[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Growing Government

Posted: 6/26/2009 1:57:37 PM EDT

From Thomas Jefferson's Inaugural Address:

Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.

Hmmm Wished we had like minded people in our Government now.

Posted: 6/26/2009 6:42:07 PM EDT

[#1]

Quick, everyone become a yeoman farmer!

Jefferson's ideal would never work today.

Posted: 6/26/2009 6:46:56 PM EDT

[#2]

You mean like that pesky Constitution thingy?

Posted: 6/26/2009 7:06:48 PM EDT

[#3]

Hmmm Wished we had like minded people in our Government now.

<facepalm>

Bullseye

Posted: 6/26/2009 7:13:39 PM EDT

[#4]

Not the constitution because he didn't write the constitution. Let's look at some general principles the man had:

The yeoman farmer best exemplifies civic virtue
and independence from corrupting city influences; government policy
should be for his benefit. Financiers, bankers and industrialists make
cities the cesspools of corruption, and should be avoided.^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-1][2][/url]}

Americans had a duty to spread what Jefferson called the "Empire of Liberty" to the world, but should avoid "entangling alliances."^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-2][3][/url]}

The wall of separation between church and state
is the best method to keep religion free from intervention by the
federal government, government free of religious disputes, and religion
free from corruption by government.^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-5][6][/url]}

Freedom of speech and the press
is the best method to prevent the tyranny of the people by their own
government. The Federalists' violation of this idea through the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 became a major issue.^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-8][9][/url]}

A standing army and navy are dangerous to liberty and should be avoided; much better was to use economic coercion such as the embargo.^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-9][10][/url]}

The United States Constitution
was written in order to ensure the freedom of the people. A strict view
of how the constitution was written is kept. However, "no society can
make a perpetual constitution or even a perpetual law. The earth
belongs always to the living generation."^{[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonian_democracy#cite_note-10][11][/url]}

So no credit, no banks, no real economic potential. Most everyone should be farmers (do you like staring at a mules ass all day, I didn't think so...) the press will protect us, get rid of the army (who needs an army all the time come on people!) and the constitution is a "living document"... Hurray for Jefferson!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Growing Government

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Growing Government

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Growing Government