"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence -- it is force." -- George Washington
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."
It seems to me that the government is, and has been, a fire burning out of control for some time now. We (Americans in general) just don't have the will to try and stop it.
It has been left unattended and unchecked to the point where there's only a few that even care enough to speak out against it. Most people only see and feel the warmth that the fire provides, they just don't realize the fire has the absolute power to destroy them.