Shallow, shallow, shallow. We all want power to control the environmnet in our front yard, on our street, and in our towns, villages, states, nations, and world. Politics is when we come together with our neighbors, villagers, citizens of states, nations, and the world to to control the environment around us. Individuals will and have forever come forward to lead and to serve this effort. Politics is simply the art of making policy to effect this control. To be accepted and adored and placed in a position of trust by your fellows can be intoxicating and yes sometimes lead to abuse. Democracy and frequent elections is the best safeguard.

Tell it to the Swedes and especially to the Chineese who have gained dramatic affluence and control over us less governmentally dominated countries like the US. No one likes a totalitarian situation which means all decisions come from one person, but a cooperative society where folk work together for the common good brings prosperity to all.

You are correct Warren but the Nazi's kind of claim him as the father. I agree that he would have rejected them. Nietzsche said that we each have "the will to power" or the will to live. For a philosophy to be true it must be universal, thus one persons will to power or to life is not for the purpose of obstructing or ending anothers as the Nazi's did. Anyway Nietzsche went nuts in the end.

I don't like deficits Warren period. The current one and the ones since Clinton were caused by Cheney's tax cuts for the wealthy. They will expire next year. We can not live with deficit financing in our towns, citiesk, counties or states, and we damne well should not accept it in our national government. Raise hell with your representatives and let us step up to the plate as a nation of intelligent people. As for the pilgrims, they did not come here as individual entrepreneurs but as a band of highly organzied, politcally and theocratically connected people. Not that they did not have individual skills and personal courage but it was in a context of a tight knit societal framwork. And thus they accomplished much very quickly.

Thanks Ben for your repartee.

The Homeland Security Department was created so that various law enforcement agencies could communicate with each other. Before that the various agencies were prohibited. This lack of interaction gave criminals, enemies, and illegals an upper hand. Government is basically benign and gets involved in problems after the fact.

Would like to hear more of Laurence's reasoning for his opinion of LBJ.

The Government should govern right up to the full power for which it was established. Like each of us it should not shirk from the duties and responsibilities for which it was created and empowered. On the other hand it must not exceed its powers and responsibilities.

LBJ is missing something here. Benefit analysis should entail a "pros and cons" approach. Few actions or legislation are ever perfect, but the result of many conflicting forces. As John Kennedy said "we do not live in a black and white world" Their is a lot of gray out there and Solomonic decisions and legislation require a balancing act.

I dunno. Sometimes it is better to do something than nothing at all. Like the Fence. Everyone says it won't work but heck it is better than doing nothing. At least it shows energy and effort on the illegal question. First steps must often be taken even if they are not perfect ones.

Lets take a breather. Vietnam was a complex issue. It started out or was analysed to be a war to protect the South from the same types of governmental atrocities enumerated above by the communists in China and Russia. Our leaders and WE failed to really understand it as a war of liberation from colonialism. The war was driven by the anti-communist and anti-socialist lobby. Lobbies like that are unable to see beyond their personal agendas to correctly analyse facts and events.

Apparently the author has never heard of slavery (although this was supported by the state even if not directly practiced) prostitution, enforced servitude. piracy, theft, robbery, murder and mayhem enacted by one or a group of human beings against another individual or group of individuals. The dileberate policy of most governments has often been to mollify these abuses among men. The author has obviously never heard the old statement about "mans' inhumanity to man" and that is a shame for someone who is a Professor of Philosophy.

Reston is so sharp and is right on here. In addition people in industry and private endeavors abuse power and common sense constanly in all types of matters including environmental digradation for example. All people and org. have audits performed and oversight to keep people straight. Calhoun played the simpleton and political hack here in this statement.

A nation and its' "state" are afterall simply organizations. When King Mathias raised taxes against the nobility and individuals every one bitched. He was in effect in a manner decreasing the influence of the private sector for the benefit of the nation and the state. They loved him for it. Readers take note.

I think this is blatantly wrong! Take Hungary for example. King Mathias ruled from 1357 to 1390, he raised taxes on rich and poor alike, built up the army and pushed the Turks out. He was and is held in high esteem by his countrymen for improving the army, the courts, even if he did raise taxes high. He was a great Renaissance King. When he died it was commonly said "we will galdly pay even more taxes if he would but rise again". After his death the nation drifted into a lesser state of health. I don't think Swynnerton is on the right track here. He is very shallow, very shallow indeed. Many will latch on to this shallow quote to fulfill their own purposes or agenda. Another example is in cities that are in decline or a state of old age. When the state or the city invests in improvements and beautification programs the entire economy picks up. Again Swynnerton errs in my opinion.

Janice the Pilgrims were a cooperative highly structured theocratic society. They were physically and mentally strong but they worked together generally as a community not as free enterprize entrepreneurs as your post seems to suggest.

Good eye Jim good I. I should have left the ly off.

Good to hear from you Logan. Glad to see that you are your same miserable self. You should get together with JT form Florida who criticizes my research and says that Washington resigned the Presiden and served less than his full 8 years. Broadsides and diatribes like yours Logan are not becoming at all. Not at all. Glad you have been reading along though and glad I am getting some response from you.

Never hear from JT before and he starts off on a terrible foot. I don't pretend to know everything and I suggest you beware of those who do especially beware of yourself. Washington served from April 1789 to March 1797 a period of 8 years. He gave and published his Fareweel Address to the nation in September 1796, His reluctance to seek a third term may be what you consider as a resignation. I don't know about your population statistics but you are showing yourself above to be pretty dimwitted, JT. Have a great day!

Frederick Douglass was a freed slave. He obviously knew something suppression and subjegation by others.

To me Big Brother is basically political lying and expecting US to accept it. The most recent example of The Big Brother Big Lie is Bush/Cheny's mantra "deficits don't matter". What a bunch of crap that Big Lie has gotten us into. And floks follwed it as they admired Bush and Cheny's smile. Now some of the dumb masses are wondering after Sarah Palins smile. I don't know about her smile but she does have a nice mouth.

Yeah since when? Never has happened. On the other hand even while criticizing we owe people in positions the respect the office requires. Respect the office and criticize the individual till you can throw the bum out. That is the American Way. I think Americans should be respectfully people of each other and authoirity. After all we are the Authority!

Thus those who have guns and want more guns and thus more power are people of low morality. BS I don't buy this. Every one should have power and dignity of person. I love Einstein but this simple statement can be taken to far. Power or force is for a purpose and should be used for the intended moral purpose. Gun owners who think of taking on Government by force are the ones I think Einstein is talking about.

We The People is a much bigger concept than your narrow dictatorial view. For you when the majority elect or do something that you don't like you say that they are not "We The People". You have been a sick dictatorial thinker for a long time Mike.

He was prophetic! We just did that with the overtrhow maybe once and for all of the Reagan/Bush/Biush-Cheney regime who have almost totally ruined us. We are now on the mend.