If you read only one article today, this should be it.

[Agony]

38. Frank certainly provides a framework to use while pondering the insanity...

reading this brought to mind two other writings on this subject.

a recent one about cooperative/competitive genotypes
http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2013/09/dilemma-cooperative-gene.html
"
In the simplest terms, at some level the efforts of human society are being directed by the interaction of two genetic predispositions.
The first predisposition views society as a loose-knit group of individuals or family units who are competing with each other for scarce resources.
The second predisposition views society as a tight-knit group of individuals or family units who are cooperating to share scarce resources.
"

and this one from 2006, Bob Altemeyer on Authoritarians endorsed by John Dean of all people.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

"
This book was written in 2006, halfway through George W. Bush’s second term as president. A great deal was wrong with America then, and I thought the research on authoritarian personalities could explain a lot of it. Since then a new administration has been elected, and although it has had to deal with a very serious economic crisis brought on by others, it is taking steps to correct some of what is wrong.

However, the forces that largely caused the problems have remained on the scene, and are more active today than ever before. As I try to show in the “Comment on the Tea Party Movement” (link to the left), the research findings in this book apply at least as strongly to America today as they did four years ago. Indeed, the events of 2009 and 2010 have confirmed conclusion after conclusion in The Authoritarians. I wrote in 2006 that the authoritarians in America were not going to go away if they lost the 2008 election, that they would be infuriated if a new president tried to carry out his mandate. That has certainly been the case.
"

(John Dean on Robert Altemeyer)
http://verdict.justia.com/2012/04/06/good-luck-wisconsin-youve-got-a-classic-authoritarian-governor

If the conservative/competitive/authoritarian exists as represented here we have a long haul ahead of us.

thanks for the article, cali