The one question that can no longer be ignored:

[llmart]

45. Great and thought filled post.

I agree with your first paragraph. I should have written "unfettered capitalism" because capitalism isn't all evil. It's the unregulated capitalism at the expense of the middle class and poor that bothers me. My grandfather was a raging socialist and I grew up listening to his rants about capitalism. As I got older I realized he was partially right about his beliefs and partially wrong. And yes, the deregulation that Reagan and his cronies touted and their union busting is what led us to the wage gaps between the haves and the have nots.

I believe that some of the unrest we see between citizens is actually due to the disparities between the classes, but what I don't understand is how the ones struggling the most think it's the party of Reagan that's going to help make their lives better. There is no logic to their thought process, if they even have one.

With regard to the stock market and gambling, well, in my area there is an ad on TV every half hour for on-line gambling. Can't go to the casinos because of Covid? Well, don't let that stop you. You can feel just like you're there if only you sign up for this online gambling! Funding our schools with lotteries? How moral is that? Shouldn't a populace that believes in education be willing to collectively fund schools? Nope. Reagan touted how IRA's instead of defined pensions were going to be the middle class's path to a million dollars by the time they retired. I wonder how many retirees have a million dollars? I remember when 401K's began and some of the people I worked with were just downright giddy about being able to gamble their hard earned money in the stock market even though they had no clue how the stock market worked.

Well, now I'm rambling. Thank you for your thoughtful post. I like how you say you're a witch. I have no trouble telling people I'm an atheist.