Robert Reich speaks the inconvenient (and politically incorrect) truth:

• A solution in Iraq is going to be tough.
• Treating more sick people will mean younger people will pay more.
• It’s too expensive to treat older people at the end of their life “so we’re going to let you die”.
• If we use government to control costs there will be “less innovation” in medical technology and you should not expect to live much longer than your parents.
• Global warming can only be tackled by a carbon tax which is going to cost you a lot of money.
• We’re going to have to pay teachers more for quality education - costing you more - but we have to be willing to fire the turkeys despite the unions.
• Anyone who does an unskilled, repetitive job will lose it in the near future to outsourcing or automation. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
• A minimum wage doesn’t help as much as an earned income tax credit.
• Helping people at the bottom earn more is going to cost higher income people more money.
• Medicare will bankrupt the nation unless something is done and will impoverish the youth.
• The best way to ameliorate global poverty is to do away with farm subsidies.

Who among us, in all honesty, can deny that any of these things are true?  Okay, maybe these aren't "nice", but if we're going to solve our problems, we're going to have to acknowledge them, even if they're aren't "nice".  Robert Reich has gone from "someone I'm aware of" to "someone I like and respect" with one speech.