This is America. This ain't no stinkin' utopia.

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) tweeted at 5:26 PM on Mon, Mar 18, 2013:

Demand a budget that makes sure that the wealthiest Americans and most profitable corporations pay their fair share. (link to petition)

A good and noble cause, and I'm all for it, but it's also an uphill battle given the power of the plutocracy over both major political parties and the media, as well as throughout the national mythology.

You might as well demand that the country interact with the rest of the world with something other than a hegemonic bludgeon, or that the powers that be give a damn about the poor and disenfranchised, or that "the people" not be armed to the teeth in preparation for armageddon, or that the Republican Party embrace science, or that the Miami Heat lose a basketball game.

In any other advanced, civilized democracy, Bernie Sanders would be a mainstream voice of justice and reason. In America, he's a "radical." That alone should fill you with despair.