Big Think

Kedd Burmeister on May 29, 2008, 10:04 AM

Physical security and political freedom do not always coexist. “We the People” repeatedly ask the Government to provide physical security and the Government eventually uses that request to strip us of our freedom, or at least our money.
There is only one common good, Unregulated Freedom.

David Pell on May 31, 2008, 8:24 AM

In contrast to sachem's simplistic slogan I have to counter that Government is both a facilitator of freedom as well as limiter of freedom. Freedom is never "unregulated". Nature, both external and human-nature limits freedom. Certainly the growing inequalities of wealth limit the freedom of the many in preferences for the well-off. Monarchy was a vicious limitation of freedom and I am sure (perhaps?) those who accuse 'government' as being an enemy of freedom wouldn't want to revert to the Divine Rights of Kings?

I am afraid for America's future in that more and more we are enabling an economic elite a new divine right to price the lesser privileged folks out of the government's care and concern. Unregulated Freedom for whom and how much does it cost?

I see Govt. as often a solution, whether it was the subsidies given to companies to develop our modern digital age, mass transit or interstate highways, national parks, better radio stations (NPR is vastly better than what 'commercial radio' has given us) and university education plus universal education. But America is somewhat conservative in these regards and as a result is losing technological edge with the current conservative domination of political thought in this country. Our woefully expensive health care system that subsidizes the well-off (who pay less than 1 percent of income for 'insurance') at the expense of the many (who pay upwards to 20 percent for 'insurance') is a prime example of conservative govt. at its worst.

David Pell on May 31, 2008, 12:24 PM

In contrast to sachem’s simplistic slogan I have to counter that Government is both a facilitator of freedom as well as limiter of freedom. Freedom is never “unregulated”. Nature, both external and human-nature limits freedom. Certainly the growing inequalities of wealth limit the freedom of the many in preferences for the well-off. Monarchy was a vicious limitation of freedom and I am sure (perhaps?) those who accuse ‘government’ as being an enemy of freedom wouldn’t want to revert to the Divine Rights of Kings?

I am afraid for America’s future in that more and more we are enabling an economic elite a new divine right to price the lesser privileged folks out of the government’s care and concern. Unregulated Freedom for whom and how much does it cost?

I see Govt. as often a solution, whether it was the subsidies given to companies to develop our modern digital age, mass transit or interstate highways, national parks, better radio stations (NPR is vastly better than what ‘commercial radio’ has given us) and university education plus universal education. But America is somewhat conservative in these regards and as a result is losing technological edge with the current conservative domination of political thought in this country. Our woefully expensive health care system that subsidizes the well-off (who pay less than 1 percent of income for ‘insurance’) at the expense of the many (who pay upwards to 20 percent for ‘insurance’) is a prime example of conservative govt. at its worst.