Socrates' reputation as a gadfly - an annoying insect that won't leave you alone - finally got him in trouble in ancient Athens, when he questioned too many political truisms - and was too critical of the basic beliefs of Athenians. He did manage however, to change the world in profound ways - mostly by his questions.
Let me continue his methods for a few moments:

Why in the present United States of America - a nation even more important today than ancient Athens was in its time - Do so many citizens either reject their civic responsibilities or when they do vote, vote for candidates whose professed viewpoints and beliefs are not representative of the voters' best interests?

Soc has been in the hospital again - heart problems which are hopefully straightened out ( with a couple of stents) - but I will admit, he is moving rather slowly.
I'm concerned about the drift of American politics. The whole theory of democracy rests on the idea of an enlightened electorate and I'm afraid that "Enlightened"has taken on a whole new definition with the advent of virtually unlimited media spending with little or no oversight as to content honesty.
Too many Americans seem to be turned off by the rather nasty and excessively partisan rhetoric we are bombarded with.
When only a minority of eligible voters turn out and actually vote, the will of the majority is not necessarily represented either in Congress or in the State houses.
What do you think?

Should government help individuals who are old, handicapped, laid off from their job or unable to work? Why? Why not?

I've had some considerable health problems during the past several months and have let this website slip - for that I apologize.While my medical problems (heart) are not going to get better, I probably have a few more years left in me (I'll be 84 in April).
I will keep commenting here - if anyone's interested, please let me know.
I'm concerned about American politics and economic problems - it seems to me a good slogan for the next several years might be:

Invest in America

We seem to have systematically starved our government and prevented it from functioning in the best interests of most citizens. A pretty clear case of "Penny wise and pound foolish"
What do you think?

I recently had occasion to consider the meaning of love and noticed that the Cafe has not discussed or had comments on this universal topic for some time.
In English, Love is a somewhat vague term including feelings and concepts for which the Ancient Greeks used at least three totally separate terms for: Eros, Philios, and Agape.
In his famous essay "Symposium" my pupil, Plato, reported on a dinner party where a group of us discussed the term at some length. Since that time philosophers, psychologists, and poets have been obsessed with the idea (s).
How do you define Love? Is Love important in your life?

A younger friend (almost everyone is younger ) of mine had house guests for the weekend who insisted on watching Fox News exclusively and lectured her on the horrors of Obama and his ilk much to her discomfort. She said she had no idea of the degree of irrational hate and rejection they had of the president and whatever he stood for.
Obama is unquestionably the most controversial president of recent times, in that he engenders the strongest feelings among followers and detractors.
I’m sure part of this is his background – absolutely unacceptable to “traditional” Americans who simple cannot conceive of the idea that the offspring of a hippy and a disgraced african politician and who spent his childhood in Indonesia could actually become the president of the US… and be reelected by a substantial majority!
His training and talent notwithstanding, he has had to face extraordinary opposition among those who are desperate to return to the familiar nation they grew up in – a nation that has changed beyond their worst nightmare.
Obama is the living embodiment of that change … and you can’t ever go home again…
A Culture Change era is always stressful and the present situation is a good example of culture change.

All nations have governments. In a democratic nation such as the US, the government is responsive to the majority desires of the citizens of the nation. That being the case, how can government be separated from the people of the nation? If you say "Government is the problem, not the solution" are you not saying the will of the majority of the citizens is the problem, not the solution? If the will of the majority of the citizens of a nation are not the solution as to how that nation should act, what is?

Politics?
The current state of politics in the US confuse me. The US claims to be a Democracy – or at least democratic-based in its government.

The US Constitution does not mention nor apparently did it envision the rise of political parties. The writers deliberately set up a most unusual tripartite government with shared powers (Legislative, Executive, Judicial). Other democratic-based governments almost always have the parliamentary system where power resides in the elected legislative council and the rest of the government is at least theoretically controlled by that group. That means the party/parties elected by the majority of the people control the entire government.

In the US currently, the executive branch and the upper house of Congress are controlled by the majority party who won the last election (Democrats – by pretty substantial majorities) but the lower house of Congress (House of Representatives) is controlled by the Republican Party – even though the total vote count showed that nationally democratic candidates to that house garnered at least a million more votes. This discrepancy is due to two factors – states gerrymandering congressional districts and the fact that constitutionally, less populated states are guaranteed seats ‘

What, in your opinion, is the responsibility of Congress in managing the government – or is that best left to the Executive branch?If so, what fiscal resources should the congress give to the executive branch?

How has the world changed during your lifetime? Are you mostly satisfied with the direction of national and international movements or would you rather see a return to the "Good Old Days"?