Well, this VP choice ought to get the Democrats even more energized and behind Hillary no matter what she's done.

I'm glad that there has been such public push back within the GOP even if it has been for naught. When we end up with either the disaster that is Hillary, or the disaster that is Trump in the White House, there is a record there that many conservatives where not onboard with the Trump crazy train.

It sure feels like a Hillary win right now, but a lot could happen in the next months and there may be some independents that would like a ride to crazy town.

I'll tell a story of the little town of Alameda, CA because it is very much related to this thread. Alameda, CA is actually a island surrounded by water in the San Francisco Bay. It is right next to Oakland, CA and only about 100-150' of water separate the two cities.

I lived for over 20 years in Oakland and always admired Alameda and wanted to live there, but the housing costs were too high for me to afford a house there. During the 1990s, Oakland was suffering about 250-300 homicides a year, a great many of them in East Oakland that is just across the water from Alameda. During this time Alameda was averaging about 0-1 homicide per year.

Alameda was like Mayberry, an idilic American town with an old fashion down town, clean safe streets, little to no crime and kids could ride their bikes anywhere, even at night. Not much happened in Alameda, just people lived their lives while across the water, Oakland was on fire with gunfire every night.

How did they manage this little oasis in the Bay?

To get to Alameda, you have to either cross one of four bridges, or go through one tunnel that goes under the water. The bridge that goes to Bayfair Island (island only in name) is so remote that most people don't even know where it is or how to get there, so that just leaves three bridges and a tunnel that directly link Alameda to one of the worst parts of Oakland.

Well, the Alameda police force, that was tasked with keeping the town safe and secure and keep property values up, used profiling to do so. They used to patrol all around those bridges and that tunnel and if they somebody drive though their that they didn't know, or looked suspicious, they found a reason to pull them over. That means a lot of black people got pulled over.

There were and are black people living on the island, so it was a tricky balance Im sure. I knew a guy who was black that rented an apartment over there in these times and he told me that he had been pulled over many times. It was a hassle, but they were always polite and eventually recognized him. My friend understood why they did it and was OK with it because he enjoyed the oasis as well. It was a pain he said though when his black friends and family came to visit and I think he eventually moved off the island.

Eventually the Naval Air Station there closed and business on the island plummeted. Much of the Navy housing turned to rent controlled apartments. The demographics changed and with it the policing policies. Much of Alameda is still a nice place to live, but Mayberry is gone now. The crime is up, but nowhere near Oakland. The police still have a reputation even if is not the case anymore, so it helps keep the crime out I guess.

Bottom line is, profiling works to keep crime down and the police use it. The profiles they use are born from experience on the street, not some inbred racism. Proof is, cops of all colors use the same profiles. Just the way it is. This does not excuse the cops from shooting, or killing people that aren't threat, or even in custody. 

There's a Airdrome Aeroplane that can be built and flown for under 25k.  That is still a good chunk of change, but well within the means of your average adult.

Perhaps it's tied into stratification of the middle class toward lower pay grades...that people don't take on these projects or the hobby of flying because it's beyond the means of their disposable income, because disposable income (inflation adjusted) has shrunk over the years.

I don't know what it is - I know that I see a much more robust and IMO a much more capable citizen in Canada than I know in the US.  That isn't to say they're perfect and it's way too cold up here during the winters.  They just seem much more capable of surviving without others doing things for them.  Modernization creates dependencies.

How many planes have you built? Maybe you just live in a lame part of the country because there are lots of people building stuff where I live. I live on the water, and about a year ago a local guy drove by my dock with a home built steam powered boat. Now that's dedication! I have a video of it on my phone, but it's hassle to attach it here.

There's also a kid down the street from me in his '20s that has resurrected a barn find ratty old Model A Ford and drives it around the neighborhood. Now I want one!!    My only concern is, he drives way too fast for the crappy mechanical brakes it has!

Maybe it's just a California thing. I've never lived in another state. Here some people are always building things and working on projects. Of course there are lots of folks like my brother in law that really aren't sure which end of the hammer to use and hire everything done, but he makes over 3x I do in income working as financial planner and broker for Fidelity. I can build a deck, repaint a car, weld, machine, and build a house if need be, but I can not for the life of me make the money he does.

I just don't see the worthless America you do where you live I guess.

We need them for things like steel because they can produce it cheaper than we can.
When their "middle class" reaches a level approaching ours, their labor rates will increase and their environmental regulations will tighten up so that their newly educated middle class can breathe and have a life. 

