re: Constitution v2.0

Anton Sherwood (dasher@netcom.com)
Thu, 7 Aug 1997 19:10:16 -0700


Eliezer writes
: The only real reason for the existence of states is to provide a multitude
: of small experimental cultures, large enough to produce interesting
: results, small enough that we can have 50 political incubators. [...]

Yeah, that's what they told me in public school, too. Another reason for
preserving the several States was to ensure that Washington was not the
only power center. Of course, highway taxes and the Supreme Court have
buried that quaint notion.

: Anyway, I dispute the implicit idea that the current Constitution is
: working. It isn't; it's breaking down. Not just the amendments; although
: the Constitution continues to operate perfectly against tyrants, other
: menaces such as bureaucracy and paperwork are threatening to choke the
: country, and might very well do just that, if continued unchecked.

I wonder what Eliezer means by "tyrants", when Presidents routinely
start wars without waiting for Constitutional formality, when the Supreme
Court calls looting and extortion "essential police powers" ...

Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher@netcom.com