The Constitution of the United States is certainly not perfect and never was. However, by any rational standard, per capita taxation, number of government employees, economic prosperity and degree of liberty for large numbers of people, it worked very well from 1789 to 1860 and reasonably well from 1877 to 1913. It was never meant to be self-regulating. It was meant to be regulated by a free, vigilant people.
NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. Restore the Republic, RON PAUL for President David Macko ----- Original Message ----- From: Wendie Slovak To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 4:35 PM Subject: [Libertarian] Re: Why Limited Representative Government Fails by Michael S. Rozeff Well said Sasan. Wendie __________________________________________________________ --- In [email protected], "Sasan Sadat-Sharifi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jon, > > Once again we are treated to a steady drumbeat of fear and paranoia. > > The U.S. Constitution, by any measure, is a complete and total > failure, and yet you continue to promote it as our only source of > salvation. You can argue all you want that things would be better if > ordinary citizens participated more in Government, but the fact of the > matter is that you can never guarantee that they will do so. > > I've said it before and I'll say it again: SELF-REGULATING POWER IS A > MYTH. As you have probably noticed, those in power will do whatever > they want, whenever they want and will usually not be held > accountable. All it takes is a few well-structured propaganda devices > to weaken the Citizenry's scrutiny of their Government long enough for > any horrific Government crime to take place. > > You can also argue that there are worse systems of Government than the > one that we are currently enslaved by, but that doesn't mean that > there isn't a better way. > > I used to think that Government was merely the most dominant organized > crime syndicate in a particular region, but I was wrong. Government is > much worse than organized crime. It is INSTITUTIONALIZED crime. It is > crime that most people foolishly believe is necessary for their own > safety. > > You have told us that if we don't perform our "civic duty" by > participating in this institutionalized crime then "some day goons > will come for you, take all your stuff, lock you up, and perhaps rape > and kill you and your family." Shameful scare tactics aside, what do > you suppose would be the source of all of these criminals? > > All of the reasons that an individual would turn to crime are agitated > and amplified by the presence of Government. Whether it's economic > interventions, prohibitions on drugs / prostitution / gambling / > immigration, or just plain rebellion against authority, Government > CREATES the criminals that it claims to protect you from. > > You cynically claimed that "the normal state is kill or be killed", > but every horror story that you tell has occurred within the framework > of some sort of Government, be it national, local, or tribal. The > negative effects that you observe are not the result of Human Nature > but are instead the side-effects of Traditional Authority. > > Human Nature may not change, but Traditions often do. The Tradition of > Authority must be undone, as it is completely incompatible with Human > Nature. This can only be achieved by REJECTION of Government, not > participation. > > > ---Sasan > ---Moderator > ---Libertarian Yahoo! Group > > > > --- In [email protected], Jon Roland <jon.roland@> wrote: > > > > The author of the article makes a false premise. Representation was > > never intended to be sufficient to maintain limited government. Limited > > government depends, then, now, and always, on the people doing their > > civic duty of maintaining the fine balance between too much and too > > little power. Constitutional government is intrinsically metastable. > > Everything else in the Constitution, the separation of powers, a > Bill of > > Rights, various procedures, are just ways to make it a little easier > > for them to do that. People need to get it through their heads: /There > > cannot be any constitution of government that will ever ensure liberty > > without a massive effort by almost everyone./ Not even the complete > > absence of government. But that effort is worth it. If people get so > > complacent that they delude themselves that officials will just do > their > > jobs and comply with the constitution without any supervision on their > > part, they will have tyranny. That's not just a risk. It is a > certainty. > > The only question is how long it will take, and it probably won't be > > very long. > > > > No modern society can maintain liberty, and the constitutional > > government needed to protect it, without devoting at least ten hours a > > week to doing their civic duties. Anything less and some day goons will > > come for you, take all your stuff, lock you up, and perhaps rape and > > kill you and your family. There is no escape, no place to hide. Forget > > about being able to spend your leisure time entertaining yourself. > > Leisure and liberty are incompatible. Freedom takes work, a lot of > work. > > Every day. And in concert with other citizens, not by yourself, sitting > > at a computer, sending email messages. > > > > The Universe is not a playground for your amusement. It is not some > > giant buffet. It is not organized for your comfort and convenience. It > > doesn't care about you, or whether you are prosperous, safe, or > free. If > > you are very lucky you might be able to survive long enough to > > reproduce, but if you experience anything more than unrelenting misery, > > you are lucky and your luck probably won't last. Right now we are in a > > highly exceptional period in history. It won't last. The normal > state is > > kill or be killed, and it is only a matter of time before we revert > to that. > > > > -- Jon > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > Constitution Society 7793 Burnet Road #37, Austin, TX 78757 > > 512/299-5001 www.constitution.org jon.roland@ > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
