Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!labrea!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!sugar!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Big Brother (Was Re: Who Controls The Network?)
Message-ID: <2462@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 16 Dec 88 12:03:50 GMT
References: <2089@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Organization: SCADA
Lines: 42

In article <2089@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk>, nick@cs.hw.ac.uk (Nick Taylor) writes:
[ Re libertarianism ] > If Jeff's views are common then I think that democracy
> in the USA is on a very slippery slope. If the US Government really is 
> subordinate to the free-market anarcho-capitalists then it is probably
> too late to save it.

Now this is an interesting subject.

There obviously has to be a balance between the market and the government,
or between the individual and society, or however you want to describe it.
Where you, Jeff, and I differ is where that balance point has to be. Most
Americans tend to less like government interference in the economy than
most Europeans, for whatever reason.

The original intent was that the U.S. government be completely subordinate
to the individuals and their representatives, the states. This was the basis
for the Articles of Confederation, the first Constitution (if you like) of
the United States. Unfortunately, the States turned out to be poor
representatives for the people.

The Constitution represented a large swing back towards the power of the
government. Then the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) swung things
back towards the individual.

The pendulum has been swinging ever since.

I suspect that most Americans are more-or-less happy with where it is now,
though there's quite a bit of sentiment that the government has too much
power and not enough controls. I certainly think we could do with a swing
towards Libertaria.

> I shall watch your wretched, poor and hungry with
> great interest as you 'laissez-faire'.

I doubt if it'll ever swing that far that way again, but people like Jeff are
a necessary part of the balancing act. Just because a high wire artist's left
arm is hanging over space doesn't mean they would be better off there, but
neither should the arm be cut off, lest they fall over to the right.
-- 
Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Work: uunet.uu.net!ficc!peter, peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180.
Home: bigtex!texbell!sugar!peter, peter@sugar.uu.net.