"Americans should thank God that George Washington was our first President, because no one exemplified self-discipline and humility more than he did."

Perhaps; but his influence has worn off a bit after 200 years.

Certainly the parallels to ancient Rome are so strong: if Washington was Cincinnatus, Obama is Caesar.

The fascist leviathan of government in Washington is unrecognisable from the small and modest government laid out in the Constitution. It is time for the states to re-assert freedom by nullifying unconstitutional federal laws: http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/health-care-nullification.html

It's very funny how right wingers in the US are all for small government until they actual get into power/ If the Reps had someone like Washington in their ranks then they might have some cred on this stance. As it is there's lots of things that they do support that smells like big government to the rest of us, but hell they get the make reality don't they.

Meanwhile Rudd is moving in on more and more of our States' responsibilities...

Indeed you're right Kenny;
Basically, you will find that more backward voters and lobbyists simply want 'small government' in their own lives but not for those in society they are threatened by and feel need to keep in check (the opposing party's supporters).

In short, two childish groups trying to simply impose their will on the other.

This is apparently what passes for "informed" poltical and cultural anal-ysis by those on the right in the USA!

Codswallop all the way down.

What was America founded on?

Universal theft of the land and resources of the original native "indians".

Systematic genocide of the native inhabitants.

Massive slavery which is also a form of theft and systematic murder of both the souls and bodies of the millions of victims.

Check out Columbus and Other Cannibals by Jack Forbes.

Custer Died For Your Sins and God Is Read by Vine Deloria Jr.
Plus references to The Trail of Tears.

Oh and I forgot--all of this murder and plundering was justified as being part of "god's" plan for the white man in America, and by extension the entire world---you know all of that "manifest destiny" horse manure.

Plus such naive nostalgia for the good ol Norman Rockwell days of yesterday does not seem to be able to understand that we now live in a totally different world to that when the USA republic was founded.