On Fri, 26 May 2006, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> On Thu, 2006-05-25 at 15:57 -0500, Levi Bard wrote:
> > I just hate this attitude that we seem to be infected with, that the
> > US has hands-down the best government in the world, and that
> > everyplace else is a third-world nation compared to here.
> > Particularly by people who have never been out of the country.
>
> The US sucks -- until you realize there's nothing better.
>
> The US _not_ fair.
> The US is _free_.
>
> That's why there's "less safety nets" but also "more wealth."
> The more "safety nets" the "more government" the "less wealth."
>
> I don't want the government to save me.
> I can fend for myself.
>
I would add that the founding fathers were not concerned with 'freedom',
but rather with 'liberty'. They were much concerned about each
person's responsibility to each other and to society.
There is no question in my mind but that we have less liberty than we
did a decade ago. Every month there is another area of our lives that
is 'regulated' for 'the common good'. And it all flows from the idea of
a 'government safety net', ie socialism. If the government (rather the
taxes paid by the citizenry) is going to be the ultimate payor, then
it/we should have the right to tell everyone how to live. It is only
logical. Doesn't mean it's a good idea at all. Matter of fact, we can
point to lots of illustrations of how it hasn't worked.
Unfortunately, most in our society are hooked on the government teat and
no amount of logic will cause us to release our grip. Don't think so?
Would you vote for a congress critter who loudly proclaimed that he had
reduced federal/state subsidies to his constituency (ie, you)?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Wildman, CISSP, RHCE jim@rossberry.com http://www.rossberry.com
"Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best
state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
Thomas Paine
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Fri Aug 01 2014 - 20:07:57 EDT