food for thought....
Pre-Founder’s Quote PING
Plato was both good and bad. He was good at spotting the problems with various forms of government including democracy; but his proposed solution was to make the state even more oppressive and put philosophers in charge of it.
As a member of the 60s generation, which (IMHO) has brought about the greatest upheaval in our modern society, we are well on our way, in fact are already in the claws of slavery. We are slaves to selfishness and laziness. We know to do right, but we don’t have the will to do it, or to fight against the grain to stand up for righteousness and being our brother’s keeper. We’d rather let government do it and sit back and enjoy the ride, complaining all the way. I hope that we freepers have the guts to do the right thing and take on the challenges to change society back to the Judeo-Christian standards that made our country great.
Classical studies are invaluable to understanding Man and government. That is why it has been so largely stricken from the government-run education system. That is also why Attic Greek history was referred to by the writers of the Federalist Papers as an example of why national unity must be accomplished through the US Constitution.
In such a condition, we could vote away our rights, such as the 2nd Amendment, because a school shooting seemed like it was just too terrible to not have a response to it. When the law was enacted, it was for self protection because it is a God given right to protect yourself and family. It's a shame to give up something that is universally important, for a transient reason. If we get 51% to oppose a right, you loose it. If the majority wanted to, we could vote slavery back into existence with 51%. A republic wouldn't allow a change unless the current law was obviously unfair.
The reason America is getting worse by the day, is we think we are a democracy and can vote each year, 2 years, or 4 years to change what we just changed a while ago. Being a nation of laws means the laws are passed for everyone and are universal to human nature. Why change something that is proven good for everyone, just because it's inconvenient at the time? By allowing transient laws, we open ourselves up to the whims of the day and eventually we will give up everything for peace and order.( dictator)
Democracy is the most dangerous of all forms of government, because there is nothing to restrain the mob. The mob has no conscience.
A fact the Founders knew all too well, yet a trap they fell into anyway.
(sigh)
Thus died the Republic.