Nevertheless, I must say that I agree with Milton Friedman. Yes, of course, we must elect the best and the brightest. But the answer ultimately isn't in the virtues of those we are able to elect, because the political tide invariably ebbs and flows. We get a Ronald Reagan and before long we get Clintons and Bushes. The answer is the American People insisting on laws that LIMIT GOVERNMENT and make it UNPROFITABLE for politicians, good or bad, to do the wrong thing by kicking them out when they do the wrong thing, usurp their authority, and steal from the American People. And LIMITING TAXES is the ONLY WAY to cut and limit government.
This requires diligence especially in this day and age and I'm not sure the American People are up to the challenge, which is really the challenge of running the country that belongs to them. Yes, we try to elect the best and brightest, but we don't go back to sleep, but are, in Jefferson's words, "eternally vigilant" and KICK THE BUMS OUT when they start their INEVITABLE USURPATION of their Constitutional powers and encroachments on our freedoms financed by their encroachments on our money.
There's ultimately only one language politicians understand and that's the DEMONSTRATED threat of being thrown out on their ear for power & money grabbing. This comports with the reality that there will always be crooked politicians, but their harm will be minimized. In that sense, the American People, more than the Sarah Palins of the world, hold the future of our country in their hands by insisting on the Constitutional rule of law and limited government. The government, once again, must fear the people, not visa-versa.
The ultimate challenge: resist any and all temptation to use government to make people “better” or “moral” or “stronger” or whatever.