There was a wonderful post this morning on the Cato Institute’s Downsizing the Federal Government blog. It’s a short little piece on why we need to minimize the size of government and its oppressive effect on our lives.

Most interesting, however, was a quote by Sheldon Richman from his article Bondholders and Victims: Who’s less worthy of compensation? over on The Freeman blog. I think it very accurately sums up the problem:

Government is not some higher super-competent entity like the man pretending to be the Wizard of Oz wanted the people to think he was. It’s a coercive organization of limited, flawed, and essentially ignorant men and women who, having been anointed in an election after campaigns hawking snake oil, are presumptuous enough to think they are capable of making wise decisions on our behalf.

That, in a very elegant nutshell, is why we need less government and not more. It’s why we are having this complete, idiotic paralysis in Washington over the debt and the budget. As a people, we’ve become so far removed from what’s going on and are lied to so regularly by both sides of the aisle, that we are going to end up getting what we deserve–though the Washington crooks and their ilk will no doubt get away with it.

In its current state, I believe the USA is ungovernable and its policies unsustainable. We are overdue to hit the ground and hit it hard. We will all feel the pain. We should use that opportunity to clean house, but I hold out very little hope for that happening. Why? Because our “democracy” is a farce since it is in the hands of an ignorant and manipulated electorate. Elections are no longer about what is good or right, but merely about “our team winning” and defeating the other team at all costs.

If I actually gave a damn anymore, I might try to do something to help to fix it. But I don’t. We are entering “The Times of Trouble” for the world and our country, and I’m planning on leaving here and going somewhere that I can still live my life as a free man.

In addition to the Cato Institute, you may also find the Sovereign Man website interesting.