to assume Ron Paul fails to get the nomination, it means active campaigning against Romney/whoever. I'll vote for Obama just to cancel out a neocon vote.

[Deborah K]

Choice One: Obama gets re-elected, American economy fully collapses (like Greece) because he continues the borrowing, taxing and spending, and occupations, then there is a societal collapse, Obama administration employs full martial law, and America dissolves like the U.S.S.R.

Choice Two: Ron Paul gets elected, American economy goes through a depression,(because it's inevitable), Paul allows for liquidation of debt, ends occupation around the world, economy has a quick and full recovery and we head toward peace, prosperity, and freedom.

[Dr.3D]

I can just see this headline in the news. I wonder which one will pick it up first.

66% of Ron Paul Supporters Believe America has Reached the Point of no Return and we are all Doomed from here on out if Ron Paul isn't Elected President.

[blazeKing]

What happens? Economic collapse (problem), the elites use the police and military to clamp down on the American people who WILL be asking for it (reaction), they set up a north american union, transitioning us into a socialist American police state where they tell you that you have freedom but you don't(solution).

[69360]

I can just see this headline in the news. I wonder which one will pick it up first.

66% of Ron Paul Supporters Believe America has Reached the Point of no Return and we are all Doomed from here on out if Ron Paul isn't Elected President.

I'm fine with that headline. It'll make people think.

[braane]

It depends on whether or not we will have enough rights left to change anything by 2016. I am not so sure we will. If SOPA passes, and NDAA being passed just a few weeks ago, that's a serious decline in rights in a very small frame of time. At that rate... I am pretty sure we won't. Couple our sudden lack or rights with the power of the media, and I don't have a whole lot of hope for us. World War 3 is just around the corner as we speak(if we attack Iran anyways), and if that doesn't destroy America... surely our special brand of fascism will.

[mosquitobite]

They're moving fast on SOPA so they can control better what information gets out. So, imo - we're doomed.

[Travlyr]

Choice One: Obama gets re-elected, American economy fully collapses (like Greece) because he continues the borrowing, taxing and spending, and occupations, then there is a societal collapse, Obama administration employs full martial law, and America dissolves like the U.S.S.R.

Choice Two: Ron Paul gets elected, American economy goes through a depression,(because it's inevitable), Paul allows for liquidation of debt, ends occupation around the world, economy has a quick and full recovery and we head toward peace, prosperity, and freedom.

The economy is in depression already. If you are not aware of that, then I am happy for you because it is not affecting you personally. A lot of people are not doing quite so well. Please help them if you can.

[Muwahid]

America's actions around the world don't reflect self-preservation, it reflects corporations' desires. So it's entirely possible that America goes down the tubes if it's not corrected immediately. Politicians are living in the now, how can I make more money and line my pockets.

I don't think they think their actions will destroy this country, when you work for a machine, that seemingly can do anything, it becomes god. How can the great American machine go under? How can these people worth billions go under? Impossible! It's ignorant, and naive, you'd think a historian like Gingrich would get it, but nah.

I know a lot of people are worried about SOPA, NDAA, etc.. but those are the problems NOW. Countries get more oppressive when they get weaker and can't provide an environment of prosperity, because those without jobs, and no prospects can turn violent, and may want to actually change things! The real worry should be the lasting effects of this, will there BE an America fifty years down the line. A lot of us are young, we'll still be alive and kicking at that time, will your town be a ghost town as people look for economic opportunities elsewhere?

Look how much the world changed in a decade. I think we all support Doctor Paul out of necessity out of the fact anything can happen now. Our civil liberties can be taken away we can be imprisoned for political views, or religious views based on technicalities - and as this country weakens, the outside threat becomes more ominous.

But 49 states to go ;)

[Agorism]

Win this RP poll please

hxxp://polipundit.com/

[enjerth]

Nothing can stop an idea who's time has come.

If it's not to come now, it will come later. We are close to a second period of enlightenment.

Plant the seeds and water the soil, but do not till it too vigorously. It will yield fruit.

[dude58677]

I going to say we'll still be ok. It is what both Michael Boldin and Tom Woods have been saying that it is really about the States vs the Federal Government. We have passed a gold standard in Utah, we just have to keep it up.

[Travlyr]

I going to say we'll still be ok. It is what both Michael Boldin and Tom Woods have been saying that it is really about the States vs the Federal Government. We have passed a gold standard in Utah, we just have to keep it up.
And by "we" you mean ... those who are not already destitute?

