Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

I just saw Kerry’s Communications Director being interviewed. She blames Bush for the fact there is a shortage of flu vaccine. When asked what Kerry would have done differently, she said he would have found more vaccine. When pressed, she said something should have been done sooner.

Wow. That sounds like solid policy.

She also said that Bush is not protecting the health of the American people.

When did that become a function of government?

This morning I report for the jury pool. As I mentioned before, I don’t mind jury duty at all. In fact, I feel like I’m doing something important.

What I do dislike is the assumption that my life story is open for review. The standard form I received asks for such standards as race, sex, age, and whether I’ve ever served on a jury or been a party to a lawsuit. Okay.

I refuse to fill out the rest of the form. And I always have. They have no need to know my wife’s name, occupation, or employer. Nor do they need to know my medical history or education level. Or my religion. They may want that information, but they don’t need it.

When people talk about lawsuits and the costs that come from large awards they always focus on lawyers. That’s the wrong argument. Lawyers are out to make a buck, just like the rest of us. They’ll make as much as they can. Good for them. Don’t tell me, however, that they’re being altruistic and trying to help others. They’re not.

We need to look at jurors. Those large awards aren’t decided by lawyers. They’re determined by juries. A lawyer’s job is to find jury members who will be sympathetic and willing to punish “Big Corporations” or “Big Insurance.” They do this via survey forms and voir dire. They hire jury consultants to help them in this quest. Personally, I’d like to put jury consultants out of business.

A jury needs to be made up of people who are impartial–as much as anyone can be–and willing to listen and make decisions based in fact. For a plaintiff in a negligence suit, that may not be the best hope for their suit. For a criminal on trial who is guilty, that isn’t the desired panel to face. Both want a jury that is pliable and emotional. In a criminal case, the lawyer wants to find at least one who will see things his way, and get no verdict. That puts a load on the court system, and perhaps gets a favorable plea bargain.

This is where lawyers get their reputation for sleaze. Truth isn’t important. Manipulation is.

I don’t like people trying to manipulate me.

As in all national elections, the issue of government spending and taxes comes to the fore. They are false issues. They obscure the real one: What is the true role of the federal government?

I read about Tom Dashle’s reelection bid, and how one activist plans to vote for Bush and Dashle, because Dashle brought the money home. All else was secondary. But the role of a legislator was never intended to be bringing money home in the form of pork. Their role was defined as being representative voices in Congress. The concept was that on all issues before Congress, the congressmen and senators would represent their constituents’ opinions.

The federal government, personified by Congress, has become a distribution center for money. This has become the focus in elections.

What we should really be talking about is how the federal government does the things it is chartered to do by the Constitution. I want to be clear that the Constitution applies only to the federal government, not state and local. The whole point of its ratification was to plainly state what powers and authority it has. All other authority was to reside in the various states.

We talk about conservative and liberal in code to discuss spending and taxing habits. Rather, we should be talking about involvement of the government in our personal affairs. How much involvement in your own life do you want the government to have? It has become clear that neither major party is interested in scaling back the intrusion, but Democrats seem to me to be far more interested in expanding government action in our lives.

There is nothing in the Constitution to even hint at a need for Housing and Urban Development or Education. Health Care? you must be kidding. Environmental issues? States and local governments are more knowlegeable.

The federal government was established to provide for defense and negotiate treaties that would allow for commerce with other nations. It was to eliminate any tariffs between states so as to promote commerce. Beyond those things, it has little authority.

We need to focus on that. And we need to get the major political parties to focus on that. We need to quit asking our representatives to give us something, and demand that they get the government out of our lives. We, as voters and citizens, need to rein in our Congress, not ask for more intrusion. It is oxymoronic for “progressives” to decry the losses in freedom because of the Patriot Act, yet insist on further government involvement through health care and Social Security.

Any government involvement in your life is a loss of freedom.