>My point was that you relied on laws guaranteed by Government and on its Courts to assert your rights.

Rights should not need to be re-asserted. They're rights. Guaranteed by the Constitution. The State is limited by them. I should not have to defend myself in the first place. That's the point. The State has too much power and is eroding the rights of the citizenry through regulation and bureaucracy. Case in point, DC passes a hand gun ban and it takes 30 years for the citizens' 2nd amendment right to be restored. The stewards of DCs power 30 years ago were able to circumvent the Constitution for 30 years merely by passing a law. Yet for the citizenry to re-assert their right they had to wait 30 years to get the Supreme Court to take up a case to re-assert the individual right.

>On the one hand you slate them. On the other you seem proud of your success in using their guarantees and protections to assert your rights. What you are describing is the set of checks and balances that is supposed to offer fairness for all. Apparently it worked well in your case.

There is no pride, merely sighing relief and waiting until the next round. I've seen these things go the other way and I'm sure it's only a matter of time for my family as well.

>You may well be correct that the courts are too expensive for the average citizen who may be unable to assert rights against a usurper with deeper pockets. Is this an argument for a socialized litigation scheme?

You are completely missing the point. The laws and rights set forth centuries ago are being decimated by the current stewards of our democracy. That's the entire point of "rights". They're not meant to be easily eroded, yet the current size of the bureaucracy and absolute disregard for the law by politicians has demolished many of our longstanding rights. There is a direct correlation between the size and power of the State. We must limit the size and power not increase and encourage it if we have any chance to re-claim what's already been lost. Let alone stop what's coming next.

Let's say health care reform and cap-and-tax are passed. The State will be in control of Education, Police, Corrections, Water, Energy, Financial, Health and Automotive industries. Care to guess who's next? My guess is IT as an extension of health care. The beast will not be satisfied, it must be fed.