Some conspiracy theorists have put forth the idea that there is no difference whatsoever between the two major political parties in this country, it goes something like this:  The continued existence of the two party system is artificial, maintained by those in power to create the illusion of choice.  This illusions quells the outbreak of open rebellion by the population in the face of an aparant dictatorship, or at least a loose oligarchy.  Academia and the media are willing participants in the deception, and consciously work to both indoctrinate the population through the education process, and maintain an ongoing sense of hysteria through media coverage of trivial differences between the two parties.

Seems vaguely familiar doesn’t it?  As if maybe someone wrote a novel along these same lines.  Oh wait, that novel you’re think of had three ruling parties, not two - that can’t be it…

Maybe it was a movie, yeah, no one reads anymore anyway!  Well except for Harry Potter books.  I’m pretty sure they never discuss economics in those, although I could have skipped that chapter…  What was I talking about, oh right, a movie.  Mabye something with Keannu Reeves?  Nah, that movie was full of killer robots - those don’t really exist! Well ok so they sorta do, but they definitely aren’t thinking for themselves…yet.

So I guess I was way off base with that whole conspiracy theory idea.  That couldn’t really happen, I mean between the two major candidates they have collectively raised over a billion dollars in order to convince people of just how different they are.  And think of all the ways they spend that money: buttons, t-shirts, hair stylists, non-stop mass media advertising.  Hmm, I sense it’s time for a new topic.