Bernie supporters: Could you give me something to hope for? (A serious post.)

[Onlooker]

24. The great tide of liberalism cannot be stopped

You know, the world continues to become more liberal. The whole world. Yes, it has a long way to go, but in the ME we saw the Arab Spring, in India we see the rise of women's rights, in South Africa we see the painful birth of a modern liberal nation. All over the world, the trend has been towards less tolerance of violence and more justice. In places like Rwanda we see liberal reform. Even in places like Iran we hopeful steps being taken. The UN has successfully fought many diseases, most recently Ebola. The lifespan in most places in the world is much longer than it once was.

In the US, the Vietnam War did not end until more than 60,000 Americans had died, but we had enough in Iraq after only 4,500 Americans had died. In The US, despite the power of the right wing, we've seen a consistent trend -- ending slavery, the women's vote, civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and now transgender right. We've seen virtually every liberal reform take hold in some form, from the end of child labor to the 40 hour work week to Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to minimum wage to public college. We've seen environmental issues take center stage, vastly improved treatment for mental health, a far more compassionate approach to treating drug addiction, and now a movement that is resulting in many places in major reform of police departments. The fact is conservatives almost always lose. They may slow the tide of change, but they never stop it. Yes, among the billions of people there is way too much exploitation and abuse, but we are winning the battle. We won't win in my lifetime or in yours in in the lifetimes of your great great grandchildren, but we are winning. Human rights is a long and difficult battle, but we are making progress.

As far as your drug dealers next door, may I suggest you try contacting the Mayor's office or your congressperson's office to see if they can help.