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If you back and look at the history of this country, you'll find that a person's liberty was almost directly proportional to his ability to accomplish many different things on his own.

One of the serious adverse affects of the industrial revolution (in all parts of the world, not just the U.S.) is that for the first time in history we had an enormous class of "free" people who relied entirely on employment by others for their livelihoods. As a result, we now have a country in which people who don't know even the most rudimentary principles of economics are casting votes for public officials based primarily on the state of the nation's economy.

As someone else posted on a similar thread, this is no different than asking the electorate to vote on the best method for treating pancreatic cancer.

If you back and look at the history of this country, you'll find that a person's liberty was almost directly proportional to his ability to accomplish many different things on his own.

That and access to a lot of free stuff. Free frontier, free land, free lumber, no income tax, no OSHA.

One of the serious adverse affects of the industrial revolution (in all parts of the world, not just the U.S.) is that for the first time in history we had an enormous class of "free" people who relied entirely on employment by others for their livelihoods. As a result, we now have a country in which people who don't know even the most rudimentary principles of economics are casting votes for public officials based primarily on the state of the nation's economy.

Jefferson was right. Nevertheless, the horse is out of the barn.

As someone else posted on a similar thread, this is no different than asking the electorate to vote on the best method for treating pancreatic cancer.

Yes but those voters are here, nevertheless. The are not going away and neither are they Richard Burton the Orientalist.

As a business owner, to protect your own interests, you must either take away their franchise before they vote themselves a helping of your wallet, which you can only do by force (they still have guns) or by luring them with a Patriot Act style "security in exchange for freedom" trick - having "bought" some politicians (the currently preferred tactic), OR you can give up your citizenship and move to one of the many free countries in the world, OR you can buy the mob off - either via paying huge taxes, or by getting something in exchange for paying all that money - something like work.

You can pay Americans to work for you and to not kill you at the same time.

It's blackmail. If you want to stay, pay. Otherwise leave and take your chances with China's gerontocracy.

Whachyagonnado?

"One of the serious adverse affects of the industrial revolution (in all parts of the world, not just the U.S.) is that for the first time in history we had an enormous class of "free" people who relied entirely on employment by others for their livelihoods. "

Precisely. In some respects, a 'steady' job is an invitation to laziness. This wave of labor dislocation has occurred many over the last coupel of centuries. After reinventing myself and my career several times, I am now once again running my own IT consulting business. I've shifted my focus to SOHO and small to medium sized businesses who cannot afford an IT staff and who are most certainly not going to be outsourcing their needs. So far, so good.