Revolutions like Egypt or East Germany are hard to do. In America, it is nigh impossible.

[thereismore]

It takes a long time for the public anger to boil over and remove the corrupt regime. It takes a united nation.

We in America have a system in which part of the people get a sense of accomplishment when their party's candidate becomes President. It happens every 4 or 8 years, frequently enough to give a part of the people the illusion that they have been heard, that they matter. The two-term rule makes sure that no one President, corrupt or otherwise, can stay for too long to make people sufficiently miserable and angry to unite and get a meaningful change in the government. In the meantime, our corporate overlords choose who runs for President and hedge their bets, and so they are always happy with the outcome of elections. This is a recipe for a corporate government, and a people who never figure out that they have been had.

It takes a transformational figure, something that happens once in a 100 years maybe, to truly change this mechanism from within. I thought that Barack Obama is the one, and he still may be the one. His presidency isn't over by a long shot, so only the future will tell.

[dkf]

1. Who would be rioting anyway? Democrats or republicans?

Both of us together? Hmm I can't see that.

[cbdo2007]

2. Although we do have a large population of poor and people ignored by

the govt....enough of us are kept well-off enough that the majority are comfortable.

We won't see revolutions like the Egypt one in our lifetimes.

[kctim]

5. Good post

[cbdo2007]

9. Thanks kctim

I'm in Kansas City (Liberty actually) and the KC area is the perfect example of this. Housing prices have dropped quite a bit and we do have *some* unemployment, but I really couldn't see any more than handful of people in the KC area getting too worked up about anything. Most people around here are doing pretty well as long as they still have their beer and their cable tv.

[kctim]

11. I agree.

Small world, Kearney here.

[deutsey]

3. It will take a while, but at the rate our country's rotting within

people here will wake up. And they will be very pissed.

I don't know that I'll live to see it, though.

[ipaint]

4. Give it about 10 or 15 years.

The growth of poverty will increase rapidly as a result of now perfectly acceptable low wage, go nowhere recovery jobs and astronomical health care costs. The private health insurance mandate along with drastic medicaid cuts ought to put the whole process into high gear.

The comfortable class is clueless. Those who remain comfortable won't know what hit them.

[defendandprotect]

7. Rather, I think Mother Nature will be playing the final cards ... soon ...

Capitalism has exploited nature and the planet to such a point that it may

shortly become unlivable.

American public hasn't quite figured this out yet -- that's why the right wing

has to keep "catapulting the propaganda" 24/7.

[defendandprotect]

6. This nation had one of the first revolutions and attempts at democracy....

don't count Americans out yet --

if it can be done with non-violence, it could happen.

[LanternWaste]

8. Revolutions are even harder to compare...

Revolutions are even harder to compare than to "do"

When one looks at cause, culture, geography, time, income, infrastructure, politics, social mores, military, LEO, etc it should become apparent that far more often than not, comparing one revolution without basing one's conclusion on all of the above is an exercise in absurdity, and a waste of time. Further, extrapolating a particular revolution or series of revolutions into the here and now is even more absurd and a bigger waste of time.

[CJvR]

10. You should be careful...

...about desiring revolutions, particulary in democratic states.
You might not be on the winning side, how does Empress Palin sound?

[blindpig]

12. We don't need no man on a white horse.

Power resides in the people.

[cynatnite]

13. I like voting...

I wish we could vote out the uber rich at the same rate we vote out politicians.