[ila]

Originally Posted by randolph

Hey Ila, You can call an apple and orange if you wish and get used to being ignored. Some people call the bagpipe a musical instrument, in some Northern countries anyway.
If one wants to disagree on what kind of government we have, that's is fine. We all know what government means. Those are the guys that collect taxes. Taxes are collected with the consent of the governed, that is a social contract. If the government becomes too powerful, it can tax without consent, at the risk of revolution. Alternatively, it can create public debt in lieu of taxes, which is essentially the same as taxes, the public still has to pay the bill.

Well, that's your definition of a social contract and it differs only slightly from my definition.