Our "legislate-society-to-perfection mentality."

Selwyn Duke points out the obvious that would be obvious if citizens thought about it.

Except that Americans are not politically conscious, unless it's about a proposal imminently to augment the flow of tax dollars from productive citizens into their own pockets. That is "good government" to most.

Too, a free society such as we had in spades 100 years ago entailed the perfect freedom not to have to think about the machinations of politicians. Huge swaths of private life had not then been subjected to bureaucratic and judicial oversight. Even earlier, however, the union veterans of the Late Unpleasantness staged what one writer called the first great raid on the treasury (OWTTE) and the flow of pensions grew to a torrent once the politicians saw the benefit to them of buying off this worthy constituency.

The influx of 19th century European socialists brought serious philosophical energy to aid and abet these hydraulic innovations.

Now we do not have that luxury and the oppressive byproduct of "law manufacture" that might once have been characterized as a relative trickle has become so substantial and ubiquitous as to contaminate the aquifers, in a manner of speaking.

Americans can grasp that idea when the substance is benzene but, where the accumulation of law is at issue, seem to be under the impression that laws are only benign and their incessant accumulation is not a matter of concern:

Democracy is sometimes just millions of people slowly and inefficiently making the bad decisions that a dictator could make with the stroke of a pen.

This is why one of the worst decisions is saying “There oughta’ be a law.” While we do need protection from the tyranny of our fellow man, we also need protection from the tyranny of our fellow man in government. Making just laws accomplishes the former; resisting excessive laws accomplishes the latter. This is a law of liberty.

It’s our failure to understand and obey this law – not a particular politician, party or policy (although statism thoroughly imbues the Democrats) – that has allowed for the trampling of the Constitution.

"How Free Are We Really?" By Selwyn Duke, 12/13/07 (emphasis added).