So what Dr. Sowell is really saying is what good are our state governments if they are not going to push back against this federal abuse of power, and ultimately what good are we if we don't push our state governments? Federal government is a lost cause. Hubris and money have twisted them into a gnarled, grotesque, insane caricature of its original self.

Citizens can't fix the federal government, but we can march on our state capitols and demand and end to federal tyranny.

The federal government is not a lost cause. We will fix the federal government in November 2010 and November 2012. It has become tyrannical, and must be reformed through conservative elected officials. The current Democrat (socialist) majority scoffs at the constitution as quaint and a stumbling block to their statist dreams.

TJS I wish I could share your confidence. Unfortunately both parties are irreparably corrupted and we need a wholesale replacement of politicians. We somehow NEED to END the full time job of politics. As long as being a politician can be a living it will always be corrupted but the need to be re-elected. We the People need to find people that want to do what is best for the NATION and individual NOT "society." Society will take care of itself if left alone. AND we need to put God back in our lives. The lack of morality in this country will be an equal to the politicians in the destruction of our great Nation. God bless ya TJS, I for one hope you are right but won't hold my breath.

Unfortunately, I have to agree more with 57Cynic than with TJS. I have little confidence in the American electorate to do what is needed in November. I wish I wasn't so cynical myself, but the people who elected these clowns are still out there, and not enough of them have changed their minds or are even paying attention. Mr. Sowell is correct: not enough see the big picture or the underlying activity behind it. Most only see that Obutthead is putting it to the big bad oil company.

Mr. Sowell is wrongly attributing the problem to the failure of democracy. the problem is really that we have moved from our representative republic towards democracy, which is correctly defined as the rule of the illiterate mob. When is the last time that you remember your so-called representative doing something with which you were in agreement?

How else can you explain the inability of the general populace to correctly perform elementary school mathematics?

Constitution of the United States of America - Amendment 28

Article 1: In the fiscal year following ratification of this amendment, the power of Congress to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, excises, or fees, henceforth called Revenue, shall not exceed thirty percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the preceding fiscal year. The fiscal year begins on October 1 for the next calendar year.

Article 2: In the second and subsequent years following ratification of this amendment the power of Congress to lay and collect Revenue shall decrease by one percent each year until the percent shall be ten percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the preceding fiscal year. Ten percent of the previous year’s GDP shall henceforth be the permanent maximum Revenue. So there is no misunderstanding — in the first year maximum Revenue shall be 30% of previous GDP; second year, 29% GDP; third year, 28% GDP; twenty-first year, 10%; twenty-second year, 10%, twenty-third year, 10%; etc.

Article 3: In each fiscal year following ratification of this amendment, Congress shall decrease the total debt of the United States of America by three percent until the total debt shall be 500 billion dollars or less, at which time the entire debt of the United States of America shall be reduced to zero, after which time, the debt of the United States of America must be zero at the end of every fiscal year.

Article 4: In any fiscal year in which total expenditures of the United States of America exceed total Revenue of the United States of America, or in which Congress fails to accomplish the debt reduction of Article 3, three fourths of the members of the Senate and three fourths of the members of the House of Representatives, chosen by lot, shall be removed from office on the last Tuesday of March of the following calendar year, on which day a special election shall be held to choose their replacements for full or partial terms. No member of Congress so removed shall ever be permitted to hold any elective office in the government of the United States of America, or to be employed by the government of the United States of America.

Article 5: Congress must contract with three non-governmental entities to determine the Gross Domestic Product, total expenditures, and total Revenues of the previous fiscal year. The three entities must agree on the figures to be presented to Congress by the last Friday of February of the calendar year following the fiscal year evaluated. No entity so contracted shall be eligible to be contracted again for a period of ten years.

Article 6: Congress is prohibited from making loans to any entity.

Article 7: Congress is prohibited from making the United States of America a guarantor of any loan

TJS is the only opinion writer with whom I have never disagreed, and this is no exception. He is, as always, brilliant. For those here who believe that we can't take back our government in Nov 10 and Nov 12, should just go roll over and play dead. Yes, I know how bad the economy has gotten, I had to close the doors of my land surveying business (15 years old)last summer, due to lack of business. I've been installing directv, because that was all that was available. But, I KNOW we will take back our government and put our Constitution back as the ruling document it was intended to be.

I am also a 12 year Army Veteran who has sworn to protect and defend said Constitution.

My prayer is that you may stay in good health and continue to share your wisdom with us for many more years Dr. Sowell. You and Mark Levin are two of the greatest conservative minds of our time.

Oama twisted BP's arm and gave them a choice; they CHOSE to put up $20B or face the music

S. McKenzie Kennaugh is correct, and what BP should have done is set up their own representative to process all claims. If any claims are denied, which is likely given that a certain percentage of people will try to profit from the oil spill by filing fraudulent claims, the claimant is free to file suit in the U.S. court system. This is what the courts are for. By setting up a claims system, and its attendant documentation, BP would have a strong argument against additional claims for recovery of attorney's fees and punitive damages.

I think we have the government we have because of the decisions of a blind and ill informed population, and like turning a great ship at sea this cannot be remedied overnight, also there are many forces that desire to keep it as it is. I saw a video that clarified a lot of things for me at WWW.youtube.com type in: ex-kgb uri bezmenov on ideological indoctrination pt1 in the search box at the top of page.

If BP "chooses" to put 20 billion into an account when they are faced with no other choice -- is it really a choice?

20 billion or we nationalize the company? Not much of a choice there, even though they "chose" one course of action.

Forcing someone to choose a certain way is not freedom.

Good God man, run for president. But,alas, you are far too intelligent for that.