Sometimes surverys of public opinion just aren’t revealing. Here is a brief recounting of Egyptian attitudes as measured by some polling.
Make of it what you will. But don’t be too hard on them. Americans who claim to believe in freedom elected Obama, who did not disguise his policies. And we have our “compassionate conservatives” and “pro-life Democrats” continually trying to square the circle.
Most people hold at least some conflicting beliefs or perspectives.
But “living Consitution” is still an oxymoron.
February 5th, 2011 11:23 am
Or “living Constitution” is FOR morons.
February 6th, 2011 10:56 am
Totalitarianism is defined as “absolute rule by any faction or class of elites who recognize no limit to their authority.” The federal government could be described nearly in this way as the Democratic party ruled in Congress and the Presidency. Before that, the Republicans ruled all three branches of the federal government. In the US, as in Egypt more blatantly, perhaps we’ve all been living under an oxymoron that is a Totalitarian Democratic Republic for the last 30 years.
February 7th, 2011 4:03 pm
Innermore, I have to agree that the “living Constitution” approach has led to democratic totalitarianism, in the sense that almost nothing is seen as being outside the sphere of government, either by making up rights that do not exist in the Constitution, or giving Congress power to tax, require, forbid or regulate almost anything using the Interstate Commerce Clause, or the Environmental Protection Act, or whatever.
We are MUCH less free than 50 years ago, as a society, and it was accomplished either by democratic means, or by judicial fiat that was not overturned democratically.