In that case, what are we?

Meat suits hung onto skeleton hangers, obvi.

Or even more foundationally, proteins doing things with fatty membranes.

Basically piles of highly organized goo.

But surely you must understand how someone, having failed all of their classes and then dropped out of school altogether, understands complex matters better than the people who are brilliant, have international acclaim, and devoted like 5 decades of their lives to study that same thing?

Or you know, at least watched this 11-minute video?

And if you do, can you explain it to me? :-P So far all I have is "Might Makes Right", but somehow that seems to be lacking something...

100% this is it.

It's a good thing you added "acorn" there!

1979 was Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. Reagan did not start until 1980, and while he is famous for breaking the backs of unions, thus crippling their ability to fight back against this trend, he did not actually start it.

Before Carter was Ford and Nixon, both Republicans. Ford pardoned Nixon's crimes, supposedly to help "heal the nation".

According to Robert Reich's "Inequality for All" (free link) - he was the Secretary of Labor under Clinton and previously served under both the Carter and Ford administration so he was very much attuned to what was going on - this trend started due to the rise of corporations, which have super-rights that humans do not have. e.g., taxes on stock dividends were capped at like 13% while payroll taxes can go up to >35%, and while if a human commits a crime they would go to jail, but not so with a corporation. It's a great racket scheme for the rich to cover themselves in a legal fiction so as to avoid pretty much any responsibility for their actions. Hence why we see so many corporations acting so very boldly to destroy the planet - after all, why not? What's the worst that could happen to them in return?

WHAT'S HIS NA... oh, the Onion, right. Practically the only "real" news source left, even if a little fuzzy on the details:-).

There are many ways to fail. At this point though, I'm not sure there are any ways left to "succeed". If I were pressed for advice I'd say for someone to do what they think they would regret the least:-|.

You mean like... oh purpose!?

There was a time long ago I did that to help them with their business. I've learned a lot since then and now I don't do that anymore.

I AM - Thank you for your service! :-D

And now as thanks, a picture of a cat for no reason whatsoever - as is tradition!

Holy crap that's amazing. Somehow it rings double knowing that he is of Jewish ancestry himself.