The Jack-O-Lantern Theory....

[TheModernTerrorist]

So, here's my theory....
Treat a pumpkin as the US. Tough, thick outer skin. Lotsa pulpy goodness on the inside.
This current administration has essentially "gutted" our country (tax cuts to rich, slashing of public programs, assistance to the poor, etc) and carved a scary face on it for Halloween (increase in defense budget). Now, yes, that pumpkin is scarier now (more able to defend itself from "terrorists"), however without that pulpy inside to hold the shell up and feed it (our gutted economy, for one), the shell of that pumpkin will rot and decay after a short while, whether it be days or weeks, and after that, it can't be fixed... it's dead and must be discarded.
A whole, intact pumpkin will continue to live for months and months after being uprooted if it isn't carved up for Halloween. So even though a jack-o-lantern scares temporarily, it will eventually decay into a disgusting mess.

I say this because I still had pumpkins in my house from halloween. The ones that were buried by snow on our porch were finally revealed after the snow melted, and were disgusting, but the intact ones that were left in the house were still good.

Think about that analogy.

[GoodE2Shoes]

1. Huh???

:shrug:

[salin]

2. analogy per a crumbling infrastructure

with the "gutted pumpkin" = a society with most in economic distress, few services, weakening infrastructure (roads, emergency services, etc.), where all energy to "protect" has gone to tax cuts for the few (in the name of spurring economic growth - which of course hasn't happened for most folks but is being touted nonetheless) - and a scary facade (eg threat to others via military investment) - at the expense of said infrastructure and the citizens, cities, towns etc in which they live. Point being when gutted it is harder for long time survival - using the whole pumpkin vs the carved out pumpkin as example. I find it an interesting, if not rather oblique, analogy.

[breakfastofchampions]

3. I like it

Not only that, but vandals are more likely to smash up the jack o lantern than the regular pumpkin.