[TheLasersShadow]

Economically we're doomed for sure if anyone but Ron Paul gets in. I don't know your time line is accurate but we're in for a long roller-coaster of downward motion both econ and tyranny increase.

It's just going to be BAD and all the dumb sheeple are going to catch on way to slowly to do anything about it and will call us crazy for knowing economics and how the world works.

[dude58677]

And by "we" you mean ... those who are not already destitute?

Ron Paul hasn't quit after 30 years. Besides, Utah has a gold standard and nothing is going to change that.:D

[Travlyr]

Ron Paul hasn't quit after 30 years. Besides, Utah has a gold standard and nothing is going to change that.:D

Definitely progress. :)

I just want to keep reminding everyone who is still gainfully employed that many people, and their children, "do not qualify" for prosperity in our fiat world.

[beardedlinen]

You should have an option for someone like me who feels the truth lies somewhere in between those two predictions.

[PeteinLA]

I think it will probably get progressively worse. I've thought about this a lot and it usually is never quite as bad as I could imagine nor as good. Unless things change I could see the US just kind of slipping into a malaise like Japan for 8-15 years. By then it might be too late to change course. We could just change the name of the country to "Fancy Mexico". That isn't a dig on Mexico per say, Mexico can be a lot of fun, but it's society is extremely stratified and I could see the US heading in that direction.

Little to no middle class, extremely rich living behind gated communities, continual downgrading of cultural, business and government institutions. Just kind of a retrograde degradation of our current position. In other words kind of a continued blahhhhh situation as Asia passes by.

But I could be wrong and this whole thing could blow sky high. Either way it will be interesting to watch.

[dude58677]

Definitely progress. :)

I just want to keep reminding everyone who is still gainfully employed that many people, and their children, "do not qualify" for prosperity in our fiat world.

My other issue is the people who are in jail for victimless crimes that should be pardoned such as Irwin schiff. I miss that guy.

[ryanmkeisling]

How bad does it have to get before some of you realize how bad it is? Do we need the economy in crisis? Oh. Wait. Do we need indefinite detention as a matter of policy? Oh. Wait. Do we need 'legal' assasinations of US Citizens? Oh. Wait. Do we need something called 'Homeland Security' erecting search points at travel hubs? Oh. Wait.

Ron Paul. That's it.

As someone who has been fighting for the message of liberty darn near my entire life, I can say this: nothing sickens me more than the 'don't worry, we'll fix it in 4 years, we'll get a good guy in office next time' crowd. No. That's the dangerous thought. We keep getting terrible, terrible presidents, and we just let it keep happening, hoping 'next time' we get some guy in there that can fix it.

Well, guess what? That guy is Ron Paul. He's the only chance we'll ever have at someone so incorruptible, someone with such a vast history of integrity, someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. We're already seeing every political hack, right down to Rick 'no privacy in the bedroom' Santorum, claiming they represent liberty.

Ron Paul or not at all. Ron Paul or I'm gone. Take your 'just wait 4 years' and shove it.

This^

[heavenlyboy34]

The End of the fiat money insanity of the last century is over. The only question is how hard the crash will be and how the recovery happens (if at all). IMO, we've got a decade to go before a return to "normal". Over the last ~1-2 years, the FED has printed more money than has been printed in all US history up to that point. The empire is crumbling. /end ramble. I still don't see myself leaving unless there's something really good to go to. TPTB have the power to find you just about anywhere. Might as well make your last stand here.

[Travlyr]

My other issue is the people who are in jail for victimless crimes that should be pardoned such as Irwin schiff. I miss that guy.
I'm with you on that one too, Dude!

[heavenlyboy34]

I'm with you on that one too, Dude!
+1

[Jingles]

I selected Choice 1, but it's some kind of both for me. It will be a disastrous 4 years without Paul. A lot of terrible things will happen, insane wars, our monetary system will collapse, police state goes into full force and uses violence against all, rioting, and possibly an armed revolution, etc...

I feel as if though we will be like a phoenix in that case. We have a whole new generation here ready for liberty and I feel regardless if all what I listed above occurs, we will rise from the ashes and restore liberty. Ron Paul is our last chance to restore the republic. If we miss this chance we will have to start from scratch.

