I still believe that Paine’s Common Sense makes some very powerful observations and will continue to post them here.
I agree. I hope you will. This statement alone has great weight:
Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.
My view of government is not that it is evil, but that it is —human— therefore it will always be flawed. Paine made a very important point, having the feeling of security as fully as possible while at the same time giving up as little as possible, is by far the more preferred route for a human to desire. The reason the American form of security as established by the founders has been corrupted in the years since our country’s beginning is because it was built on the premise that the Creator established a natural law by which we all benefit. This very premise has become undesirable over time by many who reject the Creator. This premise ultimately requires a nurturing —society— to have a moral code which does not condone depravity. This means —life— must be VALUED in all its forms. The current health care debate revolves around the idea of life and how it can be —valued— with the giving or taking of goods and services by the determination of our government. Man seeks to place himself in the Creator’s seat.