Reality Check?

I was talking to a person very knowledgable in the areas of history and government the other day, and I was confronted with a question:

Am I taking some of the current events in our government, our country, and society in general too seriously?

I will admit that I am only recently becoming knowledgable enough in this arena to have an opinion on the topics, and this is contributing to my new-found interest. The well-aimed point was brought to my attention that this is all a bunch of party politics - where our government is concerned - and that it will all be reversed the next time a conservative is in office. Let me say now that I am not a member of any party, but I am conservative by nature. I also believe that the founders of our nation had many things dead right from the onset.

This is going to seem like a rambling and disjointed entry, but I'm looking for some perspective here.

How critical or long-term do you feel are the changes being implemented, or offered for implementation, in our government? I'm referring to the expansion of government in areas of business, markets, education, and health care. Are they things that will be repealed, removed, or retracted during the next conservative administration? Or, are they the "foundational" and "fundamental" changes to our country that Obama and his administration have been referring to, and therefore a permanent change? Please post your thoughts to the comments section...

Inject a bit of History

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." --James Madison, Federalist No. 45

Human Responsibility

I can start this for us.
What are we responsible for as humans?

• Living and striving to walk the right Path
• Our own well-being and that of our families
• Loving our neighbors
• Kindness, love, and service for those in need
• Avoiding any harm of others
• Mutual respect of others
• Neither enacting nor allowing any form of tyranny or domination
• Our actions - all of them
• Peaceful resolution of conflicts whenever possible
• Respecting and conserving our surroundings and resources

Excepting the first two, this list is not in any particular order. I can not claim to uphold all of these without fail, only that I attempt to. I am and will be accountable for them, nonetheless.

I think many of these are universal - if not all of them. Some come from the Bible, some from historic documents, and some from plain, common sense. Regardless of where or when I've learned or adopted these, I believe that humans are responsible for these things.

With responsibility should come accountability - otherwise, there is no check on whether or not things are done.
As always, I invite comments and discussion here. But remember, mutual respect...

Question of the Day #2

What are we as humans responsible for, and therefor accountable for doing or being? Post thoughts to comments...

Question of the Day #1

Many times when I listen to the radio, watch the news, or read articles on the web, I am confronted with a question. They come in an assortment of topics and complexities. I would like to get some thoughts from others on these same questions. So, I'm starting a question-of-the-day blog, one that will be a recurring event. To start us off:

What are we entitled to as human beings? (Choose your own context...) Post thoughts to the comments section.