Survival Arts: Quote of the Day

August 17, 2005

Quote of the Day

The idea of a constitution, we’re told, is to limit government power. It’s supposed to bind the government to certain operational procedures that restrict its ability to violate rights. So a constitution cannot grant human rights; it can only spell out what are seen as the proper functions of government, and try to limit its ability to invade rights.

The US constitution came perhaps as close to this ideal as possible, until its meaning was perverted into a complete reversal, from restricting power to enabling it, from binding government to giving government a mandate for a thousand things to do to us.

But here is the problem. Constitutions by necessity leave the government as the primary enforcement agency. It’s like a memo: "Government to Self: don’t become tyrannical." It only works so long as the enforcement agent operates in good faith. If we remember that the worst rise to the top in government, as Hayek noted, we can have no realistic expectation that this good faith will last. Government gains not by adhering to its own restrictions, but by re-rendering them as positive mandates.

Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
"A Constitution for Iraq"

Posted by Russell Whitaker at August 17, 2005 12:05 PM | TrackBack

Comments

The concept of self monitoring government only works when in a free and real democratic society and people are willing engaged participants on the democratic process. Unfortunately there is only one democracy in today’s world, is a placed called Switzerland not the USA.

On Switzerland even when imperfect like everything not created by the divine intervention, the election process is representative and you can also vote out the politicians that do not perform, or forget their promises, along the ones who are like most self serving leeches that would never be (gainfully) employed.

Looking today at the horrific images of your great country is troubling to see the suffering and anarchy that is a result from the lack of responsiveness of your federal and state governments today when the action is required not plans or demagogue rhetoric.

How does the most powerful government collecting billions of dollars from taxpayers not respond to the need of hundreds of thousands of their own people?

Your armies should be helping your own people, not chasing elusive figures that might never be found in the far away lands of Middle East.

Your troops could be deployed at home where their real protection role justifies the hundreds of billions budgeted to “Protect Americans”, not the Oil corporations that are seating in your oval office.

Imagine the difference that all that money could make today in the US Gulf Estates, instead your administration is colluded and sends your money to the Arabian Gulf Estates!

There is a clear contradiction here why support the life of Muslims and people that hate our western way of life? The ideals of the US founding fathers have been betrayed, by those who were (not) elected by the US taxpayers, life without liberty is not life nor worth living. The truth shall set you free…

Posted by: Eduardo Rodriguez jr on September 1, 2005 06:02 PM

Imagine the difference it would make if the federal government just simply stopped robbing taxpayers of their hard-earned money, and allowed them to provide for their _own_ recovery?

Posted by: Russell Whitaker on September 16, 2005 05:36 PM

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