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> Laws should be about the informed* consent of the governed*

That is a huge can of worms, because it depends on being able to determine who is and isn't "informed."

It sure doesnt help if the government constantly exagerates the severity of the issue. This naturally leads to disinformed consent. Not lying so much and not keeping so many secrets would go a long way. Just a decade ago Clinton faced impeachement for trying to keep an affair secret and then lying about it. Nowadays Obama can just do a "no comment" about how many vitizens he is secretly asassinating.

And this is where an free and independent press comes in, ideally one not beholden to the institutions, government or corporate, on which it reports.

I trust the press in this country (U.S.) about as much as I do those covering the W.W.F.

Informed meaning not lied to, not tricked, not mislead. If the government need to use the tricks of criminals to create new laws, then the government is doing something wrong.

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