[Travlyr]

The End of the fiat money insanity of the last century is over. The only question is how hard the crash will be and how the recovery happens (if at all). IMO, we've got a decade to go before a return to "normal". Over the last ~1-2 years, the FED has printed more money than has been printed in all US history up to that point. The empire is crumbling. /end ramble. I still don't see myself leaving unless there's something really good to go to. TPTB have the power to find you just about anywhere. Might as well make your last stand here.
I dono HB. The crash of fiat money will be devastating for these guys,

"Banking was conceived in iniquity and born in sin. Bankers own the Earth. Take it away from them but leave them the power to create money, and, with the flick of a pen, they will create enough money to buy it back again. Take this great power away from them and all great fortunes like mine will disappear and they ought to disappear, for then this would be a better and happier world to live in. But, if you want to continue to be the slave of the bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the bankers continue to create money and control credit." - Sir Josiah Stamp, President, Bank of England (2nd richest man in England)

For the people who are not privileged ... it's a total win. 650 million acres of Federal United States Western lands are available to be homesteaded through a color-blind lottery system. Would you like to have a home of your very own just for working for it?

[heavenlyboy34]

I dono HB. The crash of fiat money will be devastating for these guys,


For the people who are not privileged ... it's a total win. 650 million acres of Federal United States Western lands are available to be homesteaded through a color-blind lottery system. Would you like to have a home of your very own just for working for it?
Yeah, I don't doubt what you're saying at all. My point is that I don't know of any better place right off. (do you?) If we can muster up enough support for our cause to take the power away from the banksters, the future looks good long term. I'd like a homestead myself. :cool:

[Sematary]

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist but I still believe we have an opportunity to turn the ship around before it hits the iceburg

[Travlyr]

Yeah, I don't doubt what you're saying at all. My point is that I don't know of any better place right off. (do you?) If we can muster up enough support for our cause to take the power away from the banksters, the future looks good long term. I'd like a homestead myself. :cool:

Indeed. Winning liberty through sound money has been achieved in the past. It can be accomplished again.

[Greg Buchanan]

We'll probably be alright until 2020.

[Travlyr]

We'll probably be alright until 2020.
Again "we'll" includes those who are not already destitute?

[Greg Buchanan]

Again "we'll" includes those who are not already destitute?
2020 is the earliest year for the start of a civil war in Europe, the situation is quite volatile though you won't pick up on that in the MSM, which would create an early and abrupt 'end of oil' scenario, which could cause the prices of certain products to go up 500%.

[Travlyr]

2020 is the earliest year for the start of a civil war in Europe, the situation is quite volatile though you won't pick up on that in the MSM, which would create an early and abrupt 'end of oil' scenario, which could cause the prices of certain products to go up 500%.

Unless, of course... you win. Some truth must be told. Industrial hemp is the greenest plant on Earth. Cannabis sativa is God's gift to humanity. Yeah, in 2012 it is illegal to grow and own, but when you defeat those mofo's who control you, then suck it up. Earn the right to be honest and prosperous. Sound money is the key.

[Cutlerzzz]

We already have a 1.65 trillion dollar deficit, the government spies on us, can detain indefinately without warrent, can torture us, can take as much of our money as they want, can tell us what we can or cannot put in our bodies (whether it is food, drugs, milk, healthcare or whatever), claims the authority to ban gun ownership (self defense), can seize our property when it wants, can print as much money as it wants without a vote, has a president that can murder anyone in the world without due process whenever he wants, has a president that can go to war with whoever he wants whenever he wants, ect...

If you think that we are not at the point of no return now, then I don't know what you think they can do over the next four years that will take us to that point. I don't believe that there is such a thing as the point of no return.

[Athan]

The passage of NDAA and Ron's age has pretty much made me realize that Choice 1 is likely correct.

[QueenB4Liberty]

I think we are doomed if Ron Paul isn't the President. Especially after going through the radiation-naked-body-scanners twice in the past two weeks. Last Christmas I didn't have to go through them because they weren't on. Now I went through them because I didn't want to miss my flight but I was mortified. Ugh I still get so angry over the whole experience. Americans accept being treated like caged animals. There is less security to visit someone in a goddamn prison then than there is to board an airplane. :(

[liberty2897]

It's like the event horizon of a black hole, we are almost there.

Exactly! It is not a linear progression that has landed us in our current situation. Our road to police-state started on 9/11. Things have progressed for the worse much more quickly in the past 10 years than all of previous US history. New direction needed URGENTLY! No candidate beside Ron Paul offers any solutions. I still have a small shred of hope, so I won't vote on the poll. I do lean toward the doom option though.

[realtonygoodwin]

I am saddened a bit by this poll...

[Marenco]

A bit like what happened to the Roman Empire if we don't change course.

