I know an awful lot of those liberals (even related to a bunch – I live deep in liberal country) and can say you are both right and wrong. Right, they wholeheartedly agree in the liberal-socialist agenda; wrong, they don’t fully get the consequences and do actually believe this is an economically sound agenda. And, these are not ‘ignorant’ people, but some fairly bright folks with advanced degrees. What both Thomas and you underestimate is the capacity of even bright, well-educated, articulate people to self-convince of pure hog-swallow. You also underestimate the power of the politically-correct mental straight-jacket (aka, group-think). Despite all the protestations of maverick-ness, darn few are really able or willing to confront elephants in the room most folks desperately want ignored. For example, it takes no great intellect figuring out Obama is an empty suit. But, saying so in a liberal crowd invites a withering fire of protests including accusations of ‘racism’. So, the real problem is not ignorance and it is not cynicism, it is simple cowardice. Otherwise, an awful lot of these fence-sitting liberals would shuck off the nonsense, realizing this is the only way they can ever be free to think again.

Today’s liberal-progressives know exactly where the currently espoused policies of an Obama administration will take the country; and it is exactly where they want the country ‘taken to’. Between current ‘bailout’ funds spent or earmarked to be spent, plus Obama’s $800 billion plus of new spending, they’ve got us right where they want us.

Choosing winniners and losers in the marketplace allows them to control all aspects of future capital. Lehman is the example. Play ball with the likes of Schumer, Waxman, and Frank, or suffer the consequences. Strings will be attached to all bailout funds. The price the Big Three will pay for their bailout is building the kinds of cars that Harry Reid and Al Gore think we should all be driving. Health care will be legislated as a ‘right’. Bailout funds for industries will eventually be tied to union representation.

Businesses with ‘green’ business plans will be moved to the head ofthe bailout line while those with more traditional business models will be allowed to whither on the vine.

Bailout money will give the businesses receiving such funds an inordinate advantage over those that do not. A guaranteed method politicians will use to get all businesses to toe the Party Line. Neither the favored businesses, nor the politicians give a tinker’s damn about the condition of future generations of Americans. This is the liberal-progressives big opportunity not only to sieze control of vast amounts of the economy, but to Tighten the grip of that control to the point where ‘We the People’ may never matter again!

Fanatically religious regarding socialism certainly, but ignorant; not by half!

OK, I understand your comment now. I’m generally not in favor of any lawsuits. They just make the lawyers rich. I think that there is some validity to your opinion on students, but I prefer to put the responsibility on teachers, administrators, and school boards.

Rewinding my mind, as you say, I can think of two examples. When I was in driver training, in 1958, we had a teacher that was also the wrestling coach. One of the students was a smart ass and acting up. When this teacher came down the isle to see what was going on the student got up out of his chair in a threatening way to confront the teacher. In a split second the teacher made a move that put the boys arm behind his back and took him down. I don’t remember the immediate result, but the classroom got very quiet and resumed. Later there was some talk that the teacher was under review by the front office. I wrote a note to the office in support of the teacher, as did some other students, and the problem went away.

Back in 2001, my class had a reunion and we decided to plant a tree in front of the school. We needed a hole dug in front of the school 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep and being geezers we were looking for some help. My dad had some friends at the school and he talked with the assistant principle, who said he would take care of getting the hole dug. On the day we arrived we had a nice ceremony and we heard the story of how the AP went into the detention room and picked out four boys, handed them shovels, and told them were to dig. As it turned out the boys were happy to get out of the boring detention room and go outside for a while. They made a party out of the digging and left with a feeling of accomplishment. I don’t know how any of those boys turned out, but I suppose that each time they see that tree they remember the string of events that got them in trouble and how they earned their way out of detension.

What is this about teachers sueing?

I have lots of similar stories borne of a sub blue collar village. For example the Ford plant went on strike every other year or so and families like mine that at least had enough to eat tried to help our friends whose parents were on strike to eat too. What did the union gain? That plant is closed too and now turned into a municipal power generator. Where did all the jobs go? Away from where I grew up.

Regarding the New Deal, I had a college economics class in my undergraduate studies where I postulated the proofs that the only thing that saved the New Deal was World War II and the resulting manufacturing surge coupled with the need to conserve at home to support the effort which generated a surge in true savings. Prof did not like the paper one bit but when challenged on the original grade backed down to give it the A it deserved when he could not answer the arguments and prove the effectiveness of the FDR socialist programs.

“For three generations, students have been taught a completely false version of the Depression’s causes and of the actual results attained by President Roosevelt’s New Deal.”

I can’t say for sure why it is, but I never bought into that version of history, even if FDR was a god to my parents. Maybe I was just a rebel, maybe it was my reading of Ayn Rand at an early age, maybe it was my conservative history teacher in 12th grade, or maybe it was the connection between personality type and political outlook, recently revealed here in another article. In any case, I recognize this to be a true statement for most Americans.

“by supporting socialist labor unions”

This may be true, but my experience with labor unions in the 60’s was not socialist. Many unions, especially the smaller trade specific ones like plumbers and patternmakers, worked in ways that protected their members at the exclusion of outsiders. It was a “who you know” thing. If your father, or uncle, was in the union then you could get in. If you didn’t know someone then forget it. This may be a bad thing, but I don’t see it as socialist.