FTG

At some point, I really have to answer a fundamental question. At what point is obedience no longer owed to a government gone so far beyond the bounds granted it by citizens it is essentially unrepresentative and uncontrollable? I find myself pondering the question more and more lately.

Judging from the polling data I've seen, a minority of the country is in favor of the economic stimulies plan. Yet it got passed, at a cost that will result in young N paying more taxes for the rest of her life. Similarly, the original TARP bill was passed over the objections of a majority of the public.

I also read the 2^nd Circuit Court of Appeals has decided the 2^nd Amendment is not incorporated as a check on the states or localities. Strange, isn't it?. The Bill of Rights only selectively applies to local governments. Some parts of our inalienable rights really aren't, depending on judicial whim.

Speaking of judicial whim, the government's assertion of “state secrets” is based on a case where there was no compelling national security interest. The government lied to cover up incompetence and malfeasance. More recently, we're watching the government continue to assert “state secrets” to avoid exposing the ugliness of torturing people for no particularly good reason. Whee!

I'm having a hard time justifying to myself why I should continue to abide by my understanding of the social contract when the rest of society seems to feel the contract can be rewritten at will. I didn't sign up for Leviathan, so why should I continue to prop it up?