Give people power and give people freedom. Give the power to government make people slaves (John Anderson).
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anderson-john/#5.5

There needs to be a balance between the power of governments and the people otherwise either governments will become arrogant or the people will become fractured.

In the west and Europe governments have been allowed to dominate over the will of the people for one hundred years- even more so in "peoples states".

As all arguments degrade into forms of force- when people are denied the ability to act with force even to protect their very lives- the people are degraded to slaves.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The people seem to give up their power to government because of fear- which just makes them slaves- you can't avoid fear through ignorance only by facing it and planning for it.

The good news is that people always have power even if they forget it for a while- and even if tyrannical governments repress their pride and self sufficiency. A wise leader will guide their friends- not through force- as brothers in arms- as a force of nature an example of the eternal in courage and self directed adaptability. Respecting the traditions of their ancestors on their lands.

governments will become arrogant or the people will become fractured.
Canem Malum,
Precisely, we are experiencing that now by having both and, compounded by indoctrination in our supposed education system.
Our resident examples of this dreadful trend could be the poster boys/girls characters for the argument against continuing on that path. Merit has to pull way more weight if we want to save a bit of the sanity that's still about.

Kudos Indyvidual.

Instead of nonsense talk about youth military conscription, and pie in sky rubbish about teenage national service, kids picking up rubbish for old farts. People should be giving kudos to the 'Australian Universities Accord Report' and the prospect it offers for a better future, with a more educated population enriching Australia through skill development. The future for the young is in education, not cleaning some old farts dunnie! Read the report, see what it says, and then you will hopefully see a better way. Of course the intelligent contributors like Foxy and Steele already know a better future lies in education, and not in some pack-drill in a boot camp!

Dear Paul,

«a better future lies in education, and not in some pack-drill in a boot camp!»

What is good, or "better", varies greatly between people.

It is not that Indyvidual isn't aware of what education is likely to bring - he just doesn't want that particular outcome. The outcome he is after, is for young people to adhere to his nationalist agenda and be slaves to his "nation" thing. We all know that education takes us further from that outcome.

Mind you, I probably also differ from you, perhaps not as much as Indyvidual, but still, on what constitutes a "better future".