BAC, governments tend to become tools of the elite, therefore, you should have government do as little as possible. And when you say "government should be powerful, but it should only be run by people who agree with me", then you become a totalitarian. Whatever people can do for themselves, they should. I really wish you would understand this. It's a necessary evil. Like damo said. Not some bright star of human salvation. And since you believe in racial discrimination as a tool of justice, you should be allowed nowhere near government. I believe there are many good specks in your heart, however.
I appreciate your faith my brother, however, government was not the tool of the elite when it acted to correct 364 years of demonic racial oppression. Individuals awash in "liberty" and "freedom" did nothing to arrest the evil stain on this country.
Government was not the tool of the elite when it acted to protect children with child labor laws, Headstart, and health protection. It was not the tool of the elite when it created safety nets for seniors and veterans through Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, veterans health, housing, and educational benefits. I could go on with this, but the point is that government, good government, is there to do what individuals focused on their own narrow view of the world, will not do for the benefit of the nation.
Government should be powerful, and I don't expect it to always agree with me, but it should always agree with the best interests of the whole.
I'm sorry, but I don't get this "me first" thinking that says individuals are more important than the best interests of the country. In my opinion, that's sick, and those are the very people who want to stand on a soap box shouting about "patriotism." In my opinion, it's about self-serving interests and incredible greed. Patriotism is about self sacrifice, not self interests.
There is no socio-ethical responsibility in the ideology of the Me, there is only me. Take the issue of healthcare as example. More than 40 million Americans don't have it, including millions and millions of children. The ideology of the Me says "fuck 'em" to those that don't have it. Such narrow self-serving thought is decidely unintelligent in my opinion because a healthy nation is a better nation, a better America .. but a better America is not the aim, goal, or agenda of the Me, only a better me.
America's infrastructure is collapsing all around us, but the philosophy of the Me, say's "fuck it" if it means that I'd have to pay one nickel more in taxes .. yet we throw away trillions of dollars on foreign misadventures and the proponents of the Me rarely have a word to say about that .. why? .. because they've been conditioned. FEAR is the greatest motivator of the Me. They FEAR every fucking thing. Anything that does not walk, act, and smell like them is to be feared. Republicans are masters of FEAR and self-interest.
The entire recent republican debate was a testament to the power of FEAR and self-interest. No discussion about the crisis of healthcare. No discussion about the zillions of dollars wasted in Iraq. Let's talk about the FEAR of immigration, the FEAR of gay people, and the FEAR of arabs .. then to top it off .. let's talk about "God"
WTF !!!
Even when they were forced into talking about our collapsing infrastructure, none of them knew what to say .. because properly addressing it means sacrifice, less pork, and possibly more taxes if they can't get rid of the pork.
The invasion of Iraq is pork
Continuing to build massive arsenals of the most horrific weapons known to Man, that only a demon would build or even possess, is pork.
Stationing our troops all over the world in countries that don't want them there is pork
But the ideology of the Me will never address that but rather focus on classifying ketchup as a vegetable in school lunch programs, focus on there are too many children being covered by a health program, focus on "welfare" while corporate welfare dwarfs and assistance to families, and decry any assistance to Americans who've been victims of tragic disasters.
I don't agree with you my brother and I wish you could understand that what you suggest is why this nation is in decline, it's why Americans are an invented, controlled, and scared as shit people.