13 ms·

Might seem repeative or unwarrented, but to me, it's very clear that the... US is a police state.

• ekianjo 11y ago
  More like, it has become like that. Because of complete disregard/disrespect for the US constitution. The constitution had numerous safeguards to restrict abuse of power, but the Federal Government is completely sitting on it.
  • X86BSD 11y ago
    "But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain — that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist." -Lysander Spooner
    • webjprgm 11y ago
      Democracy is a form of government that can destroy itself. The French voted to put in an emperor their first time around. So we may have a good constitution but if the people vote to make bad laws that break it, and permit those laws to function, then it is the people's fault, not the founder's fault.
      • kazagistar 11y ago
        I mean, the binary choice clusterfuck that is modern politics is certainly the fault of the founders, and is certainly partially responsible for the current problems. And because of the reverence of the founders and the constitution as it exists, the self destruction and rebirth is looking likelier then meaningfully repairing the system.
        • tajen 11y ago
          Tomorrow we'll have infinite disdain for binary-party democracies, just like we currently have for monoparty democracies. It baffles me that people still immigrate to Singapore. What a total disrespect for a thousand years fighting for the right to vote.
          • SixSigma 11y ago
            I guess it's not so bad if you can leave when you feel like it. Singapore is a cool place if you're on the right side. Dubai is another even more extreme example.
  • Govannon 11y ago
    >but the Federal Government is completely sitting on it. Arguably in a democracy we Americans should all be blaming ourselves for that. Because of the whole voting/paying attention/holding elected officials accountable thing. The Federal Government is representative of our collective ability to do that well, plus our historic ability to do that well I suppose.
    • ekianjo 11y ago
      > Arguably in a democracy we Americans should all be blaming ourselves for that Maybe as a nation if you consider that the term makes any sense, but for the most part this has started to happen before most Americans alive today were born. Like always there is not a single date in History where you can pinpoint a decisive moment where the Constitution was destroyed, it's been a progressive and "death by thousands cuts" kind of thing.
      • rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
        I would argue that date was in 1917, when President Wildon founded the Committee on Public Information to sell WWI to Americans. The committee then hired Edward Bernays, who was struck by the ability for war to motivate people, and used his uncle Sigmund Freud's theories on psychoanalysis to contrive ways to get people to do or buy things they normally wouldn't. The stunning success of psychologically tuned propaganda taught generations of political masterminds how to not only rile up the public to make big changes, but to structure society as a disconnected atomized collection of individuals too caught up with their own lives and consumerism to seriously challenge the powers that be. From then on, it becomes easier and easier to circumvent the constitution and even basic ethics because people are less likely to care for longer than a news cycle.
        • mindslight 11y ago
          What about 1861, when the mutual agreement of the Constitution was reinterpreted as an inescapable suicide pact? I don't think there's necessarily a specific turning point - it seems a long line of gradual erosion.
  • enlightenedfool 11y ago
    It will get worse when electorate instead of choosing the right candidates, chooses the more electable ones. The constitution cannot provide safeguard against ill-informed electorate. Not just the US, applies to any democracy. Most democracies have similar awesome constitution texts.
    • ekianjo 11y ago
      One of the key issues in elections is that candidates promise stuff to specific interest groups - which is basically the same thing as buying votes (with future government funds, on top of that). That kind of behaviour should be explicitly forbidden and should be prosecuted because it actively damages Democracy.
      • webjprgm 11y ago
        It would be interesting if candidates were not allowed to promise what they would do, but merely campaign on their morals and good standing in the community so we can pick people who would make intelligent decisions but not necessarily ones that would choose a specific way on a specific issue. That's what you're asking for here.
    • lettergram 11y ago
      That's actually why historically only land owners could vote. They had the most to lose and we're the most educated. Regardless of "right or wrong" that did provide a safeguard against the likes of people like Trump, probably Hillery and Bernie as well.
      • tremon 11y ago
        Would it have safeguarded against Nixon, Reagan, Bush or McCarthy though? (yes, I know, the latter was never president -- but still elected)
        • tracker1 11y ago
          If you're throwing Reagan in as a bad president, you should throw JFK in too, since regarding policy/politically they were very close to each other.
  • at-fates-hands 11y ago
    >>> More like, it has become like that. Because of complete disregard/disrespect for the US constitution. Which has infected every level of government. From the president's "executive orders" every time he wants something done and congress refuses to do it, so he simply writes a new law and enacts it. From supreme court nominees who believe more in "social justice" then interpreting the constitution which is their job, not to dole out fairness when they feel their has been an injustice done to some party. From the do-nothing congress that simply doesn't work at all in the completely divided partisan environment they've created. No laws get passed, there is no working together for their constituents - which is their job. You can also toss in there the Republicans stone walling the supreme court nominee which has become high theater now - on both sides. Our government is being run like a fucking game now and its infuriating and depressing all at the same time. Remember those days when the two parties would work together and pass acts and laws that were good for the country? Remember when the economy was shit and both parties worked together and solve the problems? Yeah, I don't either.
    • tracker1 11y ago
      Is there really a need for more/new laws? Seriously. I mean most of what congress does is budgetary and campaign fund raising... very litle effectively gets done regardless... much of what passes, does so with very little backpressure, exception to some hot-potato political issues.
  • alanwatts 11y ago
    This is the great fallacy of the theoretical ideal of "rule of law" which is the basis for the idea of a "republic". In physical reality, a law is a piece of paper with words on it. If you sit on it, it's not going to sprout arms and do something about it.