The "Rule of Law"

I do not advocate anarchy. The "rule of law" is indeed part of the proper role of government. I think, however, that the federal government should restrict itself to making laws that are based on one bringing immediate harm to another. Violent crimes, theft, restriction of another's freedom, etc. These should be situations that are clear-cut, objectively judgable events - he did or didn't do it, period, and almost everybody completely agrees that it's wrong.

Rape is a crime - drug use is not.

Questionable matters of harm ("a power plant is damaging my kids' brains") should be settled in civil court. We should probably have an equivalent "public prosecutor" service, as well as "public defenders," to those who qualify. The judge would make the call as to whether the case was justifiable, and the jury of peers would make the call as to who harmed who, and how bad.

If a community or a family thinks a drug user or dealer is harming them by their self-negligence, or by ruining their neighborhood, they can sue them. That way we wouldn't need omni-nation morality laws. This could take care of drug use, tobacco & alcohol sales and advertising, unpopular business practices, prostitution, gambling, and more. If a community thinks a business should be punished for firing people or moving out of town, they can tell it to the jury. And prove direct harm. If harm can not be proved, then the defendant shouldn't be punished.

-Government interferes with our Interdependence

Some thoughts from Stephen Covey:

"When we're interdependent, we work cooperatively with other people. We seek their welfare as well as our own. We discover that people working together multiply their abilities in ways that aren't explained by simple mathematics. We experience both the emotional richness of close interpersonal relationships, and the practical rewards of teamwork."

This type of situation is what I believe to be ideal; I think that this ideal is made unachievable by an extensive outreach of unprovoked governmental force.

The government sets us against each other in so many ways that it is all but impossible to act interdependently, compassionately, or cooperatively. The law does not allow it. Welfare is not compassion. Affirmative Action is not cooperation. And mutual dependence is not the same as interdependence.

You can't make people care for one another. It is their choice whether or not to care for one another - not their inborn responsibility. All you can do is allow them to care for one another, if they so choose.

Our government ends up imposing paralyzing restrictions, instead of providing enabling "services." Forced Affirmative Action makes healing and helping slower; forced Welfare, likewise.

Formally establishing a section of society as an underclass is not a service.

I believe that the government has invested enough in the development of our society, and that we are getting ready for a separation with our Mommy of the past 100+ years. Mommy's tired. She is, in fact, just about wiped out. She has raised herself the most prosperous society in history; by providing essential infrastructure, such as highways, the internet, the railroads, the postal service, and more; by pouring billions of dollars into educating, defending, uplifting, supporting, and counseling its citizens; and by preserving enough freedom so that we can still overturn her if necessary.

And our Governmom senses that the time draweth nigh. The numbers don't add up anymore, the stock market's bound to crash, and the people are getting restless- voter turnout is super-low, homeschooling is on the rise, as are home offices, community policing, and local social services.

The G is losing its grip. Those who can are planning now for the time when Mom isn't there anymore. Those who can't are scrambling to the trough, trying to get as much as they can while it's still being handed out. As a whole, our society is preparing for self-sufficiency, whether it likes it or not.

I simply desire to make a more specific, directed effort at bringing about our society's freedom and self-sufficiency.

Our current government is not the ideal way to resolve society's problems.

Yeah, it's real good , but since we're so close, why don't we finish the American Experiment and go all the way?

It could be centuries (or forever) before another society is in the position that we are to create a truly free, self-reliant society. Unless we succeed. Then we would be a model for the world, of a free society, as we have been (but moreso), allowing others to follow in our gleeful footsteps.

But we can't accomplish any such thing with 50% of our collective lives being woven into the chilled molasses that is our behemoth government.

Our current system of gives and takes is fatally flawed, because the line of people wanting a bully will never end, and the government will perpetually be doling out appeasement to opposing interests.

The bitter reality is that we are "democratically" strangling ourselves with our own government. If the Ds and Rs have their way, third parties will be effectively eliminated, and they will secure permanent jobs as Our Leaders.

"Yes, Master, I will vote for you...I must vote for you...to vote otherwise would be wasting my vote." ;)

Wasting my vote indefinitely,

Lance