Reflecting on what I've experienced over the last two weeks - one overriding feeling that I have come away with had been a deep respect for the seriousness with which citizens of the U.S. take their political system. There is very little self-deprecation or joking about the system here, it's all very serious and approached with a certain reverance. There's no disillusioned voter or partisan critic like the one you'll meet here. I feel it reflects the seriousness with which citizens in the U.S. take their lives. Government is seen as intrusive when it has any limiting effect on their lives. This seems to be seen as acceptable when it produces certain common goods - eg. defense but toleration of any other "intrusion" seems limited.

I feel in Europe we take a more common interest view - that if we all band toether and create something that's better than we created seperately, then that's a good. For U.S. citizens, that's seen as being one step away from tyranny. It's amazing the fear that still pervades about this even though the freedoms that are guaranteed by their Constitution have been in existance for over 200 years. Maybe when you're ever on the look-out for threats to your liberty, you take your political system that bit more seriously. In this case, maybe Europeans have to ask oursleves - are we that bit lazier about defending out interests? Is the reason that no Constitution in Europe has lasted half as long as the U.S. one because we don't protect our liberties each and every day, and instead lazily expect the State to fill in where we fail? Whether it's true or not, I can see why the U.S. system has lasted and withstood emergencies and crises, a political system needs not only people who engage wihtin it, it needs not just an active opposition opposing and proposing policies, perhaps it needs an active citizenry constatnly questioning the need for government in the first place. Only then will it be responsive, appropriate and just.

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