Ebbie,

I think you nailed it. Sure some people are crooked. Some of the crooked are wealthy (and some of them are middle-class, and some of them are poor). I've never seen any convincing evidence that the U.S. is run by grand conspiracies of either the Right or of the Left.

I recognize that evil exists, but I see no reason to attribute to evil what is fully explained by stupidity. I know there are people who would like to have the intelligence and power to pull off a conspiracy, but I see no reason to attribute to a grand conspiracy what is fully explained by herd mentality.

And, if there is a grand conspiracy, I would have to say it must be a benign one because, although life here is far from perfect, we have it pretty good.

Kent