Yes and knowing this they can be happy and throw off the fetters of an unwise Judge. And I suggest the unwise are removed on a regular basis. Emerson and Clay should have talked to each other a little more deeply.

Judges are people too. A perfect or absolutely wise judiciary is a myth, grow up y'all. Life has vagaries and is often unjust grow up y'all. Not being able to have absolute perfection does not mean that we cannot keep trying and "be happy if we have a mind to". You know you also cannot rollerskate in a Buffalo herd, so get use to it. I give him two stars for I feel we should keep trying but not throw in the towel at a few unfortunate vagaries. Freedom must be constanly worked for.

What decade?

Red necks is just a throw away term. My redneck friends drive safe cars and enjoying bathing, they don't go into the pool after cycling or wrestiling in the mud, I guess I used the wrong term to refer to those who like to drive unsafe cars and fail to bathe when using public swimming pools, what do you call them Ken.

So Ken does your "state" allow trashy cars and dirty bathing. Are you against societal laws (ie "state laws") that ban such things as the above and smoking in public places etc. I say in the final analysis Thank God for the State for putting the hammer on these rotten motorists and filthy bathers.

Yes you can decide not to buy, in the same vain income tax is voluntary if you decide not to earn. No one or very few can live a life without interpersonal interactions including buying and selling. In the same vain few can live without earning one way or the other, earning either in currency or barter, it is still earning and the tax is not voluntary neither is sales tax. Name a society Kenny in which taxes were voluntary, please! Since I don't believe that you can is not the discussion or argument just a silly mute point?

You ask a good question J. Since you propose such a good follow on or follow up question am I to assume that you agree that something should be done? Let us get agreement where we can and take the follow up questions as they come along. First I abjure you to google the sites I named above. Let us talk some more about who should decide.

You have previously stated your abhorrence of ad hominem arguments or discussions. Now are you defending ad hominem arguments. Why don't you get your own act straight Archer. A non thinking sycophant is what you appear to be with your above post.

Archer obviously has never heard of bread lines, unemployment, etcetera or starving people worldwide. Again if you are working and paying social security ask your old folks and relatives to give it back to you.

Counter Point: The only way for anything to fail is for Good Men to do nothing. Taking Emerson literraly in Texas Good Men should drive around in defective cars and should bathe with their family and friends and their own sweaty, filthy bodies in public swimming pools. That'll show the state boy that will really show the GD State! Can we ever get some quotes that will bring less than five stars from non-thinking red necks.

Yeah the Great American West is the worse of all. Can you believe that Texas commands its' citizens with sighs on the highways which read "MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE" and in the Great State of New Mexico public swimming pools carry a sign which reads "SHOWER BEFORE SWIMMING IT IS STATE LAW". Yes Big Brother has grown apace. I want to drive with bad breaks and rusty parts falling off of my car and bath any old way I choose in my own sweat and dirt. Drat the damn "state" anyway, the definite enemy of us all. PS: Friedman was a hole and a lousy constructor of meaningful quotes. No wonder Reagan liked him, Reagan was doulble talking SOB also who principally got us into a current economic situation.

Taxes are not immoral, and have never been immoral. Jesus higher a tax collector and he said pay what is due. Taxes are the boon of society, they are what give us streets, lighting, parks, security etcetera and national defense. Taxes are voluntary in the same way that a person who has been arrested can volunteer to come along with the arresting officer or be force, his choice. Name a society any society that existed on voluntary taxation. If it never existed why do folk keep discussing and insisting that such a regimen of stupidity can exist. Does insisting on such stupidity make the insistor a stupid person!

Am I to assume that the likes of Cal and Jim had no aunts, uncles, grandparents or parents that ever collected social security. If they did then they will have some idea of where their social security tax went.It would seem appropriate for them to go to those relatives and ask them for a refund pro rata share of the money that they have paid in this past year.This thing folk keep calling "the state" is simply the sum total of the mores, rules, method of living, adopted by a group of individuals in any geographic region. In Mr. Dogget;s state in which I have spent many weeks recently they have "state" signs on the highway that says "Maintain Your Vehicle" now is that Big Brother or the State dictating to you or not. Cal talks of freedom as we once had well did you know that it was illegal to hold a boxing match in Texas in the late 1800;s. Judge Roy Bean held one on an island in the middle of the Rio Grande in order to out smart the Texas Rangers and the state. So things were not so free back then either. An that guy at Walden Pond was bitching about the state or society back in 1830. The point is that this sickness and bitching about the so called "state" is nothing new, it is something every child does when he learns that there are standards of practice and life outside of his little existence with mom and dad. Something apparently Cal and Jim still have not learned or gotten use to.

