DesideriScuri
Posts: 12225
Joined: 1/18/2012 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tweakabelle I'm agreeing with all the previous posters who said that the powerful feel that they are beyond the rules. It would appear that the arrogance of some powerful men knows no limits. Nor does it recognise any boundaries. It's just as likely to happen on the Centre, Right or Left, in the USA, Australia or Europe. Power attracts monsters. Power corrupts. Power feeds belief of personal invincibility just as surely as it corrupts moral boundaries. Nor is this abusive behaviour an exclusive monopoly of politics or religion. (Look at the Michael Jackson case or the current scandal surrounding Jimmy Saville, the UK TV personality.) Worse still, it is almost impossible to design a proactive system to weed out the monsters in advance without severely infringing personal freedoms and general liberty. I am not disagreeing with the enlarged statement at all. I actually completely agree with it. Setting limitations on the power of a position prior to a person getting into that position, and then maintaining those limitations would be the way to control that abuses from monsters who get into that position. This is one of those things that I think the Founding Fathers recognized and why their intent should be leading the way regarding interpretation of the US Constitution. A few quotes about power: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. -- Lord Acton Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases. -- John Adams It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. -- David Brin We're taught Lord Acton's axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believed that when I started these books, but I don't believe it's always true any more. Power doesn't always corrupt. Power can cleanse. What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals. -- Robert Caro That last one is quite interesting and profound. David Brin's quote may also be dead on accurate, too. And, this is why I also believe in a very strict Conservative interpretation of the US Constitution. And, when you have the opportunity to either maintain a power level or increase the power level of a position (or body), it is better to err on the side of not increasing the power. The greater the power, the more attractive the position.
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What I support: - A Conservative interpretation of the US Constitution
- Personal Responsibility
- Help for the truly needy
- Limited Government
- Consumption Tax (non-profit charities and food exempt)
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