[cap-talk] POLA and legal "code"

[David Hopwood]

Karp, Alan H wrote:
> IanG wrote:
> 
>>What is the one single statement or clause in
>>American Founding politics that most clearly
>>encapsulates POLA?  Is there an easy aphorism
>>such as "POLA is to security as XXXX is to the
>>American Constution" ??
> 
> "The second manner of diminishing the influence of authority does not
> consist in stripping society of some of its rights, nor in paralyzing
> its efforts, but in distributing the exercise of its powers among
> various hands, and in multiplying functionaries, to each of whom is
> given the degree of power necessary for him to perform his duty. There
> may be nations whom this distribution of social powers might lead to
> anarchy; but in itself, it is not anarchical. The authority thus divided
> is, indeed, rendered less irresistible and less perilous, but it is not
> destroyed.
> 
> -- Alexis de Tocqueville
>    Democracy in America
>    1850

That would be a great quote to put at <http://www.erights.org/> :-)

-- 
David Hopwood <david.nospam.hopwood at blueyonder.co.uk>