Debt Slavery – Why It Destroyed Rome, Why It Will Destroy Us Unless It’s Stopped:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/12/02/debt-slavery-–-why-it-destroyed-rome-why-it-will-destroy-us-unless-it’s-stopped/

[DamianTV]

I can say one thing for certain. If we do not change our course, we are Doomed. If we can change our course, we may have a shot, but we have very little precious time left. A Ron Paul Presidency and more importantly, the restoration of a Free Country by occupying every office at every level, is probably the only real shot that we have, and we are fought tooth and nail at every level.

For evil to truly triumph over good, good men must simply do nothing.

Seven, count em on both hands, seven whole delegates has tied Ron Paul for First Place in the Presidential Race, regardless of what the Iowa Straw Poll results were (Straw Poll in Iowa is Unbinding to the Delegates like they are in Nevada, each state changes). If we can not manage to muster up a whopping handful of Delegates for Ron Paul for each State, then as a Nation, we stand divided, and so hopelessly dependant on the Socialistic nature of our current form of government, we, as a Nation will vote ourselves back into bondage. And we can not stay the course. We must do everything in our power to free the minds of as many people as we can. The enslavement of the body means nothing if the mind is not free. And the expectation that we can stay the course by expecting something for nothing enslaves the mind like no other force on the planet can.

[mosquitobite]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout#Trends_of_decreasing_turnout

Reasons for decline
Many causes have been proposed for this decline; a combination of factors is most likely. When asked why they do not vote, many people report that they have too little free time. However, over the last several decades, studies have consistently shown that the amount of leisure time has not decreased.[citation needed] The perception that one is busier is common, and might be just as important as a real decrease in leisure time. Geographic mobility has increased over the last few decades. There are often barriers to voting in a district where one is a recent arrival, and a new arrival is likely to know little about the local candidate and local issues. Francis Fukuyama has blamed the welfare state, arguing that the decrease in turnout has come shortly after the government became far more involved in people's lives. He argues in Trust: The Social Virtues and The Creation of Prosperity that the social capital essential to high voter turnouts is easily dissipated by government actions. However, on an international level those states with the most extensive social programs tend to be the ones with the highest turnouts. Richard Sclove argues, in Democracy and Technology, that technological developments in society such as "automobilization," suburban living, and "an explosive proliferation of home entertainment devices" have contributed to a loss of community, which in turn has weakened participation in civic life.[58][not specific enough to verify]
Trust in government and in politicians has decreased in many nations. However, the first signs of decreasing voter turnout occurred in the early 1960s, which was before the major upheavals of the late 1960s and 1970s. Robert D. Putnam argues that the collapse in civil engagement is due to the introduction of television. In the 1950s and 1960s television quickly became the main leisure activity in developed nations. It replaced earlier more social entertainments such as bridge clubs, church groups, and bowling leagues. Putnam argues that as people retreated within their homes and general social participation declined so too did voting.[59] Rosenstone and Hansen contend that the decline in turnout is the product of a change in campaigning strategies as a result of the so-called new media. Before the introduction of television, almost all of a party's resources would be directed towards intensive local campaigning and get out the vote initiatives. In the modern era, these resources have been redirected to expensive media campaigns in which the potential voter is a passive participant.[60] During the same period, negative campaigning has become ubiquitous in the United States and elsewhere. Attack ads and smear campaigns give voters a negative impression of the entire political process. The evidence for this is mixed: elections involving highly unpopular incumbents generally have high turnout; some studies have found that mudslinging and character attacks reduce turnout, but that substantive attacks on a party's record can increase it.[61]
The decline in voter turnout is almost wholly concentrated among non-seniors.[citation needed] Those who began voting prior to 1960 maintain the same high turnout rates of that era. For each subsequent generation, starting with the one that came of age in the 1960s, turnout has steadily declined. Recent programs to increase the rates of voting among young people—such as MTV's "Rock the Vote" and the "Vote or Die" initiatives in the United States—may have marginally increased turnouts of those between the ages of 18 and 25 to vote.[not in citation given][62] On a related note, the 2004 American election saw young adults vote in greater numbers since any election where 18-year-olds were eligible to vote, a statistic Michael Moore claims may have been driven by his Slacker Uprising 2004 tour.[63] A number of governments and electoral commissions have also launched efforts to boost turnout. For instance Elections Canada has launched mass media campaigns to encourage voting prior to elections, as have bodies in Taiwan and the United

When did public schools come about again?