[r9etb]

And third, there's a depressing sense that Stockman will be dismissed as a traitor, his message lost in the 24/7 news cycle ... until the final apocalyptic event, an unpredictable black swan triggers another, bigger global meltdown, followed by a long Great Depression II and a historic class war.

I suspect you're right about how Stockman will be treated (as witness the posts on this thread). And it's true that part of his motivation for writing this stuff is to garner another 15 minutes of fame. And it's also true that the GOP is as guilty as anyone of letting things go to the point they've now reached. But not solely guilty.

Of course, the problem is, as you've stated, that the American public have surrendered their political authority to those whose ambitions have led them to so-called "public service." As the old saying goes, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and Americans -- including people like you and me -- took our eye off the ball a long time ago.

[nathanbedford]

Of course, the problem is, as you've stated, that the American public have surrendered their political authority to those whose ambitions have led them to so-called "public service."

This is a point overlooked so often by those who blame "government" for our woes. The fault, of course, is not in the stars but in ourselves. You are also right when you say that the Republicans, although guilty, are not nearly as guilty as Democrats because it is the latter who have pandered the electorate offering always the easier, softer way, the upside but never the downside.

Once the political issue is so framed that the question becomes one of imposing hardships, of saying no, the political reality is that no politician will take that side of the issue. A politician above all seeks to preserve himself in office and it is a rare politician indeed who will risk his sinecure to deliver the bad news to his constituents. So long as we as voters are inclined to shoot the messenger, the Ron Pauls in our political world will be a endangered species.

The endgame is upon us, in this both Stockman and the author are correct. It remains to be seen whether Rep. Ryan's plan can make its way through Congress and past the veto pen of the Manchurian Marxist to have a chance to save our way of life. Even if the plan or something similar becomes law, we might learn to our sorrow that we have repented too late.