[Professor S]

And then there is the economy, which is a complex problem well beyond my understanding. What I do know is that the poor keep getting poorer, and only 1% or so of the entire population control like 95% of the wealth. That shit is FUCKED UP.

That is both true and false. The rich are getting richer, but the poor are not getting poorer. In fact, the exact opposite is true, or at the very least it is far more complicated that we make it out to be. I could try and explain, but this guy does a much better job than I ever could.

The economy is in a vice grip, and in turn that runs off into DC with all the lobbying and policy stuff. So DC does is influenced by the top 1% without giving consideration to everyone else.

That I cannot argue with. As the government has become more involved in business, business that can afford it have become FAR more involved in shaping government. That is why most tax policy changes screw small businesses while huge corporations are barely affected, regardless of the party in power. Example: GE barely pays any taxes at all, and they are very much in bed with the Obama administration.

Is there a legitimate (ie controlled) media racket that just focuses on dumb hot button bullshit like this planned parenthood abortion issue? It seems like the political race and the election has boiled down to hot air campaigns (I will bring Change /Obama) and minor issues like abortion. No one wants to address the real problems like our country's continuing decline in global education, our inane military spending, our expanding and highest in the world prison rates, and the huge gap between the 1% and the rest of the population.

I think a lot of the sensational news casting is a result of a 24/7 news cycle, and the transfer of news from education to entertainment.

That and I blame baby boomers. I teach generational identities as part of one of my classes, and baby boomers have essentially destroyed the objective thought process. Its all emotion based on the right and left. Its amazing to watch old talk shows from the 70s like Donohue (YouTube him) that appealed to the Veteran generation, compare them to today's shows aimed at boomers, and see just how far we have fallen.