How things change

[HasimirFenring]

Much of American democracy was based on Rome that is true, but not all of it was a recreatoin of the Roman system, it was based on the lessons leared from its failures.  Hence the checks and balances.  But bear in mind that it wasn't really "average men" who entered public service: they were unpaid positions (from the Consul ondown), and only people from the patrician class served in higher positions partly for that reason.

[Wolf]

Cincinnatus was a farmer.

[HasimirFenring]

Fair enough, I don't know that much Roman history.  Was he a poor farmer?  A small farm he worked himself?  If so, from what I've heard, that was unusual.  The army was lead by the Consuls, who were (almost) always patricians.

[Wolf]

Eh... it's possible he was just a legend based off of a real person. For the most part, I will say that you are right, the leaders primarily came from the patrician class.

[HasimirFenring]

So then, what do you think is required to justify suspension of consitutional rights?  I say an immediate threat (hostile army) to our government and country.

[Dude_Doc]

So then, what do you think is required to justify suspension of consitutional rights?  I say an immediate threat (hostile army) to our government and country.

Yes, that would be it. It's still funny, though, that the Terror-Meter never has dropped to blue or green... will it ever?

[nemafakei]

I'd like to point out that political parties don't need to be outlawed when they're simply not funded. They're not funded because to do wo would not be in the interest anyone able to fund a party further left than the centre-right (US Democrats, Blair, the Tories, etc). The bigger and richer the country's businesses, the more powerful the markets, the more difficult it is for a left wing party to advertise itself (compared to the ability of a right-wing party), and so the more unlikely it is for such a party to come to power.

That is economic distortion of the democratic process; to an extent it happened in Rome with the patrician class, though I think they eventually made it a law that one consul had to be of equestrian class or lower.

[HasimirFenring]

Yes, that would be it. It's still funny, though, that the Terror-Meter never has dropped to blue or green... will it ever?

Sure it well.  As soon as we win the war on terror ::)  To answer your question seriously, no never.  They are there only for comparison.  We are never actually safe.

[Acriku]

Especially with the election coming up, there will never be a drop in the terror status. Keep the people afraid, very afraid.

[HasimirFenring]

Here again, more evidence supporting what Michael Moore said in Bowling for Columbine: we are a nation constantly high on fear.  We get it from the media and from the government.