I recently had a conversation with a liberal friend that touched on the scale and scope of government. This friend, a proud, livelong Democrat sees a wide distinction between the right and left in "serving" society to work toward social justice. I could not find adequate words to present my strong and hopefully civil disagreement with this view. This recent media report does a nice job, I think, of outlining my concern about expanding state presence in our lives - an expansion that is stimulated by both groups of political operatives.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/12/abuses-of-power-always-always-expand-beyond-their-original-application/

The FBI – Drowning In Counter-Terrorism Money, Power and Other Resources – Will Apply The Term “Terrorism” To Any Group It Dislikes And Wants To Control And Suppress

It should be anything but surprising that the FBI – drowning in counter-terrorism money, power and other resources – will apply the term “terrorism” to any group it dislikes and wants to control and suppress (thus ushering in all of the powers institutionalized against “terrorists”). Those who supported (or acquiesced to) this expansion of unaccountable government power because they assumed it would only be used against Those Muslims not only embraced a morally warped premise (I care about injustices only if they directly affect me), but also a factually false one, since abuses of power always – always – expand beyond their original application.