"I actually fear for the nation. Our sense of civic understanding and responsibility is going by the wayside...replaced by a self-fulfilling, self-imposed state of ignorance and self-centeredness. Can we blame our politicians for speaking in generalities and focusing on hot-button issues that generally don't affect our day to day lives? Given their audience's unwillingness to educate itself, they have no reason to actually establish a thorough and concise policy platform."

I found this part very interesting. It's the first time I've seen it from the other angle that the public's ignorance make the politicians the way they are. Kind of a chicken and egg scenario. I think most of us take for granted the freedoms that we have, and don't take the time to get educated on the issues and what is really going on. I'll admit, I am sometimes guilty of this myself. For example, I don't even know what Haliburton is, or who this Barak(sp) guy is that has been mentioned a few times, other then that I have determined from the thread that he is African American and a dem. So, yes, I'm a bit behind with some of this stuff, but I do find this thread very interesting and am using it to make an attempt to start helping to educate myself.