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Of course, the more government programs there are, the more people rely on politicians, either to receive a benefit or avoid a penalty. That reinforces the politician’s power; it forces people to support that politician or pay for not doing so.

One of our Founding Fathers observed that America was doomed as soon as her leaders discovered that the populace could be bribed with their own money.

Bad politicians like big government, because it gives them more power. They can always think of reasons for more government programs, but the bottom line is that they want more power for themselves: that is how they maintain their position. California politicians have taken more power over education, energy, and the economy for that reason. It has hurt the economy, hurt children’s education, and nearly destroyed our energy future. That is natural in politicians; it also the best argument against big government.

A lot of wisdom, there. I hope Simon and many others will have, AND TAKE, the opportunity to make that argument far and wide!

Dan

"...since unemployed bad politicians probably would also be unable to hold any other job, they fight — hard — to stay in power."

This is the only point with which I disagree. The revolving door is kept well oiled, and in the course of a politician's career, he accumulates many favors owed him. He also knows where the bodies are buried. A guy like Condit, for all his hand-wringing, will do just fine in private life.

Let me explain. Our education, energy, economy, and ethics problems result from the belief that all solutions begin and end with a government program.

This summarizes the liberal thinking on everything ... government first, last and always.

As a conservative, government should be the LAST resort for any solution to any problem.

I'm very concerned about these accusations of campaigning for legislation. If a Republican had a fraction of these accusations launched against him, he would be chased out of office by the Democrats and the press. Sadly, we Republicans (and the press) are silent on this issue.

Gray Davis is corrupt, he is a political whore, he is a power hungry Machiavellian criminal. He should be in jail for not only bribery, but fiscal malfeasance that will bankrupt California.

Gray Davis has got to go. I'm sure the prison guards he gave such a nice raise to will take care of him behind bars.

"Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard - the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money -- the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law --men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims -- then money becomes its creators' avenger.
Such looters believe it is safe to rob defenseless men, once they have passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes on, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter."
"Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors -when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming self sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed."
--Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957