quite an intelligent post and quite reasonable responses--so far , at least. i admire your ambition in even contemplating these ideas. to me it seems that democracy is dead and there is very little hope for the future. when real discourse fades and is replaced by name calling, nothing can change except the rate at which the culture deteriorates. i see no hope from the left or the right. a change in the current administration would certainly be helpful, but the possibility of real change, despite its urgent need, seems pretty dim.