What hasn't changed and never will, is that dichotomy of the energies, passions and appetites driving us, verus the information and decisions we have to draw from them. Signal from the noise.

The United States is a young country, that has mostly known only growth. Forty years ago, during the oil crisis, Jimmy Carter suggested we put on a sweater and basically suck it up, while Ronald Reagan came along and said we can just put it on the credit card and keep partying. Guess who won?

So thirty six years later, the levels of denial, curruption and greed are getting pretty deep and some bankruptcy skating con artist manages to stamp his brand on a big chunk of those whose lives were ground under in the process and suddenly everyone who is anyone flips out. They just didn't see it coming. Debt doesn't matter. Until it does.

Now we have a political situation that is about as stable as a bonfire on thin ice and the trusted representatives assure it is all right again and anyone who disagrees is a white, homophobic racist.

We shall see.