The United States has lost sight of its first principle(s), its inaugural ideal, to wit: "liberty" (keeping government, whether said government be by a king or a congress, from interfering, as far and as widely and as deeply as is possible, in the personal and business affairs of the citizenry, which ideal is is mutually exclusive, I feel compelled to note, with the (socialist) ideal of ensuring equity in society (which is largely the business of justice), for if I am compelled by the government to share a significant portion of my income, no matter how large that income is, with the less fortunate, then my liberty is infringed upon, and I am not a relatively free man). I am unsure whether to consider this to be good or bad. Of course, neither equity nor liberty are bad things of themselves, but they do infringe one upon the other within the social context. Finding and maintaining a desired mean between liberty and justice is the essential task of government, and that mean varies between those two polarities depending on the essential nature and focus of the government in question. Without doubt, the mean intended by the English colonists who rebelled against King George, tended towards liberty rather than justice. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans seem to wish to revisit or recognize that. The Democratic Party platform has largely been arrogated by the "equity" people: the "progressive" liberals. The Republican Party has of late become much more nationalist and populist in nature, than it once was, and so tend to favor only a liberty tainted by a nationalist ethic which results in a type of "turning inward" of society. The Libertarians cannot, and seemingly will not, gain traction. My personal outlook is a bit bleak for our political and fiscal future. We have been bolstered by hubris, and the bloated federal government (the task of maintaining a mean closer to justice than to liberty requires bigger, "fatter", more extensive and more intrusive government than does the task of maintaining a mean closer to liberty than to justice) continues blithely to spend beyond its means, and then to borrow so that it may spend more, but a massive default upon our absolutely incredible national debt looms menacingly, and then what: tyranny? an orgy of taxation to pay for it? or, alternatively, war with our creditor countries? Note that neither Trump nor Biden will worry about this: Trump because, despite not appearing to be the brightest bulb in the box and having a rather coarse personality, has been able, using daddy's seed money and through having both an apparently strong physical constitution and a somewhat callous personal outlook, to enrich himself through real estate speculation (this can hardly fail); Biden because he has seemingly been able to enrich himself in "the old politician's way": by graft, more lately appearing to use his son as a type of "fence" (this, likewise, can hardly fail). I don't have to worry about my vote, though, or indeed, even about voting at all, unless I feel passionate about one of the ballot questions: I live in Massachusetts, and the outcome here is, as ever, a foregone conclusion...
My goodness, what are these ramblings? This has become a polemic...hey, somebody help me down off this soapbox!
