I think the progressive movement in America is on its last legs.

[sinkingfeeling]

With the GOP/Tea Party wins in the state houses and legislatures, we will be 'killed' by the gerrymandering of House districts and fail to regain it for many years to come.

The new House WILL attempt to de-fund HCR and I doubt if there will ever be another attempt in my lifetime to 'fix' health care in this country.

The rich and corporations are now on track to see their dreams of lower taxes, the end of an estate tax, and more deregulation.

I do not see the economy or jobs picture improving. I do believe we're in the 'new norm', but things will get so very much worse for those on the bottom. As these newly elected Republicans seek to cut $100 billion from the budget while keeping all those tax breaks, more assistance to humans will fall to the states. The states have experienced loss of revenue through less income, sales, and property taxes (local), and have already started cutting their payrolls.

As the states cut back, we have more unemployment. Then if the crazies get their way, they will demand the elimination of many federal jobs...department of Education, FDA, USDA, etc. And they will also seek to break the unions and lower public sector pay. Who knows, maybe they will repeal the federal minimum wage as well.

What these 'enlightened' voters fail to see is that there will be no entity to pick up the slack. When HCR doesn't provide health care for the poor, who will? Not the states. So that leaves 'free clinics' often funded by donations. There aren't enough of those to expand coverage to 10's of millions. The same with food. Without the federal government providing dollars for food stamps, the states can't handle the burden nor can food banks.

I'm certainly having a sinkingfeeling that Americans will never wake up and never see the good that comes from less 'free market', unending consumption and more European-style safety nets.