Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Elective Despotism: Part I



Did You Vote for a Despot?
Part I

Thomas Jefferson warned us of the danger of "elective despotism:"

Thomas Jefferson

"They should look forward to a time, and that not a distant one, when a corruption in this, as in the country from which we derive our origin, will have seized the heads of government, and be spread by them through the body of the people; when they will purchase the voices of the people, and make them pay the price. Human nature is the same on every side of the Atlantic, and will be alike influenced by the same causes. The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered."

Despotism is defined as a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power according to the Miriam-Webster dictionary.  Jefferson warned the despots would take control of government and then would win people’s votes by giving them free stuff.  Though the people would not realize it, they would pay in the end:  higher taxes, lower quality health care, controlling where they go, what they do.

City HallDespots are not just at the federal level.  They have permeated every level of our lives from the school system, to city hall, to state governments.  We now have unelected people in positions of power and no one to stop.  Every month, the EPA, the ATF, the Educational Dept, the Commerce Dept making thousands of laws with no one to stop them.  In fact, these departments actually exist in violation of the Constitution.

So who is to blame for the stranglehold put on Americans and how they grow their food, raise and educate their children, buy property and build houses, build businesses or the emptiness of compartments in their cars? (Yes, a 30-year old man was arrested because a compartment in his car was empty and could be used to carry drugs, even though no evidence of drugs was found.)

The answer is: WE, the voters, are to blame for the mess in this country.

Our Founding Fathers came from 13 colonies, and were individual governments.  They were as separate as England is from France and France is from Saudi Arabia.

The 13 colonies came together to throw off the control of King George III.  Upon completing that task, they realized they needed to remain together, resulting in the states creating the federal government, NOT the federal government creating the states.  The purpose of the federal government was ONLY for military protection, interacting diplomatically with other countries and regulating commerce with foreign nations, dealing with Indians and interstate commerce.  The purpose of interstate commerce was to ONLY ensure free trade between the states.

However, the federal government has so perverted interstate commerce to the point it is now being used to force Americans to buy very expensive government-regulated healthcare.

As I said, Americans have only themselves to blame for the mess we find ourselves in.  For the first almost 150 years, the federal and state governments encouraged education for all students on the Bible and the Constitution.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 under the Articles of Confederation mandated all new states set up systems for public education.  The law states: “Religion, morality, and knowledge [are] necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind.”  Most of the colonial universities were founded with a requirement of biblical teaching and worship.  Some of these were Harvard, Princeton, College of William & Mary, Columbia University, Yale and Rutgers University. In fact, Yale was founded to fight liberalism in 1701.

George Washington believed that religion first, then schooling were necessary components of virtue.  He believed the benevolent spirit that preserved civil society and good government were grounded in religion and education.  In his Farewell Address of 1796, he stated “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”  Washington recommended Americans constantly promote “institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge.  In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.”  The Founding Fathers felt an ignorant, immoral people would act and vote on selfish motives alone, steered by the sensational promises of demagogues.

In Part II, we will discuss how the loss of a higher power and a lowering of the educational quality fostered on our children is destroying the freedom of the United States of America.



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2 comments:

  1. It is falling apart from what it is suppose to be. We do have only ourselves to blame. We elect the corruption, and allow it to do as it pleases. So in return we will loose our freedom to live, and our lives possibly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are right, Jaye. We can not allow corruption in our government. It is time to remind them they work for us!

    ReplyDelete