"Palme D'Or" for Mike Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11&

[kandrathe]

Of course, that was only because the media's subsequent elevation of his character and ideals to the level of an FDR or Jefferson solidified him in the American pantheon alongside other such truer champions of a more authentic and substantive democracy.

And, that has really frosted your britches. It's not that I don't appreciate what some of the other American presidents did or attempted to do, it's that Reagan stands beyond them in his ability to motivate America, and the world behind a cause -- and to me that means leadership.

Stagnating real wages, structural unemployment, and a general deficit of democracy. After all, Alan Greenspan is now "running" the economy according to economic "law", so where's the room for dissent, or even mere questioning of the viability of economic scientist? Real democracy is open to the subjection of popular 'truths' to scrutiny. Media and dominant elites hold monetarism and neoliberal globalization as foregone, historical conclusions, and are not mindful of the fact that such ideologies are, rather, one point of view, and the result of human agency.

... And your evidence is? A 20 year period of economic prosperity, improvements in the quality of life for peoples throughout the world, a WTO that coordinates free trade (mostly) trying to remove the old punitive tariffs and self serving taxation systems. Sure, its not perfect, but I remember the 70's and I think things are much better now.

As for my "to step out of your upper-middle class "spending my money" perspective", I'm happy to be here and it was due to the efforts of my emigrant grandfather carving a farm out of the prairie, and my blue collar father efforts to send me to college, and me working for 30 years to get and try to hang on to a little of what I have earned. So color me a little bitter when an old blue blood liberal, like Ted Kennedy, tries to appropriate another 10% to pay for his pet social programs or some gung-ho Senator wants to invest another trillion dollars in some outdated weapons system because its built in their State.

As for "disparity of wealth" -- c'mon what measure is that? Just because Micheal Moore is 100 times wealthier than me, is his consumption 100 times more or his enjoyment of life 100 times more? There have always been "the wealthy" due to many circumstances. But, "the real world" is where people get up in the morning, eat breakfast, go to work, go home and relax for a few hours before bed. On the weekends, holidays, and vacations we get to play a little within our meager means. At least Moore does something with his money, whether I like it or not. I have no clue what someone like Warren Buffet does with his money.

eppie wanted to know how Americans felt about Bush. I was honest. So shoot me.

Edit: iespell ;) for Pete