Stephan:   I am absolutely appalled at the willful ignorance that is the central hallmark of many national political figures. Even more alarming is that these people are in public office or have reason to aspire for office because they represent and reflect the views of enough people in their district or state to win office. That the Republican Party is putting forward as Presidential candidates people like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and the rest I take to be a clanking alarm bell telling us that our democracy is dying. And I think all this has to be seen in the context that nine Republican billionaires actually auditioned these people, and that that was simply absorbed into the political body and is now business as usual. It reminds me of the Roman empire where rich people purchased gladiator slaves so they could fight them until they were killed in coliseums that were sited across the empire. It must be an enormous ego trip to have enough money buy elections in the most powerful country in the world. The Koch brothers/Scott Walker  coupling, and his failure as a candidate, is being generally parsed by the corporate media as a cautionary tale that even with money you may not win. I don't see it that way. I read it as: with enough money you can buy influence so the leverage point is no longer money but taste.