Reston, A lot of this money "kept" and lines the pockets of our friends in the congress.

Ben was usually right on and this is no exception.

I agree with one significant human exception.

I'm with J on this one.

And every 2, 4,and 6 years we get to choose new masters.

Well said, Mike.

I'm with cal on Lincoln. Read " Lincoln Uber Alles", (Over All) for a good look at Lincoln.

Remember the cliche, " it's a free country". This hasn't been true since Lincoln initiated the war of Northern aggression against the South, and is getting worse with every election since. For some reason you don't hear that much anymore.

J summed it up well.

Kudos to Mike on this one and how about those wonderful congress people getting rich on insider trading. You, however, better not try it.

From C.S. Lewis: "Of all tyranies, a tyrany sincerely exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber baron's than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with approval of their own conscience".

Mike and Lysander Spooner said it well.

While you can hardly call him a tyrant, good old born again Jimmy Carter was our 2nd worse president since Obama knocked him out of 1st place. He has , however, since leaving that office, cozied up to every left wing tyrant on the planet.

Mary-Mi, while I rarely agree with Reston, I don't think you know whether he seeks truth or not, unless you are a mind reader.

Tell a big enough lie often enough, and lots of people will believe it, and never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

We may be seekers of the "Truth" but we are not always eager to hear it.

I agree with Reston on this one. As to the Bible, from whence came this quote, here's some good advice from the Buddha. "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense".

If logic was the defining factor instead of emotion, we would not have this 41 year old "War on Drugs". Almost everyone knows that it hasn't worked, has made matters worse, and has cost billions, and yet it continues. Where's the logic in that.

" Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure." A great quote by L. Neal Smith. Our liberties are being "Vanquished" and mostly by our own government, and we punish the malefactors by reelecting them over and over.

My favorite Buddha quote is this: "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it,unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense".

Daniel, how on earth do you know that Ingersoll is "burning in hell". Would a loving God allow someone to burn forever ? He wouldn't be much of a loving God to do that sort of thing. Your comment is nonsense.

Things have changed slightly since sovereignty now resides with our lords and masters inside the Beltway. Shame on us for allowing them to get away with it.

One reason the laws are confusing is that they are written by lawyers. Then, of course, you have to hire lawyers to interpret them.

The problem is that the pests in D.C. and their friends, the radical enviromentalists, aren't about to leave anyone alone. At best they are nuisances and at worst, very dangerous to this nation.

State legisltures erect very few barriers to any national authority since they all have their hands out for that wonderful , government largess.