Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Any discussions of firearms and the (zombie) apocalypse are my fault, and I take complete responsibility.  Mr. Beagles mentioned, in passing, falling stock prices of Smith and Wesson so I went off on a bit of a tangent of a fact finding nature.  Knowing that Uncle Ken has no interest in such matters, his temporary absence provided a good opportunity for me to ask a few questions, you know, just in case.  I have no plans to equip an arsenal, but I find such things interesting as a thought experiment.  The government does it all the time, creating scenarios and figuring out how to cope with them.  Falling bean prices and the effect on septic tanks?  I bet they have a plan for that, ready to implement at a moment's notice.

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I'm getting the impression that public sentiment is divided into two factions, with alarmists on both sides blathering with great vigor.  Is there a third faction, representing the voice of reason, and who could they be?  This is an ideal opportunity for a viable third party, if only to resolve the many possible forthcoming conflicts.  Not all Republicans are extremely conservative, nor are all Democrats extremely liberal.  Some members of both parties are reasonable and willing to negotiate and compromise, but I can't name any at the moment.  But suppose they quit their parties and got together to form a new third party.  Think it would work?  Since the Cubs won the World Series I now believe anything is possible.

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Mr. Beagles mentioned a book about the formation of the individual states and how they got congressional approval with the assistance of some influence peddlers.  So, with the past election, have the influence peddlers changed?  Are some lobbyists fleeing Washington in shame and fear while new lobbyists are stepping up to the plate, or is it the same players just switching sides?

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ADDENDUM:

I just saw this when I posted today's bit.  Is this new and something we should be concerned about?

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