The biggest problem is this. We keep electing politicians to office. You cannot believe what a politician says, they say one thing to one group and something else to another group and we know it, yet we elect them anyway. We desperatey need some true statesmen. Congressman David Crockett stopped the first attempt by congress to give public money to a private person, the widow of a distinguished gentleman. He won the day with his argument that congress had NO right to give pubic money to a private citizen. He was later voted out, they tried it again and without him it started. After losing his election he told the good people of his district that they could go to hell, he was going to Texas and the rest is history.
No matter how you cut it, right is right and wrong is wrong and decisions cannot be based on subjectivity. Law must be based on the fundamental rights laid out in the bill of rights... or we lose freedom with every one. It isn't hard to know right from wrong, it is just hard to find people who will do the right thing instead of what they feel is justice. Every law, every regulation should be measured by the constitution and what it actually says. If we decide we don't like it we have to option of a constitutional convention and a constitutional ammendment... but for people to just ignore the constitution after taking a vow to uphold and defend it is an abomination.
If we are not informed we should become informed but it is a real shame that we can no longer trust the "media" to give us news. We can however, know the constitution and we can read the bills these people are considering and the ones they have passed. We can get opinions from candidates if we know what to ask them. It is on us to become informed and to inform our children and friends. We have placed our most precious things, our children in the care of government schools. Some are good some are horrible but all are government (except for private schools). We are ranked 17th in public education... really? It is no wonder people don't understand what a good elected official should be and do.
History is a good thing, it may be buried, it may be revised, but if you dig in it you can find original writings and learn the truth. It is an amazing journey. If you just study the declaration of independence and the constitution you will know more than enough. Also read the federalist papers and the anti-federalist papers. There you will learn of the struggle, from the beginning, between states rights and a strong centralized federal government... but no matter, Lincoln decided that issue. Not many people knw that the New England states almost secceded in the early 19th century and president Madison would do nothing because he knew that they had the right to do so. The war of 1812, when the British tok Washington and burned the Whitehouse ended that movement (thanks guys)
Anyway... read and learn. It is interesting and you will become really disgusted with modern politicians.
One more thing while we are at this... the "midnight ride of Paul Revers (and William Dawes)". We are told that he/they rode and cried. "the British are coming"... but we are not usually told WHY the British were coming. They had a secret plan to come an seize weapons fromthe American people. It didn't work out well and certainly was the basis for the 2nd ammendment...
and a quote from Thomas Jefferson,
"
The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it. " Does that appear to you as if they were talking about hunting rifles and shotguns?
http://jpetrie.myweb.uga.edu/TJ.html We, our parents, and our grandparents, even our great grandparents have allowed this country to slowly slide toward despotsism. We must at least try to turn it around... how can we do less?
J