I am suggesting that a super intelligent animal as homo sapiens thinks he is should be able to figure out that there is an otimal level of population for a limited geographic area, which this planet is. If he can do this in reference to virtually every species on the planet but cannot do it to or for himself what does it say about his intelligence or honesty. For more on this subject I suggest you google and visit ZPG Zero Population Growth and NPG Negative Population Growth, these are two educational organizations who are trying to bring intellegence, honesty and sincerity to the issue of the planets human populations, If you have any concern or thought about the non human vanishing species you can blame it all upon the fantastic success to the extent of self destruction of the human one.

Functioning systems be they railroads, health care, financial institutions is not a bad thing to strive for. Capitalism has failed us many times, what with price fixing, discriminatory practices etcetera. The way of truth is not capitalism or socialism but pragmatism. A recent survey lists Norway as having the best quality of life and yesterday none other than the Mad Money emcee proclaimed Norwegian government and economy to be the pride of the world. Roosevelt was only commenting on Benito's pragmatism but pragmatism must come via democracy as with the Big O, Obama, the most pragmatic politician in a life time. Viva Obama and intelligence in government. (For example most all Republicans say health reform is necessary, they had years with a President and majority status to do something but did nothing - that is not pragmatism.)

Taxes should never be out of caprice but only out of necessity. Centuries earlier the Hungarians proclaimed that they would gladly pay more taxes if their beloved high tax leader King Mathias would rise from the grave. He saved his country from the Muslim hordes by raising taxes on rich and poor alike and also raising an army that was up to the national challenge. The world is full of cowards who cannot even define a problem let alone take the necessary political and financial actions to solve it. That is how Harry Truman got into politics in Missouri. His political opponets sat and rung their hands in despair as Independence suffered with bad or no roads. Harry got elected, raised taxes, fixed the roads, business picked up and the rest is history. I don't defend Benito but the quote in and of itself as far as caprice and necessity is right on correct.

Not that I agree completely with the quote but I find it amazing that human beings can control everything except themselves. They control animal herds domestic and wild. The deer population in every state is enumerated more or less, and controlled etcetera. Why on earth cannot logical human beings discuss and reproduce their kind in some kind of logical manner.

Children do or at least should have rights. If the parents violate them the children should have recourse.

J B Wulff is on the right track. But I will take a different tack. Since I believe that the people, the citizenry are the state, I agree that when the people are corrupt or unrighteous (failue to be right doing) more laws need to be written and enforced than when the people are righteous and self governing. In heaven the Bible says all will be in complete obedience to the will and laws of God. Could we hope for such a condition here on earth at least in reference to doing right, then laws will disappear. The state is the people, corrupt people make a corrupt state.

Ken "concluded by whom". It is all a bit troubling but so is a planet say of 20 billion or 50 billion people. Because things are troubling like global warming or health care are troubling does not mean that people we should put our heads in the sand. It was troubling to discuss the vanishing deer, elk, and buffalo herds also etc. We have got to use our heads.

Have been traveling in Texas, and New Mexico J, crossed the border about 6 times. Checkpoints everywhere down here. Texas posts signs on the highway which could be interpreted as state dictatorship. It says "MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE". You would certainly not like it down here. Others however consider the checkpoints as protection from the aggression of individuals to cause havoc on the highway or otherwise unlawfully invade our land. You always come down on the side of one individual at the expense of all of the rest of us. Why is that!

A good idea in priniciple but probably not very workable. Many if not most young parents get together and discuss their common problems of raising kids. Most young parents are however thrown into the parent mold almost overnight with nary a thought about what it is all about. Ongoing programs for couples about parenting is a good idea although I am sure many would argure and fuss over who is providing and overseeing the programs. Civic, church, school, voluntierr or government sponsored groups etcetera. A license well that is a stretch.

I give it a five for being a first hand expression of what was going on in China. While few really relish the idea of population control, it has gone on throughout the ages. Society does in a general way suggest family size. Large families were considered necessary in farming socities. Reston's attitude is the correct one. Government studies, maintains and supports animal populations most everywhere. Human beings through their ignorance or hardheadness almost wiped out numerous species but through the application of science and intelligence some have been rescued and restored. China under Mao encouraged the overpopulation and the Chineese people responded. They obviously have to correct their first error.

Great quote. I think Mike and Archer feel that the worse maintainer of rights is the USA., their attitudes are sad very sad.

Sad to see all of you guys in bed with a communist!