>
> Boy, I must have missed something. Since when does the EPA terrorize
> people into being ecoterrorists?
>
It doesn't force them to be eco-terrorists(I think the una-bomber falls
into this category), it forces people to follow asinine regulations or be
punished by law. It takes away people's private property rights and
basically classifies us all as wards of the state who are "priviledged"
to live on the land we have.
> Since when does the Constitution prevent language about abstractions?
> Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness?
>
When did I say it did not?
> And does anyone really think the founders contemplated a world where you
> could do whatever you want, regardless of the consequences? That the
> nation would not be a community? That a government and laws would not be
> necessary to our self-government?
>
What you are refering to is anarchy and it is not what I am advocating
nor is it what the Founding Fathers intended. THey intended an extremely
weak and minimal federal gov't in order to maximize personal liberties
while providing safeguards against the anarchy you described. They
understood the danger of a strong centralized gov't and wanted the states
and the people to retain their rights as much as possible.
> If they did, why is the Constitution, for the most part, a set-up
> document, laying out how laws and government would work?
>
They did. Too bad we don't follow that document too closely. How many
regulations have been forced down our throats thru the interstate
commerce clause? Do you really think that is what our Founding Fathers
intended in that clause?
> If so, I must be wrong -- I thought we had a government system that tried
> to balance competing needs.
>
We did. Until about 1962. for the last 30 years the gov't has been
about mad power grabbing to expand it's own power. It has decided to
become our Big Brother(read "1984" if you don't understand), "for our own
good" of course...to "protect
us from ourselves". Sorry, but I don't want the gov't babysitting me.
If you don't believe me look at the size of the federal budget over the
last 30 years. I'm not naive enough to think the gov't is
benevolent...our Founding Fathers understood the simple principle of
"power corrupts and absolute power corupts aboslutely". Just because we
have an elective gov't does not mean we should stick our heads in the
sand. Remember, Hitler was properly elected as well..under an
established constitution no less!
Cheers,
Andy