“All government, in its essence, is organized exploitation, and in virtually all of its existing forms it is the implacable enemy of every industrious and well-disposed man.”

Bail-out shows this to be correct.

As usual, H.L. hit the nail on the head. This quote is exactly right.It's always governments that enslave and torture it's citizens.

A profound truism.

I would have given it 5 if it wasn't for "All"

All life, in its essence, is organized exploitation.

How shallow! Government probably started for defending the group from the other group, for defense. So Mencken is wrong from the very first word just as RBESRQ said. Mencken here blows the idea that he is a serious thinker, if he had of said, "some gov't" he would have fared better with me. He is just being a bombastic propangandist. And you five starers fell for it. Hell you do everytime!

Sounds like Benedict Arnold!

Our Founders understood this fundamental law.

That's why they developed our Constitution with checks & balances to offset the temptation of governmental power.

We need to be VERY afraid as the "swamp" continues to grow exponentially.

Waffler, I smile. I notice you qualified your comment to some ancient past before recorded history. Discussing what could have been and why between one group or another without the benefit of modern history or man's deprived nature of governing. Its all about group think; why could not your focus been on individuals united? Even in the attempt to unite individuals, it was almost immediately that group think that began aggresive exploitation in the U.S. For example: what part of the Constitution authorized or promoted the genocide of the native aboriginal. The answer: NO part of the Constitution. Government, almost from inception, became an unconstitutional organized exploitation as an implacable enemy of every industrious and well-disposed man. With the War of Northern Agression, the last virtuous facade was ripped from the totalitarian government that fained liberty and law from its lips.

It's those at the steering wheel we are talking about....