I know, writing that puts me in great danger from the powers that be so let me be clear at the outset: I’m not CALLING for revolution.   I don’t support revolution.  (Honestly, I’m not well-suited for revolution.)  But I know history and I think the immediate future it promises is not bright.  History clearly shows that We, the People, now face one common future – violence.

Right now, conservatives are having a great time.  They got “their man.”  The more radical among them are out on social media teasing progressives and gloating over their “big win.”  But how long is that going to last?  As taxes on the rich go down, daily cost of living for everyone else goes up and/or basic services once taken for granted simply disappear.  How bad will their situation get before they realize “their man” was never really “theirs” at all?  And then what?

Progressives are crying in their tea, trying to figure out what to do.  There’s been an absolute media blitz from writers loyal to the Democrats (rather than America) trying to convince the world that Democrats didn’t do what they did – put Trump in power by rigging the Democratic primary.  But DNC interference left us a choice – Clinton vs Trump – that was so distasteful, people started joking that a giant asteroid crashing into Earth would be preferable.  (Sorry, rest of the planet…)

I’m sure I’m not alone as I survey my options.  I can’t go right because conservatives in this country support policies that history has already shown don’t work in practical application.  Repackaged garbage is still garbage.  I can’t go left because, basically, no “left” remains in American politics.  We choose between far right and center-right…then off to the left somewhere is Bernie and me.

So…I’m expecting the GOP to unravel the New Deal.  Reading history, not tea leaves, Americans find themselves once again with no social safety net for the masses, no more control over the wealthy.  The wealthy press their myriad advantages, the masses become increasingly poor, increasingly desperate.  Crime and violence increase and the wealthy respond with heavy handed control tactics.  Eventually, the masses get fed up.  They’ll take all they can take – and then some – but at some point…the scales tip.  One little “normal” thing, one more “little” outrage in a parade of outrages and…BAM!  Explosion.  Violence.  Bloodshed.  It’s inevitable, really.

The American colonists did a pretty good job of managing the violence and setting up a new functional government to replace the one they had just shuffled off.  The French rioted for several years, lopping off heads (good and bad), actually lived through a period known to historians as the ‘Reign of Terror’, and gave rise to Napoleon Bonaparte before finally settling once again into something akin to a civilized government.

So which do we get, revolution or riots?  No one can say.  No one knows and we won’t know until we’re in it.  But I find myself still pulling for ‘Huge Asteroid, 2016’…