Is Afghanistan Becoming Another Vietnam?

It's not really about SS and Medicare, at least not primarily. They've made it clear that their highest priority is to limit Obama to a single term. Consider that in all their dealings with the budget and debt limit and it becomes a lot more clear.

They simply don't want an agreement. They want the economy not to heal but to get worse, at least for the next couple of years, in hopes that people will be angry and vote for 'hope and change' again. Republicans see compromise as capitulation.

Their whole philosophy is to dictate terms from a position of strength, not to bargain. This is why GW Bush was always so arrogant about being 'The Decider'. "-I- was elected to make this decision, not -you-".

A week ago, Gov. Christie of New Jersey got the Democrats to concede to a union-busting law by letting them put some other things they wanted in the law. Then when he signed it, he simply crossed out the Democratic items.

It was just his way of manipulating them. The Republicans know Social Security and Medicare are really popular. GW Bush wasn't even able to get the Republicans to go along with his plan to privatize SS.

And the Republicans voted to expand Medicare (but without funding) hoping to make it less popular by costing more. Even the alternatives the Republicans propose are deliberately designed to be completely unpalatable to Democrats, because they know if the Dems and Repubs cooperate on something it just hands Obama a victory, Obama gets credit for any agreement. The Ryan Plan, for instance, simply gives all Medicare funds to private commercial insurance companies so they can skim 25-30% off the top in profits and 8-figure executive salaries before anyone gets any health care.

They KNEW Democrats couldn't get even close to that. That was the idea. This may be Obama's purpose for saying Medicare and SS are not 'off the table'.

If the Republicans even just seriously -negotiate-, it harms their image with their 'base'.

No because they want to give the big Wall street banker control of the Social security fund ,which is huge and is constantly being replenishing by the workers, every day, every hour, year round . They don't want to end social security they want it privatized. They don't want to end Medicare completely they want to give those government funds to big insurance to control.

The USA is the only for profit health care system in the world and big insurance has been sweating bullets over Obama care because the AMA is in favor of it. Don't be fooled by the Republican rhetoric; they are controlled and paid well by the big money making corporations. Medicare and social security are big money and the banks want to invest it in their privately owned companies.

As if we suddenly trust Wall Street with our money when the government had to bail them out less than three years ago.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.