[does] it become necessary for [] people... to throw of [their] Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security[?]"

Serious question, I don't pretend to know the answer. Two hundred and thirty-six years ago at least 56 (colonial) American leaders claimed that they did. What would the bill of particulars need to look like today in order for a similarly situated group of leaders to likewise declare their independence and, more meaningfully, "mutually pledge to each other [their] Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor" in support of that declaration?

I think, in order to present our current government with a Declaration of Independence from the "tyranny" many of us feel we are under, that Declaration should look no different than the one presented to England 236 years ago. You're asking for a Declaration of Independence, not a new Constitution. The problem is, when you get tired of being brushed off by our current Government for such foolishness, do you have the manpower & fortitude to finally take action to gain that independence?

[does] it become necessary for [] people... to throw of [their] Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security[?]"

Serious question, I don't pretend to know the answer. Two hundred and thirty-six years ago at least 56 (colonial) American leaders claimed that they did. What would the bill of particulars need to look like today in order for a similarly situated group of leaders to likewise declare their independence and, more meaningfully, "mutually pledge to each other [their] Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor" in support of that declaration?

Perception is often as key as substance. We are in a polarized age of politics thanks the the cable news and 24 hour media. One of the things I have heard is that the MSNBC, Fox TV, and to a lesser extent CNN have learned to dramatize the news so that they can get good ratings even when there is no news of national significance. Thus by dramatizing the normal give and take of politics they have unintentionally helped polarize the country. Just from this message board I see a lot of citizens think that their political leaders are awful and that the government is incompetent.

As is often the case, most of criticism of the government is rooted in some truth, but oversimplifies things. For the modern media, I actually think the public had a better general understanding of government. I think the public overall knowledge of the government has increased because of the media, but their overall ability to judge the media has decreased. Imagine you livedin the days of the Hatfields and McCoys and you married a McCoy. Overall you would learn more information about the fued then you need before, but you ability to neturally judge would actually go down as you would naturally tend to side with the McCoys.

So perhaps if this trend of increasing polarization continues people will really feel down to the deepest marrow in their bone that their government is not representing their interests in the least.

On the other hand, entitlements and reliance on the government is so high that it could alternative take a major event (a power grab by a politician to override the Constitution---not Obama-- if that is what any conservatives were thinking that, but somebody who really tries to seek power outside the Constitution--to mobilize a revolution.

We are in a polarized age of politics thanks the the cable news and 24 hour media. One of the things I have heard is that the MSNBC, Fox TV, and to a lesser extent CNN have learned to dramatize the news so that they can get good ratings even when there is no news of national significance. Thus by dramatizing the normal give and take of politics they have unintentionally helped polarize the country.

You really believe it's unintentional?

Just from this message board I see a lot of citizens think that their political leaders are awful and that the government is incompetent.

I don't need the media to convince me of that. The fact that they've destroyed every program they've started and spent us into oblivion - heck they can't even balance their own checkbooks - is example enough of their incompetence.