Atlas Shrugged

An assertion I've just been given by a friend:

''A big majority of people in the Republican party only vote Republican because of the religious aspects. -- The so called Religious Right ''

''Take away those aspects, and the country would go overwhelmingly for liberal ideas like those from the Democrats and McCain''

If this is true, and people care very little for their individual liberties, then, as Benjamin Franklin said:

"Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither."

Liberals like McCain and Hillary will give security to many and the illusion of a fix for global warming. And what will they really get? Socialism, and the loss of freedoms and liberties.

I cannot underscore this point enough.

I am fed up with people flocking to big government, the nanny state, to give them all their needs. It will not work in the long run, this country will become no better than a third world country, because all incentive to achieve will be negated. It happened in Romania, I saw it first hand, until they revolted and lynched the Chauchescu(s). That same thing will happen some day in this country, we will revolt!

Some day we will all wonder whatever happened to our liberty, that precious jewel called liberty, represented most by freedom from government mandates, and liberty, held most dear by the possession of property, including land, air, water and our very money which is the legal tender of property, will be the one question that will be asked. I know what happened to our liberty: Plato said it best with his Analogy of an Ideal Republic. His Aristocracy is our liberal media and politicians. And we, the people, are the producers who not only obey them, but do so willingly.

And just like the book by Ayn Rand: "Atlas Shrugged," the producers will simply quit. And there will be no more free ride.

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PLATO.HTM

The Analogy of the Ideal Republic. After Thrasymachus leaves in a royal huff, Socrates starts the question all over again. If one could decide what a just state is like, one could use that as an analogy for a just person. Plato then embarks on a long exposition about how a state might embody the four great virtues: courage, wisdom, temperance, and justice. The remainder of the dialogue is a long exposition of what justice in a state is; this section is considered one of the first major, systematic expositions of abstract political theory . This type of thinking, that is, speculating about an ideal state or republic, is called "utopian" thinking (utopia is a Greek word which means "no-place"). Plato (speaking through Socrates) divides human beings up based on their innate intelligence, strength, and courage. Those who are not overly bright, or strong, or brave, are suited to various productive professions: farming, smithing, building, etc. Those who are somewhat bright, strong, and especially courageous are suited to defensive and policing professions. Those who are extraordinarily intelligent, virtuous, and brave, are suited to run the state itself; that is, Plato's ideal state is an aristocracy, a Greek word which means "rule by the best." The lower end of human society, which, as far as Plato is concerned, consists of an overwhelming majority of people in a state, he calls the "producers," since they are most suited for productive work. The middle section of society, a smaller but still large number of people, make up the army and the police and are called "Auxiliaries." The best and the brightest, a very small and rarefied group, are those who are in complete control of the state permanently; Plato calls these people "Guardians." In the ideal state, "courage" characterizes the Auxiliaries; "wisdom" displays itself in the lives and government of the Guardians. A state may be said to have "temperance" if the Auxiliaries obey the Guardians in all things and the Producers obey the Auxiliaries and Guardians in all things. A state may be said to be intemperate if any of the lower groups do not obey one of the higher groups. A state may be said to be just if the Auxiliaries do not simply obey the Guardians, but enjoy doing so, that is, they don't grumble about the authority being exercised over them; a just state would require that the Producers not only obey the Auxiliaries and Guardians, but that they do so willingly.