One problem (of many) we face is what to do about these types of things (SOPA, PIPA, NDAA, etc). It's easy to say "Vote" but that won't stop these bills from passing now (also, campaign platforms are often total bullshit). It's easy to say "Write your Representatives and Senators" but:

I wrote a paragraph to my Representative about SOPA via the online form on the House website. Nothing fancy, but clearly expressed that the entertainment industry already has tools to protect copyright and that SOPA is a threat to freedom of speech and technological innovation. Included my name, address, e-mail wanting it to be viewed as legit voter concern rather than spam. The response was something like "I am aware of the need to protect intellectual property and copyright." WTF. Might as well have replied, "I'll vote as I've been bribed and couldn't care less about what the people I'm supposed to be representing want, and I didn't take the time to read your note or I might have said have something about being aware of the need to respect freedom of speech and protect American innovation while pursuing IP policies."

Sure, but what do we *do*? We can vote for another candidate or another party whom we hope isn't lying next time, but these laws will likely pass in the meantime. I'm not aware of any tools (other than spreading the word to damage their chances of re-election) we have to hold Representative and Senators responsible for this kind of thing.

The solution is to vote for another candidate and another party already in the past.

*duckandrun*

I think the problem is that the Two Parties in this country of mine have pretty much all the financial backing, and it would be hard for somebody else (especially an "outsider," with no big corporate backing) to get enough support to run against either party and have a good chance (or even a small chance) of winning. Money and power, go together everywhere.

Also the majority electoral system instead of a proportional vote system makes it harder for new parties to come up, because majority elections always favor the two most popular parties while new parties need time to become popular.

30 years before we had 3 parties in the parliament over here. Now we have 5 with a possible sixth party after next elections. It even becomes confusing a bit.

What you say is very interesting and makes sense. I don't see such a system being implented any time soon however. LOL Afterall, I believe, it would need the people in power voting to change those things. Things which would then give them less chance to hold onto power. Don't see that happening, no matter how it may help our government to work better for all our sakes. Of course I could be wrong, maybe if 2/3rds plus USA citizens vote for such a change it would be implented. It's been too long since I took Politcal Science to remember though. I doubt however they would get enough votes for that, could you imgaine all the money that would be spent trying to confuse and scare people to not vote for such a huge change in the way our government works? I could just see the adds and hear the phone calls now.

Not really, personally I would say that most of the time it simply imply stupidity... or at best laziness; most peoples (not just in the US, everywhere) refuses to see "problems" until it start biting their asses, and when it finally does the only thing they do is whine about how unfair it is and how nobody warn them.

it's was true for smoking, It's true for those stupid laws, it's true for fat saturated food, it's true for DRM, and it's true for thousands of other things.

None of this would have happened if you'd paid your tea taxes !

(I kid, I kid. ^_^)

For those willing to think about these things, I'd suggest Common Sense with Dan Carlin podcast. Interesting stuff but it's not my country so I don't really give a damn.

Hardcore History on the other hand, is just brilliant. Great stuff.

Can't get much lower than Nixon and Reagan, can you?

With the caveat that I'm not an expert on the specific issues bought up by PIPA, SOPA, and whatever other acronym'ed names for similar stuff, here's my uninformed opinion:

Assuming the worst predictions come true, in that websites are being shut down without actual proof of wrongdoing and without recourse, it'll last maybe a year before a bunch of elected officials start to feel the pinch in their campaign funds. And then it will change to something reasonable or be revoked altogether.

As to America going to shit, meh. It's changing. It's been changing since Day One, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. When things were worse, they eventually got better. When things were better, they eventually got worse.

That was accomplished on 20 January in both 1977 and 2009

Not really.

Bush was another low-point.

Sadly, like so many people have already stated, America has been going to shit for decades. But that's nothing new, it goes to shit, it pulls itself back out of the pile - so far. We should be heartened (I am) by the Occupy Wallstreet movement that has taken hold here. And yes, it's not enough yet, but at least people are waking up. Again, sadly, things will probably have to get a lot worse before real change comes. The French, Chinese, Cuban, and Russian revolutions all started basically because people were literally STARVING. Not just out of work, not just unable to pay for cable TV, but really unable to afford survival. America avoided a revolution in the 1930s only because Roosevelt had enough sense to figure out a way to get people fed and therefore continue under capitalism. Capitalism is just not sustainable without strict regulation and social programs, and of course we've been busy removing regulations for the last 30 years. And many of our politians are also busy trying to remove as many social programs as they can, with the backing of those ignorant mislead teabaggers. As the great deregulator Ronald Reagan would say, "There we go again!". Balanced capitalism is a nice thing; I remember growing up feeling like I could be or do anything I wanted with my life (maybe not entirely realistic, but a very optimistic feeling) AND that if I fell trying, there was a safety net to catch me and help me get back on my feet. Actually, it looks like the reign of Western culture is coming to a close, maybe it won't happen in my lifetime, but I think it's Asia's turn next. That is, if we don't just all melt, or drown in the rising ocean... Sheesh.