The stongest point in the talk comes just at the 10 minute mark where he talks about the 'greatest tragedy of our anaemic recovery in the last 5 years is the damage it has done to poor Americans.' The outcome of the 'economic recovery' to which he refers is of course quite logical as it was designed to bail out those who needed help the least - even going so far as helping white collar crimminals (banking industry) to stay in their jobs. The ideology that those at the top 'provide' for the poor is simply not proven out in any society.

It's not a pretty picture. Is there some other planet (a kinder, gentler place) to which I could arrange transportation, or are those tickets all booked by the 0.01%? I hear you Charles, but swallowing it all can make it hard to get up in the morning with a smile on one's face. As a society we are in desperate need of a positive message.

Some form of government must exist, but I agree that most governments have become self-serving. At one time elected representatives at least tried to echo the collective voice of their constituents. This "independent thinking" has been replaced with a mandate to adhere to party lines and a political machine most often steered/run by corporate donors. These corporate donors allow politicians to feed at the trough so long as their needs are met. And the 'governed' public receives very little in return. This is socialism and it has always benefitted the wealthy - despite many people confusing the idea that socialism somehow looks out for the poor and needy - your "unwashed stupid masses."

Geez - did you even read the article about the Memphis police officers that you reference? It has nothing to do with 'Obamacare'. Memphis city officials are cutting healthcare benefits for city police officers (and other city employees) and I quote from the article "in order to redirect money to the city's troubled pension fund." That's quite a different picture from the one you try to paint.

Business should take more responsibility to train the workers it needs. Your retail example was a poor one, as that is a sector where store management jobs are often earned by people who have done well in retail sales and show an aptitude for management. Management can help such a worker to receive necessary, extra, third party training through cost sharing or outright paying for it. Your article smacks of suggesting the unemployed and marginally employed will never be of value to employers. Yes, running a business isn't for everyone and yes, there are a lot of barriers and obstacles, but successful business people don't complain - they do what needs to be done, including training their staff.

I'm a bit surprised that opinions such as the one above aren't just ruled "too wacked out" for publication. The opinion smacks of a deep rooted paranoia that someone (the manipulators as you call them) are out to get you. All political stripes manipulate data to serve their respective agendas - that's epidemic in US politics. But global warming serves no political agenda - it is real and cannot be scientifically disputed.