-Caveat Lector- > > > The Wrong Question: No One Deserves the Power > > by James Bovard > > > > Once again, Americans are struggling to decide which candidate is least > > unfit to be President. Once again, the choice is between two major party > > candidates -- neither of whom scores of millions of Americans believe is > > mentally or morally equal to the job. > > > > We are asking the wrong question. The issue is not who should be trusted > > with all the power of the Presidency. Instead, we must ask how much power > > any candidate can be trusted with. > > > > Would you choose Bush or Gore to have the power to read your email -- > > without a court-authorized search warrant -- thanks to the FBI's Carnivore > > wiretap software and the National Security Agency's Echelon system? Since > > the Federal Communications Commission has ordered that new cell phones be > > homing devices for law enforcement, which candidate would you prefer > > knowing your location at all times? > > > > Would you choose either Gore or Bush to dictate the safety standards that > > might save your life -- or kill you (such as federally-mandated airbags > > that smite children and petite ladies)? > > > > How many new regulations and restrictions should either candidate be able > > to impose on you? Since 1993, federal agencies have issued more than > 25,000 > > new regulations -- criminalizing everything from reliable toilets to snuff > > advertisements on race cars. The federal regulatory juggernaut is > > practically on automatic pilot, sure to continue advancing regardless of > > who wins on November 7. > > > > How many pretexts should the winning candidate receive to have you thrown > > you in prison? There are now more than 3,000 federal criminal offenses on > > the book -- 30 times more criminal laws than existed in 1900 and a > thousand > > times more than existed at the birth of the Republic. The proliferation of > > vague laws are very convenient for federal agents and politically minded > > prosecutors who target certain citizens for ruin. > > > > Which candidate should have jurisdiction over federal agents who can seize > > your property -- without any criminal charges filed against you -- based > on > > hearsay evidence that you may have violated one of over 200 federal laws > > that authorize asset forfeiture? Which candidate should have sway over the > > Justice Department lawyers who fight tooth-and-nail to deny due process to > > forfeiture victims? > > > > How much would you voluntarily give either candidate to spend largely at > > his discretion? The average two-income median income household pays > $17,762 > > in federal taxes per year, according to the Tax Foundation. Would you > write > > out a check for that amount even though you knew that Presidents routinely > > spend tax dollars for their own political aggrandizement? Would you write > > out a check even after realizing that some of your tax dollars will be > > spent to deceive and lull you into thinking you have nothing to fear from > > your rulers -- and thus no need to stand up for your rights and liberties? > > > > The federal government mangles the marketplace far more than most > Americans > > realize. Which candidate should have the right to continue doubling the > > price of the sugar and peanut butter you buy? Which candidate should be > > entitled to levy a 25 percent surcharge on Japanese-made trucks or a 40 > > percent surcharge on Brazilian orange juice, as the U.S. tariff code now > > decrees? Does any President deserve a license to skewer consumers to > reward > > campaign donors? > > > > How much power would you vest in either candidate to forcibly protect you > > against yourself -- vetoing your choices of lifestyle, food, and > recreation? > > > > Is there any prominent politician from either party who could run your > life > > better than you yourself? Is there any politician who is so superior to > you > > in character and intellect that you should effectively sign your life over > > to his hands? Though few people would concede that any politician is so > > much their better, the current regime classifies citizens as, by > > definition, far inferior to their rulers. > > > > We have a paternalistic system with pervasive contempt for the > > Paternalist-in-Chief. We have created a huge engine of government -- even > > though there is no one even vaguely capable of intelligently driving it. > > > > A certain amount of government power is necessary to preserve the peace > and > > deter foreign aggression. But the government passed that point decades > ago. > > Einstein warned in 1945 that, with the invention of the atomic bomb, > > mankind had far more destructive power than people were capable of > > responsibly controlling. It is the same now with political power: > > government has amassed far more coercive power than politicians are > capable > > of intelligently wielding. > > > > Even if the wisest, most virtuous citizen were elected President, our > > Leviathan would still be a public nuisance. There is no magic wand that > > even the best President could wave over the entire federal government. The > > only sure way to improve government is to radically reduce its size and > > power. This is also the best bet to make presidential elections something > > more than the triumph of hope over experience. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > James Bovard is the author of the just published "Feeling Your Pain": The > > Explosion & Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton - Gore Years (St. > > Martin's Press). > > > > > > > > [Forwarded For Information Purposes Only - Not > > Necessarily Endorsed By The Sender - . > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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