POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - Things to make you go Hmmmmm.

[Old Ironsights]

On why we keep getting bad and worse politicians:

"To be sure, there are people who are unafflicted by the desire to enrich themselves at the expense of others and to lord it over them; that is, there are people who wish only to work, produce, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, if politics — the acquisition of goods by political means (taxation and legislation) — is permitted, even these harmless people will be profoundly affected.

In order to defend themselves against attacks on their liberty and property by those who have fewer moral scruples, even these honest, hardworking people must become "political animals" and spend more and more time and energy developing their political skills. Given that the characteristics and talents required for political success — good looks, sociability, oratorical power, charisma, etc. — are distributed unequally among men, then those with these particular characteristics and skills will have a sound advantage in the competition for scarce resources (economic success) as compared with those without them.

Worse still, given that, in every society, more "have-nots" of everything worth having exist than "haves," the politically talented who have little or no inhibition against taking property and lording it over others will have a clear advantage over those with such scruples. That is, open political competition favors aggressive, hence dangerous, rather than defensive, hence harmless, political talents and will thus lead to the cultivation and perfection of the peculiar skills of demagoguery, deception, lying, opportunism, corruption, and bribery. Therefore, entrance into and success within government will become increasingly impossible for anyone hampered by moral scruples against lying and stealing.

Instead of a king who regarded colonial America as his private property and the colonists as his tenants, the Constitution put temporary and interchangeable caretakers in charge of the country's monopoly of justice and protection. Unlike kings then, congressmen, presidents, and Supreme Court judges do not and cannot acquire their positions accidentally. Rather, they reach their position because of their proficiency as morally uninhibited demagogues. Moreover, even outside the orbit of government, within civil society, individuals will increasingly rise to the top of economic and financial success, not on account of their productive or entrepreneurial talents or even their superior defensive political talents, but rather because of their superior skills as unscrupulous political entrepreneurs and lobbyists. Thus, the Constitution virtually assures that exclusively dangerous men will rise to the pinnacle of government power and that moral behavior and ethical standards will tend to decline and deteriorate over all.

Moreover, the constitutionally provided "separation of powers" makes no difference in this regard. Two or even three wrongs do not make a right. To the contrary, they lead to the proliferation, accumulation, reinforcement, and aggravation of error. Legislators cannot impose their will on their hapless subjects without the cooperation of the president as the head of the executive branch of government, and the president in turn will use his position and the resources at his disposal to influence legislators and legislation. And although the Supreme Court may disagree with particular acts of Congress or the president, Supreme Court judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate and remain dependent on them for funding. As an integral part of the institution of government, they have no interest in limiting but every interest in expanding the government's, and hence their own, power."

From On the Impossibility of Limited Government and the Prospects for a Second American Revolution http://mises.org/story/2874#

[The Lewis]

Hmmmmmm... When do we march on the Bastille?

[Old Ironsights]

I just find it terribly interesting that
(A) history has proven the Anti Federalists were absolutely correct in every one of their fears of centralized government and
(B) there are still intellectually rigorous anti-federalists out there.

[Bridger158]

Exactly my thoughts OI

[Old Savage]

God is just letting us prove this won't work either.

[donw]

i think that if there are more hillaries and obamas in this nations future leaders...we're scre#@d.

we'll all have to put on our little blue jump suits, report to a central transportation depot every morning to be transported to a location, in a eco-friendly economical transport of some sort, where we will all do the same government assigned job, at the same location, for the same pay for everyone, get off of work at the same time, get the same vacation time every year, only one week a year, naturally...all will be assigned a number for medical care, purchasing of groceries, paying of utilities, taken from the 'pay' that all recieve...

arghhhhhhhh...

did anyone see the old silent movie called "metropolis"? it was a "1984" style movie that portrayed the populace as "robots" under the government...

and...it could also be that the time of the "beast" of Revelations is being ushered in, too...

[Old Ironsights]

i think that if there are more hillaries and obamas in this nations future leaders...we're scre#@d.

we'll all have to put on our little blue jump suits, report to a central transportation depot every morning to be transported to a location, in a eco-friendly economical transport of some sort, where we will all do the same government assigned job, at the same location, for the same pay for everyone, get off of work at the same time, get the same vacation time every year, only one week a year, naturally...all will be assigned a number for medical care, purchasing of groceries, paying of utilities, taken from the 'pay' that all recieve......

Read Asimov's "Robot" series starting with "Caves of Steel". He shows quite well how dysatopic the Utopian vision of Socalist Arcology (largely what you describe) entails...

[Blackhawk]

i think that if there are more hillaries and obamas in this nations future leaders...we're scre#@d.

we'll all have to put on our little blue jump suits, report to a central transportation depot every morning to be transported to a location, in a eco-friendly economical transport of some sort, where we will all do the same government assigned job, at the same location, for the same pay for everyone, get off of work at the same time, get the same vacation time every year, only one week a year, naturally...all will be assigned a number for medical care, purchasing of groceries, paying of utilities, taken from the 'pay' that all recieve......

Read Asimov's "Robot" series starting with "Caves of Steel". He shows quite well how dysatopic the Utopian vision of Socalist Arcology (largely what you describe) entails...

I've recently picked up that book but have yet to read it. Got it second hand.

That is the worst of all great delusions our society is under that we need a government controlled Utopia.

My utopia is sitting on my own porch watching my kids play in the yard. But I guess I'm a simpleton.

Johnny