We need a new Democratic Party

[BelgianMadCow]

138. I hear you, and I agree. I feel exactly the same about all the political parties here

The advantage of having a huge crisis like we do is that it makes people show their true colours.
Over here, even the socialist SPa has declined a full blown investigation into Dexia, whose debacle hangs over our country for generations to come (literally, via state guarantee for what became essentially a broke hedge fund).
When these socialists then go along with the prevailing logic of Europe, which now succeeded in removing Greece from the list of first world countries, I no longer care for their lip service.

It's time for some real populism. Time for direct democracy, in my opinion. Italy has Beppe Grillo and the 5 star movement now. Start or join something like that Manny, I'd say on a local scale and turn your anger & understanding into a force for good. Of course, I don't know what you already do, I'm just making a suggestion (and reminding myself).

Of course, the route of putting public pressure on the current administration is also a way of changing things. The difference between Europe's reaction to austerity, with an 800.000 people on the streets in Portugal for the "fuck the troika"-day, and the US and the UK is striking to say the least. When is Occupy going to make a big come back? I mean, it has fundamentally influenced the debate and still could (besides all the good they're doing now in filing lawsuits with OccupyTheSec and helping the affected with OccupySandy).

It IS as someone pointed out a system failure. A new system that is supposed to be better, cannot be built along the same lines or within the same structures. A matter of a problem that can't be solved by the thinking that created it. What I think is lacking is the critical mass in the US and UK who see that system failure and that are somehow willing or pushed into doing something about it.

Or like a banker uncle of mine said (whilst agreeing with most of the above) - we are still too well off.