Exactly why the least government is the best government. Let everyone govern their own lives and let them live with the rewards or consequences of their decisions. Let them stand as a lesson to those around them.

That was the reason Hobbes' thought a Leviathan government was necessary: the few wicked among us. Of course there is no guarantee the Leviathan will not be wicked and infinitely more destructive.

Organized crime and government have a lot in common, except for the organized part. Government lacks it. Is it any coincidence that the Pres_nt (no ID) is a product of Chicago politics?

Fairness Doctrine instead of censorship. Tax cut for the middle class instead of welfare for the freeloader. Progressive instead of fascist. Liberal instead of socialist. Hey, this is fun...

Most people complain about the inefficiency of government, but they don't realize there is nothing more to be feared than an efficient bureaucrat.

It is no accident that the political class try at every turn to thwart private success. If a business is successful, tax it, regulate it, and punish it. If it is still successful, tax it, regulate it, and punish it some more. Repeat until the business dies. At that point not only have the business and its owners failed, so have the employees. Then they will crawl to their political masters begging for scraps from the table. Robert, there is one simple solution to our country's ills: FREEDOM.

We would not be allowed by the "democratic" oligarchs to pay off the debt even if we wanted. Every dollar saved is a dollar waiting to be stolen. Debt is slavery, slaves we are, and slaves we will remain.

Is it any wonder people like our new messiah, oops, I mean President get a god complex when people treat him like a god? The lefts savior is here. I'm not sure what he's saving, but he's here.

Does anyone believe Caesar paid for bread and circuses with his own money?

That is the the problem: why should anyone have that kind of power over any person. If you want to walk off the cliff on your own; well, it's been nice knowing you. Please don't drag me down to share your foolish choice. The only appropriate "executive order" would be to forever renounce that power. Everyone is now free to fail or thrive. If you find that you're a failure, you'd better make sure you made some good will along the way so that you'll have friends and family to help you out of a tough time. Otherwise, you pay the price. Just as a takeoff on Heinlein's "An armed society is a polite society," I believe that a free society is a kind society.

At least we'll have all of those Obama collector plates around when civilization collapses. Maybe they can be the new currency. At least they're not as easy to make as a dollar.

Legal tender is just an IOU that depends upon the honesty of both the lender and borrower. Both have been a bit deficient in honesty lately. If it is legal tender that makes the world go around, why is it the world seems to be slowing down? It is lack of faith in the honesty of the lying cheats that make things as they are. On the other hand, money based on a rare commodity has a faith all its own. You can use your own faculties to judge its quality as you hold it in your hand. You don't have to trust in the promises of known liars and frauds.

The wolves don't even bother to wear sheep's clothing anymore.

Is there any reason? Of course there is. It's the same reason robber's steal from banks...that's where the money is.

People...where's your hope for change? Spare change. Mister, can you spare a quarter? I know it's not real silver anymore, just some cheap alloy, but still... at least I can throw it at a politician.

We're sitting in the restaurant, we've had our dinner, and the waiter has brought the check. Our wallets are open, but we have no cash. We hand our credit card to the waiter and a few moments later he brings it back to us in two pieces. Now what? At the next table is a kindly looking Chinese gentleman who is vaguely familiar. Oh, that's right...we've borrowed money from him before. He won't mind. Get ready to wash some dishes, my friends.

"And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny..." Seems like somebody else likes honest weights, measures, and money too.

If only we had the political system the United States was created with, there would be infinitely more hope (of a more authentic kind). Nevertheless, we have what we have. As for myself I will continue to plan for the worst and pray for the best. A cynic is seldom disappointed and is sometimes pleasantly surprised. As for debauching or debasing a currency, it is only possible with a fiat currency which is why the dollar had to go off the gold and silver standard. When the dollar is based on a commodity of limited quantity the people will not allow debasement out of their own self interest, and their self interest turns out to be in the interest of all. The powers that be, however, had other ideas.

True enough. History has shown it over and over and over ad nauseum. Sometimes it is just results in a minor inconvenience, sometimes in considerable pain. Sometimes it means misery and death. We shall all see what our future holds.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/economic_stimulus_package/support_for_stimulus_package_falls_to_37
Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% favor the legislation, 43% are opposed, and 20% are not sure. Two weeks ago, 45% supported the plan. Last week, 42% supported it. Opposition has grown from 34% two weeks ago to 39% last week and 43% today.

Warren, I rated it only two stars because it is a clever quip but I don't believe lack of money is the ROOT of all evil. The root cause I believe is laziness. I was once young and had no money. I could have chosen to be lazy and beg, borrow, or steal someone else's money but instead I chose to work for my own money. A young, ambitious, hard working man who has no money does not have within him the root of evil. His lack of money and his faith that honest work will get it is a reflection of man's nobility. By the sweat of his brow shall he live.

Wealth is the product of self-denial of current pleasure for future security. Without life there is no need for security.

Laziness is more likely the root of all evil. If you are lazy, you have no money. If you are lazy and have no money, you will be envious of someone else's money. If you are envious of someone else's money, you'll want to take it by persuasion, guilt, or pity. If that doesn't work, you'll take it by force. If you can't do that by yourself, you'll get the government to help you take it. In the end laziness can turn you into a thief and if need be a murderer.

Waffler, you're about two weeks behind on those polling numbers. The more us lowly peasants learn about what is in it, the fewer of us that want it. As for spending stimulating the economy, it is not that there are not things to be bought, sold, built, or money to be borrowed or lent. It is that nobody believes what anyone else is saying. I believe Congress and the President are lying to me. I believe the purpose of the swindle-us package is to socially engineer even more of us into ever more compliant dependents who must beg their livelihood and existence from our political masters. By the way the swindle-us and TARP are approximately twice what has been spent on Iraq.

The laws of physics are common to all as are the laws of economics. Morality in its entirety can be thought of as a question of economy, i.e. what is most productive for the individual. It is not moral to murder not only because it ends an individual's productive life, but it also creates uncertainty about whether anyone's productive life is safe if the murderer is allowed to go free. By productive life, by the way, I mean more than money. Everyone has the potential to be valuable to someone else beyond the monetary issue. Because it is in everyone's interest to bring the murderer to justice to reduce the uncertainty of their own safety, it is also each individual's duty to bring the murderer to justice. Uncertainty of future payoff decreases current value. By protecting your right to life, I protect my own life and economic interest. Individuals acting in their own self-interest protect everyone else from injustice. If you look at the timeless laws such as you should not kill, steal, commit adultery, covet you neighbors belongings, etc., they all create uncertainty in life, in family, and in the home. Because they create uncertainty, they decrease the value of everyone's life. In essence they steal a portion of someone else's valuable life. These age old laws are the codification of natural law.