I think conscience is a function of neural development and the socialization process. Defects in either the process or the mechanics can cause psychopathic or sociopath behaviour. I think the drive for power and the ability to cooperate are both evolutionary imperatives. The human male ego is driven by the desire to reproduce his own progeny as often as he can, but to do that he must first survive. So the need for division of labor and mutual defense promotes social organization, and the desire to procreate promotes exploitation or as Bigjorge might rephrase it, drives us to excel. Testosterone is a helluva drug. So what would be the realistic scope change that a President Obama and a Democratic Congress might enact? You might look at the Clinton Administrtion of the short lived Kennedy administration for clues. I would like to think we could have a NASA like program for alternative energies and could convert the Rustbelt's dormant manufacturing capacity to effect a significant percentage of our oil dependency. Jobs/security/savings...win win win I don't understand univeral healthcare. I myself have spent probably $100,000 of my insurance companies money over the last 4 years and I'm in pretty good general health. Why wouldn't everyone exploit every last penny they could out of that kind of system? I'm as exasperated as anyone with Iraqis. I fully believe they need a deadline and 16 months could be about right. But I think we need to leave 25- 50,000 troops in country as a reaction force or the civil strife would be a catastrophe. Is that Obama's plan or am I in the McCain camp? I think the foxes have run the henhouse long enough in the economic sector. Banking, Hedgefunds and Brokerages need more regulating or greed will run amuk. The President can actually do very little to stimulate the economy though. Holding a national summit on economic policy sounds like a great idea but Economist are the wishy washyist group of consutants in the world. How can we know whether tax cuts or a more balanced budget is the better course?
