Students of American history can tell you that our liberties, social and civil, have been eroding for over 100 years. Whatever happened to Common Law? Under common law there had to be an injured party (Someone whose person or property had suffered damage.) before there could be charges levied against a person. There was no fictional party such as city, state, country or corporation filing charges with the exception of treason. If you look at charges people face today, you'll find most are being prosecuted for violating the U.C.C. (Universal Commercial Code!) We've let ourselves enter into a social contract wherein we give up liberty in exchange for other rights and privileges such as the right to use promissory notes (money since it is no longer backed by anything of value such as gold) social services (Social Security, Medicare etc..) Police, Fire Departments etc..
    The TSA has become another of those services that we receive, irregardless of our personal opinions of how they provide that service. That agency has been persuaded to purchase and use the body scanning equipment. Since we so readily buy into fear (We invaded 2 countries who have , at best, minimal ties to the terrorists who attacked on 9/11 because fearful Americans demanded action.) the cost and invasive nature of these scanners is secondary to our social liberty.
    Health care costs in the US include over 30% in "admin. costs" while that same costs in countries with socialized medicine is less than 3%. (Hasn't anyone noticed that Insurance companies are really just an unnecessary middleman collecting fees for medical services?) But the latest health care reform bill was gutted to make sure that we didn't have an alternative to using insurance companies.
    Companies who deal in weaponry and oil companies are enjoying record profits while the average citizen (Not just in the US but worldwide) is suffering a diminishing quality of life. I recently read an article that mentioned that many US companies are enjoying record profits... Because the are producing more with fewer US workers!
    Our forefathers created the best system they could, at that time in history. That was well over 225 years ago. We live in a new age where communication over 1000's of miles takes seconds, not weeks. We no longer need rely on representatives to make the will of the people known. As long as these representatives are beholden to campaign contributors, more so than the people who voted for them, we will never truly have anything that resembles a democracy.
    (Just how many of you would have voted for senators and congressmen to receive full retirement and free medical care for life after serving as little as 2 to 6 years, if you had had a say?)
If we truly want freedom and equality, we will have to force some major changes in our government that includes the personal responsibility for our actions.
   The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world.....by numbers and percentage. The cost is staggering. If you look at how much we're paying to house non-violent offenders, you would think that someone would work on alternative punishments... and they are with limited success.
    There are factors that aren't being considered here. Once convicted of a felony, a person loses the right to to work in many fields, in some places the right to vote is also removed. We have to consider these factors leading to a permanent under-class in America. If you imprison people you remove them from competing for jobs and you create jobs in the law enforcement and corrections fields, lowering the unemployment rate but increasing the tax burden. Did you know you can buy stock in prison industries? My question is how can someone in good conscience buy a stock that in affect, makes them a partial slave owner? Prisoners are forced to work ..sometimes being compensated at a rate of 3 dollars a day but often with no compensation except a reprieve from harsher punishments like solitary confinement!!
   I really don't have too many answers to these problems, but the first step in solving any problem is by making as many people as possible aware the problem exists. This is my first step.



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