The Founder's of the US and the Framer's of the Constitution of the United States were well read in what we now call "the classics" of ancient Greece and Rome. Surely the reading of these books containing oral histories, poetry, and prose had to have seeped into their decisions about how government would function and is evident in their writing. In addition just look at the architecture in Washington, D.C.
History of the Creation of the Capitol of the United States
I am minded of Faust (Goethe's) at the time of his death. The devil prepares to reap Faust's soul, for Faust never worked his way through all the difficulties he was faced with. But God intervenes and allows him to be saved because he never ceased striving.
The whole health care thing, for example, begs to be defined by this metaphor. The issues are so complicated and overwhelming that only a fool would profess to have "the solutions" up front. What we need to do is just sit together, open to all possibilities and ideas, explore, examine, hash, re-hash, try, re-try, etc. Out of those sincere and continuous efforts will come, perhaps when we least expect them, any and all "solutions".
Doing nothing can never work.
dyslexia wrote:an efficient government is a dangerous government.
Exactly.
And Timber's Will Roger's quote is so true... I am eternally grateful!
However I see a difference between government and governmental services... I wish those were more efficient and that we did get our money's worth. It reminds me, being low-brow, not of Faust... which I never finished, but of Yes, Minister -- the long-running BBC comedy.
http://www.yes-minister.com/introduc.htm
Yes Minister was a program I never missed satire relives all sorts of pain.
