“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war – the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel the nations most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security, to institutions, which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights.”

Ludwig Von Mises, “Liberty and Property”:

“As regards the social apparatus of repression and coercion, the government, there cannot be any question of freedom. Government is essentially the negation of liberty. It is the recourse to violence or threat of violence in order to make all people obey the orders of the government, whether they like it or not. As far as the government’s jurisdiction extends, there is coercion, not freedom. Government is a necessary institution, the means to make the social system of cooperation work smoothly without being disturbed by violent acts of gangsters whether of domestic or foreign origin. Government is not, as some people like to say, a necessary evil, but a means, the only means available to make peaceful human coexistence possible. But it is the opposite of liberty. It is beating, imprisoning, hanging. Whatever a government does is ultimately supported by the actions of armed constables.”

“If we take into account the fact that, as human nature is, there can neither be civilization or peace without the functioning of the government apparatus of violent action, we may call government the most beneficial institution. But the fact remains that government is repression, not freedom. Freedom is to be found only in the sphere in which government does not interfere. Liberty is always freedom from the government. It is the restriction of government’s interference. It prevails only in the fields in which the citizens have the opportunity to choose the way in which they want to proceed.”

People who have no real choice simply stop bothering to choose. And frankly, with the advent of electronic voting, your vote doesn’t mean a damned thing anymore. Continue the fight in the court of public opinion, and in the courts generally. They have superceded legislatures anyway.

All of Congress should be made to use their thumb to ride home, and those that make it back alive will be allowed to run for office. While we’re at it, get rid of the Repugmocrat system. 43 million people didn’t vote last election. Are they pissed off or have they been pissed on?

Most of Congress gets re-elected.

I will believe the polls on low approval ratings when the re-election rate reflects the low approval ratings.