LIBERTY

"Government has succeeded in transforming the American system of government from one that is limited by the consent of the governed, to a system in which the governed must obtain the consent of government even to exist. And it is getting worse".

"A substantial number of Americans, perhaps a majority, believe that government should dictate where people live, what their housing structures should look like and how they should be constructed. They believe it is right for government to dictate what curriculum children should study in school. They believe it is right for government to dictate which land should be cultivated and which land should not be touched by humans. They believe it is right for government to dictate the kind of automobiles that are available for people to purchase".

"Simply put, a substantial number of Americans believe it is right for government to dictate how people should live. They believe that government should "engineer" society".

"How different is this modern attitude from the belief system that led Americans into war to defeat the Nazis' efforts to engineer society. How different is this modern attitude from the belief system that led our founders to declare that the Creator, not government, endowed people with equal rights to "... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." How different is this modern attitude from the notion that legitimate government is empowered only by the consent of the governed".

"Society has been successfully engineered to believe that the goal is no longer freedom, but the control of government, which means the control of society, to fit the agenda of the controlling party. The idea of entering public service as an elected official to limit the power of government and maximize the freedom of individual citizens is an obsolete concept. Those who cling to this idea are ridiculed and marginalized by the mainstream of public opinion". —Henry Lamb 4 August 2007

(Henry Lamb is the executive vice president of the Environmental Conservation Organization and chairman of Sovereignty International. )