ken, college is debt and debt is a disciplining tool. college is too late and not a primary institution.

Doesn't matter how good a voter you are when you're given the option between a turd sandwich and a giant douche.

The reason that the Democrats have a slightly higher net worth is because the GOP members don't disclose their entire income to the IRS. That's one of the benefits of being the mouthpiece of whatever industry is willing to hand you money: they show you how to hide it most effectively.

@4 - I'm going to go for "solid education, especially in rational thought", and "universal healthcare". And perhaps some mechanism to ensure that people don't end up living on the street if their company decides that indiscriminate lay-offs are the way to balance their corporate budget.

I think the origin of that negative feedback loop (the government is ineffective, say the folks eroding the effectiveness of government), is 1991 -- the collapse of the Soviet Union unburdened the American right from any nececssary cooperation with the American left in strengthening American institutions and any incentive to justify neoliberalism (vis-a-vis ameliorating the harm of capitalism as during the Keynsian consensus). It's straight from Nietzsche: "In the absence of conflict, the warrior makes war on himself."