At that point, we will begin to become competitive again.  Assuming our "leadership" doesn't screw things up even more by then.

This true and China is laying the foundations for this inevitable transition now. They are investing in places like Africa because they see it as the next low cost manufacturing local when they price themselves out. They want to do as we have done and offshore the manufacturing but still be in the design, engineering, financial and banking markets. They will have a mammoth middle class with spending power that will make the rest of the world look pretty puny.

We will still be competitive, but we will no longer be number one. Eventually China will have home grown companies making products and providing services every bit as attractive and compelling as our own, or anything from Europe, Japan, or Korea. When this happens, they will be the most important country in the world. They do have a lot of difficulties to overcome along the way though, so their timeline to this new future is uncertain.

That might be a bit of an overstatement since the US is still the #2 manufacturer in the world @ 17.2%.
Japan is #3 at 7.8%.

(China is at 23.2%).
Numbers based on 2013.

Notice the word "help" used. Almost all manufacturing here in the US is dependent on China for support. Either in raw steel, or fabrics, or computer chips, or electronic components, molds and dies, or sub assemblies, or, god damn! the list goes on forever!! Trust me, if China were to suddenly to call an embargo on the US, nearly all, if not all of US manufacturing would come to screeching halt. Hell even the US military is dependent on them!

China could bring us to our knees and ruin us if they were willing to destroy their own economy in the process. The two countries are very intertwined, so this scenario is likely not to happen soon. However, the Chinese central planners had hoped to start the end of US dominance right around now IMO, but it turns out that they are still slow to innovate and create solid, competitive  companies on their own, so they can't cut us off yet.

I am certain one day they will get to the point were their own middle class is doing so well and that their own home grown companies are so desirable, that they can cut us off at the knees, suffer some pain and survive to be the most dominant country the world has ever seen. Mark my words, this might the coming. This is why they are sending their kids to come here in large numbers to not only get educated by our institutions, but also to learn how it is we invent so many cool things and make innovations people want. The kids learn this stuff and go home to make companies to compete with us. Eventually, they'll get it right like the Japanese and the Koreans before them.

Oh gawd... it's that time of month again!  Old men, just like women, once a month seem to get moody, depressed and crabby. The old men start bitching about the "youth of today" and the "decline of America" with regularity. This much I have learned from the various pilot forums.

Unlike the women, the old men don't have a good reason to do all their bitching and moaning. Look around gents. Within 10 miles of me I have a Home Depot, a Lowes, an ACE hardware, an OSH hardware, a Fastenal store and they are building a Tractor Supply. Drive a little further and I also have a Graingers and specialty hardware and lumber stores. All these retail stores do exist just for professional contractors and of course the internet will deliver anything I need to build right to my door.

In short, Americans are building all kinds of crap everywhere!!

It's true, not many Americans know how to go into a forest, cut down trees and make a log cabin, but who cares??! That's a fucking stupid skill to have! That may have been a a bit too strong as I do admire folks that keep out dated technology alive, like forging medieval swords, building boats with wood and no metal fasteners, or rebuilding and operating steam engines, but at some point they are living history, hobbyists and a niche, not what make America strong.

If somebody needs something to help them get through the old man cramps, just go to YouTube and search for- "Man builds a...", or "Homemade..." I guarantee you will find some cool shit that Americans are doing right now. Not just old geezer America either, the kids really do like making stuff too. Now a days they are called "makers" and it's a badge of honor and pride. I find it amusing as I have been a "maker" all my life and we always thought of it as cheap bastard tinkering, but hey, the times they change.

The times ahead look good for American invention and innovation. With 3D printing, CAD design, CNC machining, 3D scanning and loads of new software, we no longer have to whittle stuff out of wood, or beat on metal with a hammer. The stuff the next generation will build will blow the log cabins away.

We may not be number one in manufacturing anymore, but we are well positioned to continue to dominate the creative building and designing of things all through the 21st century. Somebody mentioned smart phones earlier. That is a Made in America invention that has spread through out the world. Most here are now dependent on it. Every bit as important as the invention of the automobile, or even the log cabin. That's what I'm talking about!

We take a vote on it.  But nobody can vote unless they actually pay some amount of income tax. (Even though I advocating getting rid of the income tax and implementing a consumption tax).

Every single person breathing and of an age to possess money, pays taxes in this country. They just aren't all income taxes.