Designdweeb Loc: Metro NYC & East Stroudsburg, PA

Amen:

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

One is a son, the other is a daughter. Both have served in Afghanistan. Both have children they are raising as patriots. This liberal culture scoffs at that word. Its root is the Latin, "Pater", meaning "father". My people have their beginnings on the Arabella, in the 1600's. My family has always understood that "Patriot" means being grateful to the people who came before you that gave you the blessing of this birthplace and birthright, and that you have the obligation to give something back and to preserve and protect it for those who come after.

3dees

I'm leaving my oldest grandson all my photography gear. my youngest grandson gets all my fishing gear. not much I can do about anything else.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

In the UK your US social policies get snapped up very quickly. Obama cut aid to the poor - so we had to follow suit and then penalise both the unemployed and the disabled. The social divide is now about the top 2% being very rich, rather than the top 10%. The vast majority have lost out on pension rights, personal savings etc. Working people have had no wage increase in a decade, and a recent report said that they will not see one in the next decade. (over 80% work in or for services to government...) Much of the private sector hire on 0hours contracts for 1 - 3 months. A recent push for apprenticeships had people working for £2.50 per hour!! (price of a loaf of bread and a half gallon of milk....beer is over £3) That is before we Exit the EU.

If you look at Italy after the Roman Empire, Turkey after the Ottoman Empire and all the other 'Empire' Builders.....The UK is heading for a 'peasant economy'.

We really do need to get rid of 'Government' being overpaid public servants with no fiscal responsability.

Texcaster Loc: Queensland

A sober assessment of the situation is not always welcome by those that enjoy another fiction.