>>>>>I still fell the Patriot Act has stolen some of my freedom from me, and not given me more freedom.
>>>>
>>>>Was the Patriot Act design to give you more freedom or protect the country? Not necessarily protect the people of the country, but the country (the gov't system)?
>>>>I tend to think it's the latter.
>>>
>>>I beginning to feel like a drone in an ant farm. I will be safe as long as serve the colony (goverment).
>>
>>Greg;
>>
>>Just thinking of Plato’s Republic. It has been 37 years since I read it but still there are several things that stand out. Such as:
>>
>>1. You owe everything to the state. The state can be equated to government at any level.
>>
>>2. If society is healthy, individual happiness will be irrelevant. You must have a strong and secure society and your existence is based upon this.
>>
>>
>>There is much more to the Republic then this. As a form of logic I have to agree with Plato – we owe everything to the state. However this concept is foreign to most Americans. Logic aside it still offends me to consider the state above the individual. It is against the principles that our country is founded upon. Yet the paradox is if we do not support our state (country) we will not exist as we do today and there could be no tomorrow.
>
>Sure we have to support the 'state', but not to the exclusion of what is right. Besides, the state shouldn't automatically be equated with the people who are in charge of the state at any given moment. Support the state, not necessarily the individuals in charge who may be subverting the principals for which it stands. If they are doing that, then they should be replaced.
>
>I like to think of our Canadian system, for example, as one day of democracy every 5 years.
>
>We vote, and then for 5 years, the government folks get to do whatever the hell they want.

Much the same here too.

When they wanted to replace our football standium (The King Dome), they put on the baliot to be on the financing the replacement. The poeple of the state voted 'NO'. The state, who really, really, wanted was supprised. Instead, they told the people, "Ok, we will have the Lotto game pay for it." And people said "Fine". Well that work for about a year. But in the end, it still ended up that the building the new stadiums was paid for by our taxes (and a little from Paul Allen too. he has his hand in most thing around here.)

Did our votes count. Do they even count the votes?



>
>>
>>I believe there must be a balance between the rights of the individual and those of the state. When one intrudes upon the other then there will be an outcry. :)
>>
>>Tom