Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I agree with much of what you say however, I don't blame the Russians for our own shortcomings but only for particularly well-documented attacks on western elections and referendums (eg. Brexit) in general. Putin views free society as an existential threat if the Russians get to much of a taste of it, not unlike the Soviets. I believe his beef with Ukraine, though his public justifications are shifting to save face internally, was that they were progressing a little too rapidly toward a semi-normal European democracy with free elections and checks and balances and a charismatic, disarming President. I blame Russia for this barbaric war decimating the spring garden of democracy that had bloomed next door. And also for the incessant Twitterbots they unleashed to prop up the clown and disparage his opponent. Russia has become a pirate state, IMO. With nukes.

But I 100% blame US for outwitting ourselves on almost every topic from economic to social to education and more. We've become lazy and soft as like the City of Pigs of Plato's Republic. No contemplation, just living very superficial lives while AI and automation are on the march to turn the labor force upside down to forever alter the meaning and purpose of money. I've written a book called Wealth and the End of Money that documents what I (and others) see happening in this regard.

I guess I felt compelled to say politics has become more delusional based on all sorts of irrational beliefs and very little knowledge which has always been the case to some degree but perhaps has been amplified now with technology. What do you think?