As long as the same kind of people are the only ones trying to get elected, and they think the only way to get elected is to raise and spend ridiculous sums of money, and they think the only way to get it is from big business. Nothing is going to change.

Sure it's treatable. I think the problem is that the people who seek power positions are the people who would already do the worst things with that position. I think the majority of good people don't seek office because they don't have that craving for power or control over others. I'm not exactly putting them in the same boat, but people who become cops usually have the same mentality. It's the same for any profession that attracts like minded people. It's kind of the same reasoning with what I think is the problem in politics. For lack of a better simile, it's like the wolves presiding over the sheep.

Yes, as soon as we can get a reasonable consensus on exactly what those ills are. I mean, there will even be disagreement in the ranks of the relatively enlightened herein. If we are to fix anything, we have to, at least working in the current model of our "representative" government, put people into the offices that can do the job we deem necessary. I don't know another way to do it as of now.

We, the people -- taken as a whole -- have been very negligent. We have allowed large segments of our culture to stagnate and grow in ignorance, misinformation, and racism or ethnocentrism. We have allowed a new set of propaganda media to misinform, inflame, and manipulate. Bu not taking on the right and obligation to get involved in our democracy, we have allowed self-serving ideologues and special interests to take charge. We can -- and MUST -- do better than that. .

Well to answer your questions in sequence:

No, No, Definitely not, Almost completely