"I mean no crazy, right-wing, blogs posted by irate idiots?" Good luck with that here on AB. :-)

I think the main example is the automatic weapons ban?

i do not blame Obama for the erosion of our FREEDOM....its the government that is trying to control our lives and Freedoms and money....and i am right wing all the way... as far as Obama, he is simply not qualified to be our Commander in Chief...he is too passive,weak, social, to LEAD... and by the way, those trying to get back OUR FREEDOMS are not the right wing irate idiots people like u and the media are trying to make them out to be...which is downright evil ... if u cannot see the control the government is trying to get of the people ,u should "open ur eyes"..i do not blame Obama for our loosing FREEDOMS , no president for that matter...its been slowly happening for many,many yrs.... justme:)

I suppose the primary complaint that is heard in this arena regards taxes: when the government taxes you, they are restricting your freedom to spend your money as you see fit. Higher taxes = lower freedom. What is often missed in this argument is that the top U.S. tax rate is actually much lower now than it has been at some times in the past (see below). It is true that taxation restricts freedom. However, freedom is not absolute, it is relative -- nobody has unlimited freedom, and any argument that asserts a right to unlimited freedom would be the foundation for anarchy. Finding a balance between individual freedoms and the need to be able to operate an effective government is a complex matter, subject to many forces. ------------------ Here's some fun facts about the top tax rate in the U.S. over time: * In 1913, the tax rate was 1% on taxable net income above $3,000 ($4,000 for married couples), less deductions and exemptions. It rose to a rate of 7% on incomes above $500,000. * During World War I, the top rate rose to 77%; after the war, the top rate was scaled down to a low of 25%. * During the Great Depression and World War II, the top income tax rate rose again. In the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, the top rate was 75%. The top rate reached 94% during the war and remained at 91% until 1964. * In 1964 the top rate was decreased to 70% (1964 Revenue Act), then to 50% in 1981 (Economic Recovery Tax Act or ERTA). * The Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the top rate to 28%, at the same time raising the bottom rate from 11% to 15% (in fact 15% and 28% became the only two tax brackets). * During the 1990s the top rate rose again, standing at 39.6% by the end of the decade. * The top rate was cut to 35% and the bottom rate was cut to 10% by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States#Early_Federal_income_taxes)

You'll find that there will be a scarcity of actual empirical evidence for such.

A "president" is really just a figurehead - he (or she) alone does not make changes without backing and consultation of relevant people. Under Trump we see a tiny headed man trying to rebel against this security feature of democracy and it's why he's having a hard time.

Look a little deeper than party and figureheads in positions of power. Unfortunately money Can buy influence especially in the major parties candidates. We live in a Plutocracy/Oligarchy of which the players pulling the strings are more behind the scenes. One method of mass manipulation is to pit one group against the other while eroding the "commonwealth" through privitization. One big blind spot are wealthy shareholders profiting on bloated military spending, dirty energy, parasitic-for-profit-bankrupting-the little-guy "sickcare", predatory loans etc. Who would want to change a system that was making a very few very rich? Certainly not those in power.