Posted on 01/29/2012 9:45:19 AM PST by pinochet
One of America's Founding Fathers, John Adams, wanted to create "a government of laws, not of men". This statement is one of the most misunderstood in American history. The communist governments of Cuba, China, and North Korea, are nations with many laws in their books, but they are not what John Adams had in mind.
America's founding fathers created a constitution that was deliberately designed to starve the federal government of revenue. This is why they refused to impose a federal income tax on the American people, and the federal government had to survive on revenues raised from import duties.
In the 19th century, the US Congress passed many laws. However, because the constitution outlawed the income tax, the federal government was unable to raise enough revenue to employ government bureaucrats to enforce those laws. The federal government was forced by its limited budget to enforce only the important laws - those protecting the lives, liberty, and property of the American people. Today, the federal government has the revenues to employ numerous bureaucrats to enforce even minor and unconstitutional laws, that limit the rights of Americans to their liberty and property.
The late Barry Goldwater understood that you cannot cut the size of government, unless you are willing to get rid of the many irrelevant laws in the books, in order to justify the firing of the numerous government bureaucrats who enforce those laws. In "The Conscience of a Conservative", published in 1960, Goldwater said that:
"...I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents' "interests," I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can..."
That quote from Goldwater’s book is one of my favorites, which is why it is on my FR Profile page.
We are so far from the intent of the Founders, it is deeply frightening.
This is NOT the America our founders envisioned. If they saw the country today ... they probably would not have made the sacrifices that they did. We as a society don’t deserve the freedoms they fought so hard to give to us. We should be deeply ashamed of ourselves.
Duh.
Ayn Rand
Sounds kinda like Ron Paul, no?
My vote is yes.
BTW, for future reference, vanity posts should generally be put in “Chat”, not “News”.
BTW, for future reference, vanity posts should generally be put in “Chat”, not “News”.
Sadly, we have conservatives just as eager as liberals to pass more laws to to solve “problems”..............
At the rate we’re going, simply asking that question might be a felony.
... And only once!!!
( sorry about the double post)
There are so many laws on the books that any prosecutor that wants to put in jail can.
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/1594032556
!!! .......Agree Bookmarked !!
The Constitution is being ignored.
“And now bills were passed, not only for national objects but for individual cases, and laws were most numerous when the commonwealth was most corrupt.”
Publius Tacitus or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56–ca. 117), Roman orator, lawyer, and senator.
Most often quoted as, “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.”
One can never have too many laws, citizen...
“Did you really think we want those laws observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against... We’re after power and we mean it... There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”
(’Atlas Shrugged’ 1957)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.