Signs of a Dying Empire

[Kinser79]

(09-22-2017, 03:26 PM)noway2 Wrote:

(09-20-2017, 04:22 PM)David Horn Wrote: Yeah, yeah, yeah: guns are the great equalizer.  Of course, in a free-for-all economy, wealth always wins.  Your guns?  It's been tried.  What good is a gun when the rich and powerful can openly hire a professional army.  The Pinkerton Agency is a perfect example, having been formed in your ideal year of 1850.

One thing that I find interesting is the history of policing in the US.  In the North at least, the origins of government policing began with groups like the Pinkerton Agency.  Things have gotten so much better now that the politicians have an army funded with money stolen from the taxpayers to enforce their edicts, the will of The People be damned.  The "legal" system is this side of worthless when it comes to any semblance of dealing with actual "crime" committed against other people.  The only thing it excels at is extorting more money from The People when the do something horrific like drive at a velocity greater than that mandated by some stupid politician.

Ultimately, I would prefer that the US go back to its Night Watchman State origins. I would also agree that the justice system needs serious reform, I would highly recommend a return to common law which is the legal tradition of the United States as well as England and Wales.

As for things like the velocity at which motor vehicles can be operated and what someone can ingest recreation-ally, I think that should be left up to the states.

(09-22-2017, 03:28 PM)noway2 Wrote:

(09-21-2017, 10:01 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: Reality exists. The demagogue won, and he has showed himself behind an agenda that has the support of about 40% of the people. The now-dominant Party appeals to the worst in human nature -- mass vulgarity and superstition, and elite rapaciousness.

However inadequate, inconvenient, or unpopular it is, virtue merits cultivation. Surely you know the expression "pearls before swine"... we have marvelous technology and creative talent, and much of it is going to sordid ends.

Conservatives need to stand for something other than economic gain and mass folly (superstition, ignorance, and free-floating anger).

There is a very poor correlation between what a lot of "conservative" people believe, want, or stand for and what the so called "conservative" wing of the uni-party stand for.

I myself don't consider myself to be particularly "conservative".  I hate both the Repugs and the Dims equally.

I'm not fan of the Neo-cons in the GOP or the Neo-libs in the Dimocrat party. That being said, I think I have more room to promote Civic Nationalism and Classical Liberalism (J.S. Mill style liberalism not psuedo-communism that the "progressives" push) in the GOP. It is unfortunate that I had to leave the Party of Jackson to accomplish that but such is life.