This may have been true once, but it is dated. Mr. Clemens lived in an era before most people expected the government to be the solution to all their problems, and developed a bureaucracy to to fill those needs (wants). That bureaucracy is a shadow government that leaks and peeks, and manipulates the visible one. Politicians are temporary. Bureaucrats are forever. We have the government we deserve. A nanny state for a bunch of dependent whiners. We will never get rid of it because there are not enough people who want real liberty and freedom anymore. And when it comes to politicians I will take the doctors, oil men and ministers over lawyers and professional politicians any day.

I guess he finally figured out he was mistaken, it just took awhile.

And here we are. When people vote their pocketbooks they get politicians who are thieves, willing to steal from one to give to another to buy votes for themselves. And they can do that with a tax system so arcane even the 100,000 strong agency that administers it can't figure it out. It has become a vehicle of corruption and government intrusion, social engineering, corruption. Fairtax.org

Bush did not "give a big tax cut to the rich" he gave an equal percentage tax cut to all who pay income taxes (the problem is the 'poor' pay no income tax and expect another handout when the tax payers get a rate cut). And perhaps Bruce, you could point out where in the Constitution the government is given the power to forcibly conscript people into the military we are raising an army now voluntarily. You showed nothing of relevance.

Bruce, once we elect our government officials we must live with their decisions until the next election unless they violate the law and can be impeached. If you think a war is not right, it is your right not to serve in the military. Conscription is a ludicrous concept for a free country. It is temporary slavery pure and simple. If we cannot find enough people to volunteer to serve perhaps we do not need to be at war, or no longer deserve to exist as a country. I believe that is where DW is coming from, and I agree.

Stretching Archer... the quote makes no use of the word claim. The main purpose of government is to protect us from external violence, which usually aimed at our property. Among your rights are property rights which the government is charged to protect from both internal and external threat. Private property ownership is the foundation of our concept of freedom.

That is what the 9th and 10th amendments are all about. The Constitution is very clear that the government is an island of powers in a sea of rights. Powers not given to the government in the Constitution are not theirs to use. All natural (God given) rights are retained by the people. Only politicians interested in increasing their own power or statists/socialists/democrats can see it otherwise.

Excuse LS out of me Bruce, I typoed an extra M, but it is not imminent. The Constitution is the contract the people made with or laid on the government giving the government it's powers. The 5th Amendment allows the government to take private property for public use with just compensation. It is in the contract, hence it is valid and voluntary. In civilized free societies you do own property with the right to pass it to whom ever you like. The indians we treated better then any other conquered group in history. The usual choice is assimilate, be assimilated or die.

Bruce, manmade global warming is a hoax of the watermelons of the world. NASA has been caught cooking the books on it temperatures, many of the reporting station are improperly placed and the only thing certain about the climate is that it always changes. I watched them rant and rave about the coming ice age at the first earth day. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me three times, you must be a scientist. I never need or want someone else making decisions for me.

Robert can you even spell liberty or freedom? Why do you even bother to frequent this site? Why do you live in this country? Why don't you move to some socialist workers paradise?

Bruce, no they were not free, they were tribal and subject to the whims of the tribe, and owed the tribe; they were subjects. If you cannot own yourself and the fruits of your labor, you are not free. There is no conflict between private property and free societies. Emminent domain, in the correct form, is a voluntary giving up of a very limited amount of private property rights which are NECESSARY for the the functioning of the government. Unfortunately our modern Supreme Court and the socialist dictators in black robes have heavily over stepped the authority given the government in this area. Should any level of government (or individual for that matter) attempt to take my private property by force, it will ultimately become a second amendment related issue.

Dick is an old Soviet joke, like Hillary and 99% of democrats. Up is down and the facts must be changed to suit the party line. Why just the other day a walmart employee put a gun to my head, forced me to buy something I did not want, contribute to his health care, and and pay for the education of his children...only in Dick's little fantasy world.

Truer words were never spoken.

Archer get off your butt and storm it if you have the balls and actually believe what you say...Green you probably haven't a clue how to conduct a military operation so it is probably a waste of time to explain bombing requires few troops...douglas we sent more American troops to their death in the Clinton peace time military then have died in Iraq and Afganistan together, get a little perspective beyond Neville Chamberlain's, & how about bursting your own bubble first...Lewis, talk about a mindless rant, you live through being an F-102 pilot and then talked to me about being mentally challenged, there is not a cogent phrase in your post and I suggest your recall the Clintons before you start talking truth challenged....Robert I hate to trouble you with facts, but recall that Clinton was not voted in by a majority in either of his elections, but don't let the Constitution bother you either. Irregularities??.. how about an army of democrat laywers descending on Florida trying to disallow military absentee ballots while Gore tried to cherry pick recount counties..... what a bunch of mindless whining empty of facts, I was here in Florida and I was an absentee voter for Bush in 2000, I was here, I saw it first hand, and the only fraud I have seen in the past 8 years is from democrat ACORN supporters. Remember it is a volunteer military now. Talk about Bush derangement syndrome. You bozos got it bad.

Another Bush hater Mr. Smith? Perhaps you would care to back up your accusation with a fact or two. Yes clinton said that I have it on VHS. You should actually listen to what he has said, not to mention what his wife said and intended with her comunist health care plan. Limit nuclear weapons, sure they are not quite individual weapons. However, I know more then one individual with fully operational tanks, no Constitutional limits or problems there.

To translate for the slow ones in the group: WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY! (...and never intended to be one... and to quote a more recent cogent thinker "More democracy equals less freeddom!")

Not a bad idea if peopel would not start by exporting war to us. Can we have a chorus of Kumbaya and another dose Kool aide Robert?

What a pity the phrase which is in the Bill of Rights "...nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." always seems to be forgotten. And judging by the way the ACLU behaves, I am sure their must be a clause in their that says that part only applies to Islam.

Can Democrats, liberals and Socialists even read this without their faces shattering and heads exploding? I can hardly wait for A(li). Reston and his band of thieves to comment on this.

Hey Anonymous or Bob or who ever you are who does not think God is mentioned in the Constitution (or if it was true [it is not] why it would be relevant; the founders intent is clear to anyone who wants to read it) perhaps you could explain the following: "Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present the seventeenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth." just who is that Lord he is referring to? Do I need to tell you? As for the Declaration, "— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Deists do not believe in Divine intervention or the "protection of Divine Providence". Wake up and read the source material.

Ultimately what you see is an attempt to kiss the terrorist's butts because we were tired of war. And the result was the same as it always is when weakness is shown... aggressive war without provocation came anyway "...to the shores of Tripoli," and we defeated them and quieted them down for a while. The Islamic Facisists have been violently attacking us on and off since, as they have continuously attacked western civilization, when ever they percieved weakness. They will not stop, hence we can not stop. They must be defeated again. This is historic fact, and plain truth.

And A Reston wants to use the government as a proxy to steal money from others to give those he so deems to be in "need'; robbery pure and simple without the courage to do it face to face. I was wondering what the Christian bashers would think of the truths our Founders based our country on. Regardless of what you believe or don't believe, God is a necessary legal concept in our country, in our government and legal system.

Amen Warren! Would that we could take care of only ourselves, and not every lazy freeloader in the country.

If you think it is a facade, and don't think it is liberty, do something to fix it; for example, get rid of the social safety nets which are the greatest motivator and liberator there is. The freedom to fail gives the incentive to succeed.

Very true Warren, it is good to see there is someone else on this site who actually does know some history, and thinks with some logic.