[sam_paine]

Really? So what laws, rules, regulations or other government intrusions have been removed since then that have caused you to be so much more free than your ancestors were?

Myopic.

It's not just regulation but real economic freedom. In real terms I am freer than my ancestor farmers were during the dust bowl. That's obvious. They had no freedom to travel, write blogs, argue political dissent, petition the government, publish, marry for happiness, etc.

They NEVER got paid a day in their life to be sick like I can.

In very real terms I have more tangible freedom than they ever could hope for.

I don't want to lose any of this either, and I think the dog sniffing ruling (and current attempts in the Texas Lege to get DWI checkpoints) are horrendous and need to be pushed back.

But I only took offense at Laz's hyperbole that we're worse off than East Germany. I don't have to drive a Trabi.

[Doctor Stochastic]

You are committing the Socialist Worker's Party fallacy of equationg lack of economic means with governmental restraints. Most people don't have the "freedom" (as you call it) to counter Rush Limbaugh or Dianne Sawyer. (Actually, they have the freedom, just not the money.)

[MileHi]

It's not just regulation but real economic freedom. In real terms I am freer than my ancestor farmers were during the dust bowl. That's obvious. They had no freedom to travel, write blogs, argue political dissent, petition the government, publish, marry for happiness, etc.

They NEVER got paid a day in their life to be sick like I can.

All well and good, but Government didn't give you any of those things. I real terms, citizens lives in this country have never been so regulated or government so overbearing as today.

I don't want to lose any of this either, and I think the dog sniffing ruling (and current attempts in the Texas Lege to get DWI checkpoints) are horrendous and need to be pushed back.

Well, on that point we certainly agree.

[Atlas Sneezed]

It may have been hyperbole, but there should be little dispute that you don't get "there" (East Germany) without first going through "here" (allowing cops growing powers to detain, inspect, and search, based on minimal motivation other than that they feel like it.)

A minimal speeding offense has zero relation to public safety, so is a mere pretext. A drug dog alerting is an opportunity for error, deception, and fraud. Cops have drugs to smear on the car to cause the dog to alert, can trigger an alert when there are no dogs, and can plant drugs (though not 250 pounds as in this case.)