[Lotus]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Link not working for me. With that said ...

Police State: (n) country repressively controlled by its government: a country in which the government uses police, especially secret police, to exercise strict or repressive control over the population
define police state - Bing DICTIONARY

While the erosion of personal freedoms is a concern and, certainly, individual liberties have been sacrificed for the "general welfare". We are far from a police state. We may eventually become one, but the mere fact that the "State" exercises police powers does not make us a "Police State". You want a police state? Try Nazi Germany. Try Iran - both under the Shah and the current theocracy.

Hyperbole like this only polarizes the argument. We are flawed and we will continue to be so. There are other countries that are more "free" than us but none with as large and disparate a population as ours.

Sorry, it just irks me when either the left or the right start comparing our country to "police states" or equates it with the Nazis. Just a peeve. I'll stop my rant now.

You are correct. While there are aspects of life in the USA which I find to be problematic in terms of government control, we are no where near a "police state" and it is unfair to say that we are.