I have lived my entire life in the great United States of America. As Francis Scott Key wrote, it truly is “The land of the free and the home of the brave”. We have been blessed in many ways.
Living in this great country of luxury and opportunity, I can see how many people can assume we are invincible and can never lose those freedoms and opportunities. I often talk about how amazed I am at the intelligence and foresight of our founding fathers in forming the great republic, but what were some of their major concerns?
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” - Thomas Jefferson
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those that are willing to work and give to those who would not.” - Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is probably my favorite President and founding father. What was he saying? What was the warning he was trying to give future generations?
“Any government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.”
- Thomas Jefferson
Our founding fathers were afraid a large and powerful federal government could be a road to creating a political elite ruling class. This could lead to tyranny. This fear was the primary reason for the Second Amendment.
What have later generations thought of a large federal government? Ronald Reagan said, “ Government is not the solution, government IS the problem.”
Even President Obama expressed an opinion on the growth of government as a US Senator.
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” – Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006
If our political leaders are aware of the potential dangers of the growth of the federal government and government debt, why do they continue down this path? Are they just passing the problem to our children and grandchildren, or are they intentionally trying to create a political elite ruling class and a socialist country.
I know people don’t like to hear the word socialism, but that is the end result, by any definition, if we don’t reverse the growth of the federal government. Maybe Nikita Krushchev was right when he said, “America will fall without a shot being fired. It will fall from within.”
I understand how someone raised in this great country of freedom and opportunity can think, “It can’t happen here”, but wake up. It is happening. We need Real Change now.
"If our political leaders are aware of the potential dangers of the growth of the federal government and government debt, why do they continue down this path?"
ReplyDeleteBecause it suits their purpose to rule over others.
Great quotes cited to give an important perspective on the Founders' manuscript of how this magnificent country that we've all built, should be built. I believe your citations promote a strong middle class, and further believe that a great deal of rhetoric between our two parties is waged, between those lines, on the prosperity of that class - i.e., whether or not a larger government supports or subdues that class. If the rich are elected into government, what chances are there that they will support legislation and fiscal responsibility, when that legislation will only dampen the prospects of protecting their progeny's inheritance?
ReplyDeletePlease don't confuse a strong (or as it is sometimes referred to, an expanded) government with goals to reduce the deficit. These two concepts are not diametrically opposed, as one can enable the other.