The Stanford Prison Experiment is a shocking read about research ethics and human ethics in general. I read the online version by the main researcher. The theme of the book was not really the language of a psychologist rather quiet exaggerated which makes me doubtful about the results. Regardless the experiment had a great impact on me and many others when it comes to human behaviour and ethics. Suggested read!

A man's hate is another man's truth.

I would argue that the existing federal bureaucracy has more or less kept pace with the government's increasing demands; the main problem is that conservatives want to retard its growth as part of their small government program. Yet even the constituents of the GOP have come to rely on social services; when polled repeatedly, Tea Party supporters express their desire to have Social Security and Medicare unchanged. The mentality of small government proponents is that it is other peoples' “entitlements” that are the problem, never their own. While many Americans might say that they would accept reduced government services in exchange for lower taxes, few would be able to handle the reality of such a world, as shown by how people reacted to the government shutdown that occurred last year.

The issue of the federal government's size has become a hot topic in recent years. Conservatives, buoyed by the Tea Party movement, argue that government has become too intrusive and gargantuan for its own good, advocating tax cuts and other cutbacks in its size. Liberals argue that the government is necessary to meet the needs and demands of America's growing population. My take is that the American people seem to want it both ways: they want the expansive social safety net that government provides, yet they chafe at the level of taxation necessary to maintain it. In order for America to develop a sane, sensible domestic policy, these two conflicting beliefs must be reconciled.