re: "alternatives"
You have to admit, that when people here start speculating about alternatives, damn few alternatives that come up seem to involve LESS government control, and a lot involve MORE. I don't know why the liberal "alternatives" all seem to ratchet in the same direction.
Sit down and think about all the ideas you yourself have for fixing some of our problems in this country. How many involve more government control? How many involve less?
Like a fish that don't know they're wet, the massive control our government already has over our lives seems to be overlooked. In my opinion, most of the "alternatives" that should be considered involve moving away from the collectivist model, not further into it.