I talk to people on the street sometimes. Yesterday met a guy in a ford pick up with his dog and said to him you can vote for higher taxes and theft or just theft. He chose the former.. He was a democrat and praised the coming revolution. Almost everybody is in a brain coma and it is sad.
Never, ever invest with money you need to survive on. Never ever put all your money on one bet. Diversify or die and have patience, while setting tight stop losses. $20 or less in commission fees is almost always cheaper than a 5-40%+ drop in share value.