[NittanyLion]

"A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins."

That's certainly true, but I would argue that arrogance could just as easily be substituted for ignorance. This takes place in two general forms:

The first: Few people understand the nature of government (always grasping for greater power) and so a new entitlement seems well-intentioned. These folks assume that they can hold tight the reins of government; in fact that's not possible once you've let it loose. And after all...the bulk of it isn't their money. The money comes from "the rich", who are generally defined as "anyone who makes more money than I do". Arrogance.

The second: Those who commit blindly their allegiance to party and excuse any steps that party may take to limit their freedoms. It is the ultimate in arrogance to root for greater government power so long as you're the one behind the steering wheel.

[Freedom4US]

The important linch-pin of the whole quote resides in natural law - once people are indoctrinated and wedded to the notion that rights are "granted" by governments, it's all over but the cryin', even if it takes a few decades.

The singular uniqueness of the American Experiment is the recognition that our bill of rights in fact *limits* what the *government* can do - our individual citizen rights are sovereign and innate - yes, they can be abridged or infringed by the government, but they cannot be taken away as such.