[Dumb_Ox]

Slavery by its name, perhaps - but our ancestors lived under governments which had no or nearly no influence on the government. And that is what I mean by "arbitrary" government.

I have one vote out of 120 million or so voters, and you're claiming I have more national influence than a medieval peasant? We don't even have rebellions anymore, much less peasant rebellions, and the only "Average Joes" who can have great influence on the government are nutjob assassins.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I have one vote out of 120 million or so voters, and you're claiming I have more national influence than a medieval peasant?

Of course you don't, individually. But as part of we-the-people you influence the government - set limits on the folly of the government - in a way that the medieval peasant did not influence the identity of his own lord, say nothing of the king.