which imo would be WAY worse (and probably the default setting now)

Look what happen in the FBI.

And the DOJ.

Now how corrupt they have become after 8 years of Obama.

I mean, can you think of the uproar if the public got wind that the U.S. government had developed systems intended to target civilian aircraft?

(before 2001)

Who eroded so many barriers keeping them from becoming corrupt in the first place.

indeed

they harassed so many journalists

Trump should work hard in restoring any and all barriers eroded by Obama and George W. Bush.

Give the power back to the people.

invested immense amounts of money and effort in preventing matters of public record from being disclosed properly under the FOIA

Limiting the government to appropriate levels.

Make it so we can fire corrupt officials.

Limit or do away with Unions.

The problem right now seems to be that there is no political will to do anything

Unions are entirely Democratic, thus they take money from their works and fund Democrat campaigns.

because, in lieu of any more meaningful identity or community, people are reverting to team sports

Trump is trying hard to do something about it.

But he is getting a lot of pushback because of it.

He is the first president I am actually proud of.

To be honest.

The unified national identity you might have seen in the '90s (if the documents are accurate, I was three years old last time it was the '90s) would be a bullwark against it

Unions are Democratic because democrats are the only ones that protect them

Even if he is a flipping idiot majority of the times.

people were pretty supportive, even if their disagreement with, the Iraq war

like most people would support the troops and stuff.

more so after 9/11

We were divided.

It was because of 9/11 people came together.

An natural tragedy tends to bring people together.

I mean, some of the erosion on that front is the understandable (warranted) public understanding that the military is now big business, and today it is _very corrupt_ big business.

and the Conspiracy nuts mean that is bad

because the deterrent of deep, soul-eroding shame for "profiteers" of war is apparently no longer a thing

though I suppose many people have been unfairly tarred as "profiteers"

its not fair to accost foot soldiers

Ultimately Blackwater was the SpaceX of ~~killing the enemies of the state~~ securing the priorities of the state, through force if necessary.

for the orders of their superiors who make all the moneyt

and fight non of the battles

you can call them niave, brainwashed, or fooled. but most have a noble cause that has been abused

unfortunately the left is going back to the "baby killer" days of Vietnam