Aspirations............................

      With apologies to the sainted Thomas Jefferson, there are few if any truths that we may hold to be self-evident.  The words of the Declaration of Independence are both beautiful and inspiring, but to believe that we may find within them the answers to our present difficulties is to be a hostage to sentimentality.  The Declaration of Independence is a statement of our aspirations, not a description of our reality.  Good poetry makes bad politics.

-Kevin D. Williamson,  The End Is Near And It's Going To Be Awesome:  How Going Broke Will Leave America Richer, Happier, and More Secure