Excellent appraisal, Red. Have you ever considered a career within the world of elections?
We had a provincial election in Alberta on Tuesday. For one time, the first-past-the-post system worked in favour of a leftist party. First socialist party that Alberta has seen in 85 years! I thought times they were a-changing and people were finally waking up and voting in their own best interests worldwide. Maybe it was just a fluke.
My own riding swung the other way and went to the crazy Wildrose (Like the USA Tea Party) - I had to cover it for the paper "without being political" 
Odd how socialism reared it's head in relation to both your comments, albeit one indirectly, I suspect I am one of the few remaining socialists on this little rock of ours, my [very] short political "
involvement" ended when I suggested to a certain local political party that it might be a good idea to promote equality for homosexuals, given their activities were illegal here at the time, purely on the basis that equality is generally considered a good thing, however I was advised to make a discreet exit. It took about another ten years before it actually happened.
Sadly I came to the conclusion long ago that socialism is the very best political system there is...so long as you don't involve humans. It espouses opportunity, equality, fairness, justice, generosity of both heart and spirit, which are all great until more than one human signs up and then you also get ambition, inequality, greed, injustice, meanness of both heart and spirit, which are all not so great.
I have not lost all heart however, I am working on a manifesto for a new political party, which fundamentally will seek election on the principle of voting both itself and the current government structure out of office [and existence] as soon as possible, I anticipate as much success as socialism and the dodo.
