Outsourcing labor is a serious danger to America's economy and needs to be dealt with.

Hi again, I sensed that you could never be a die hard pessimist. You have too much perception to surrender in such an insidious manner. None the less, it is good that you view yourself as a potential activist. Welcome to the unfortunates! I think you may be a little harsh on your contemporaries. In high school and college, there are very few people who think as you do. Youthful pursuits definitely take precedence over political and economic issues, and they should. Our youth will be dragged into the quagmire soon enough. I am of sufficient age where I recall the heady days of the late 60's and 70's. Here the so called baby boom generation riotously announced their firm opposition to status quo. There was a tremendous anti-establishment outcry, and it seemed that they just might make a difference. As we fast forward to 2008, I can safely state that the establishment has gotten stronger, wealthier and wields much more power. So much for the generation who cautioned on trusting anyone older than 30. The point here is that an entire generation can be chastised for failing to make a positive difference--in spite of their boisterous rhetoric and their concerns about their futures. This brings me to your point about weather people are just ignorant or they simply refuse to acknowledge the facts. I sincerely believe most people understand that things are not right in America. They are not totally ignorant, but rather they become confused as to what they can do about the problem. Political spin can make rambling idiots out those who refuse to balance the news of the day with their own insights. Thrown in the fact that most wind up marrying, procreating and raising a family, and the thoughts of social injustice become secondary to providing a living. Again, they sense something is wrong, but now they are even less capable of seeking out the facts. The long term potential of economic disaster escapes them as they seek to provide for their own needs. In a way, they are not apathetic or ignorant, but rather simply bogged down just getting by in life. The power brokers in America recognize these inherent traits, and true to our system, capitalize on this basis weakness in order to enhance their own position. They know that the vast majority of all Americans are either too vested in the system or too indebted to the system. In other words, they are either too rich or they survive through government jobs, government controlled industries, social security, unemployment, welfare, food stamps or a plethora of other crumbs which effectively emasculates the ability of most to stand up to injustice. So it is that most know that something is wrong in America, but lack the will and motivation to understand what is wrong. Rather, they hope that somehow things will continue and perhaps may even get better because their elected officials said they would! If you have an opportunity, check out an article about the "Status Quo" at WWW.authorsden/stephencafaro. You truly have an unusual perception and you got right to the root of David Paine. To date, no one else has guessed the name inference. As to Todd Robbins, his name is without such meaning because of the vacillating nature of the character. I'm afraid you will have to read the book to understand Todd. One final note on your political activism. I'm sure you can be successful if you continue to hone your knowledge and your perception. But please don't exclude the Democrats as you alienate the Republicans. Neither party has done anything substantial to stop the decline of America. Indeed, NAFTA was passed into law with the approval of a Democratic administration after a succession of Republican administrations failed in that effort. Much like the total failure of the baby boom generation, the Democrats and Republicans have both condoned the policies that led America into decline. The two parties are bed mates who invent supposedly conflicting polices in order to differentiate themselves, but one need only step back to understand they answer to a different master.