Don’t let the title fool you, and read past the first five paragraphs and on to the analysis of various polls about what Americans think. Read especially the data from the Pew Research poll. Unless something happens, this is the direction of the country. While it will be clear to readers that this profoundly disturbs me, the point is not to share that concern with you but to make us realize, as investors (and many of you are money managers with fiduciary responsibilities), that the tide may be shifting in ways that are not positive for individual asset management. A growing majority in the country thinks this new direction is a good idea. The point is not to disagree with them here but to remind ourselves that we must invest and manage in light of reality and not what we wish was true. It does no good to fight against the tide on our individual levels. This reality, a growing acceptance of things socialist, is a very real possibility. Long-term plans should be made with that in mind.