“Occupants of public offices love power and are prone to abuse it.”

One only needs look to the executive, legislative, judicial, and their PR media cronies to see the truthfulness of that statement.

To prove this, just look inside the Beltway.

Power is good for only one thing to be used. Abuse may be in the eye of the beholder. If a person is given power in either a public or private position and he does not use it then he is a wimp and a sissy. Use the power that you have been enttrusted with in what ever position you find yourself to be! GO AHEAD! MAKE MY DAY! (We have mechanisms in our law and courts for abuse of power. Abuse of power means that the operative stepped beyond the power that he was entrusted with. This is not an abuse of the power but an illegal step beyond his power and should be prosecuted.)

Waffler, the king of nonsense.

Waffler forgets the "ethical" oversteps of power. It is illegal, as Blago did, to offer a position or contract on a quid pro quo basis, but is the campaign contribution occurs 6 months later, without the implicit recognition of a pay off, then it is merely unethical, but not illegal. Both however, are an abuse.

I am not a fan of paraphrased quotes, however accurate. It's too easy to abuse them or twist their meanings. From paragraph 26: "It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position."

Waffler, denial is not a river running through Egypt. Lovers of power will find any excuse for it if they think they have the upper hand. George Washington had more character and honor than the last 10 presidents combined.

jim k, austin and E Archer, NYC - show off The Emperor's New Clothes

Waffler, much of what you said is accurate but extremely shallow and without a foundation of historical substance. By way of example: the original and de jure representative republic was founded on the natural law, illuminating the noble individual sovereign. Representatives did not represent the individual personally but rather, the individual's inalienable rights, equal to all men. AND, the representative, as servant, could do nothing the individual sovereign could not do in and of himself. The form or structure of that representation was limited by a Constitution(s) - defining the limitations of the sovereigns' representatives. The representative servants lawfully, legally, morally, at justice, in freedom, in liberty and Constitutionally have no de jure authority or right to compel compliance, license, create or enforce victimless crimes, commit larceny (income, property, life taxes, funny money, etc.), deny inalienable rights or lord over religion's sacraments. The occupying statist theocracy infesting this land at current, touts your dialogue. The current occupants of public offices do love their god like power over a once free people and abuse even the legal positivism that has replaced the once natural law nation of freemen

waffle, even the courts have abused their power giving orders and rulings that are not even in our constitution.

Freedom and Liberty removed leaves us with ( tenants and tributaries ). Roman empire revived, more bread and games as the little prince sports his new cloths and followers. The Emperors elect wait to come to stage sanctioned by Rome. Even with four to five world unions projected, four to five families from which the Emperors will be elected, eventually ruled by one. Taxing and enslaving the world continues.

I'm impressed by the reactions to G.W. and the reactions to the reactions. Who says we're a nation of "sheep?" Such thoughtful thoughts; though some differ from one another, others defend their fellow man. CONGRATULATIONS to all ! It MAY be that these words, in practice, demonstrate exactly what "democracy" is: wise interpretation(S) of wise words.