[Savage Beast]

"a peculiar, silent form of battle goes on in all of the countries of the world -- under every form of government -- a battle between the common man and the government apparatus he himself has created."

This is an extremely serious problem, as many of us have long recognized but many have not.

Part of the problem is a human tendency to view government as a benevolent guardian institution rather than a group of people who are as self-serving and as subject to corruption as anyone else.

There is therefore a tendency to trust government and government officials, especially in a democracy or republic where the governed are under the illusion that they are in control of those who govern them, not realizing that their self-serving governors have ample opportunity to exploit them, and considering human frailty, inevitably will.

In fact, those attracted to the power of government are less likely than the average person to be trustworthy and more likely to be corruptible.

The popular imagination has long considered a politician to be the archetype of the corrupt self-serving predator; however only the most discerning and ruthlessly honest recognize the magnitude of the problem.

[ShadowAce]

"a peculiar, silent form of battle goes on in all of the countries of the world -- under every form of government -- a battle between the common man and the government apparatus he himself has created."

Part of the problem is a human tendency to view government as a benevolent guardian institution rather than a group of people who are as self-serving and as subject to corruption as anyone else.

The main problem--which cannot be overcome--is that mankind was never built to be able to govern himself. That is why no government in history has lasted more than 2-3 hundred years.