The Senescent Man

On this day commemorating the bravery and wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who were suspicious and critical of the government imposed on the people by the King of England in the 18th Century, herein is an excellent and contemplative survey by Don Hawthorne at Anchor Rising on the subject of how contemporary government tends NOT to act in the best interest of the people, and more importantly, and in the spirit of those whom we honor today on this Fourth of July, just what can we do about it.

Yes, there are actions we can take. Here is an excerpt from Hawthorne's list of ideas:

• When there is an appropriate role for government, let's push to have it be at the local level where citizens can better control and change its behaviors.

• We need a TABOR (taxpayers' bill of rights) implemented in each state and at the federal level, such as what was implemented in Colorado (read here, here, and here), in order to place limits on government actions - while recognizing that those limits will be under constant attack like they have been in Colorado.

• We need to increase government accountability by using the Internet to make the actions of government as transparently obvious to citizens as possible and educate them on more reasons why government cannot effectively solve most problems.

• That means, among other things, fighting the FEC proposed limits on blogging.

• We need competitive elections so there is a real threat that moderates incumbent politicians' behavior. That means stopping the gerrymandering which is nothing but an incumbent protection racket.

And there is more. Read the whole thing.