"The density of our population makes us all rats in a maze without a place to roam. Perhaps, rats in a frenzy is a more appropriate description." JoAnn Revoir

Unless you are talking about China or India, the density of "our" population in California is rather illusory. Not that you won't find people packed closely together in various places in our State or nation, but they are either choosing to live in crowded conditions voluntarily, or are PREVENTED from settling in vast areas of open space, usually by government.

History offers many examples of societies which have sought to increase security by sacrificing freedom. America itself provides many pertinent instances. However, our founding fathers have not left us without wisdom on this issue. Ben Franklin has famously stated, "People willing to trade freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both." REAL ID undoubtedly exemplifies a scenario in which a difficult tension exists between freedom and security. By commandeering every state's driver's license issuing process, REAL ID threatens the results warned by Franklin - loss of both freedom and security.

Laurence Jones Febuary 2009 update has been added to this history of water management in Queensland, Australia. Councils, regionalism, public/private partnerships and environmentalism have combined to destroy safe drinking water.

What’s going on here? Why are government officials so eager to sell off our transportation infrastructure? Because it’s a win-win deal for everyone - except the people who pay taxes and use the highways. Governments get a pot full of cash up front, and the “public-private” partnerships get a long term cash-cow. The taxpayers and highway users get ______, well, you fill in the blank.