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

I'm apparently a member of a group you call the ‘unfortunates'. Not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that. And while I'm certainly pessimistic, I'm not totally inactive because of it. Which is a happy medium, do things and expect failure. If you fail, you were right, if you succeed, it's a pleasant surprise. And it sure beats doing nothing at all. I certainly won't deny that I'm too harsh with my fellow students. But just think, hundreds of people and no one worth talking to. It would get to anyone, eventually. Small comfort that when I get dragged into the real world, I'll at least be a little more prepared than they are. Ah, the sixties. I'd be willing to argue that almost every movement during the sixties was a result of a bunch of kids scared of getting drafted. When they started protesting, other groups that until then had been languishing in the shadows jumped on the bandwagon and organized their own protests. And the kids jumped on the wagon because it was rebellious. And just think, if the baby boom generation was such a failure, then what will their kids be like? I can't say much for their parenting. Naturally you're right about our citizens. But I still have to think that they're rationalizing at least a little. Why deal with political troubles when it's so much easier not to? Just ignore it. Naturally, they can't just decide to ignore something that important, so they rationalize away facts until they just start believing what they're telling themselves. And I can't say I totally agree that the vast majority of Americans are so vested or dependent on the system. To some extent it's true, and in an ideal world (for the power brokers, that is) it would be. But there's the massive grey area of the middle class. They're not totally dependent on the system, and they also don't control it. I'd have to say the blame for our lack of reform lies with them. Provided, they have lives and are pretty distracted, but you'd think they'd wake up to the fact that more and more of them are being driven out of the middle class by big business. I also can't say I can respect a group of people who know something is awry but lack the "will and motivation" to figure it out. If they're willing to stand by as their freedoms are taken from them, and they know fully well it's happening, I'd have to say they deserve it. Maybe it would knock some sense into them, anyway. They'll start reforming once they're really scared. The article, by the way, is excellent. Nice job keeping it short and concise. And thanks, I guess. I'm a literature nerd and a big Thomas Paine fan. And it helps that one of the book reviews summarizes most of the book's plot, so I was able to infer the meaning of his name based on what ended up happening to him. And naturally, I have little more respect for Democrats than I do for Republicans as parties. You're right, although they differ on inconsequential social issues, they're fundamentally the same. However, average joes that call themselves democrats and republicans differ quite wildly. Neither group has opinions on important issues, since for the most part they give them very little thought. There's a lot to be said for our habit of distracting from the parties' identical views by only stressing social issues; it works. But at any rate, my opinions on social issues are more liberal than anything, and I'm not shy about it. So I'm talking more about upsetting individuals than targeting groups. At any rate, it was nice talking to you, and I'll be sure to read your book when I get around to it.