Posted on 11/13/2002 4:17:17 AM PST by putupon
Jewish World Review Nov. 13, 2002 / 8 Kislev, 5763 Walter Williams
The Great Generation?
The American generation who suffered through the Great Depression and defeated the tyrannical designs that Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo Hideki had for the world has often been called "the great generation." Will history see it that way? Let's look at it, but first start with a couple of statements from two truly great Americans.
In 1794, Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees. James Madison stood on the floor of the House to object, saying, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." James Madison, you'll recall, is the acknowledged father of the Constitution, and he couldn't find constitutional authority for spending "on the objects of benevolence."
Your congressman might say, "Madison was all wrong; after all, there's the 'general welfare' clause." Here's what Madison had to say about that: "With respect to the two words "general welfare," I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators." Thomas Jefferson echoed similar sentiments saying, "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated."
When the great generation was born, Congress spent only three percent of the GDP. Today, as the great generation dies off, Congress spends over a quarter of the GDP. There is no constitutional authority for at least three-quarters of that spending.
Let's look at the recent election campaign. Whether it was a Democratic or Republican candidate, for the most part, they won votes by promising to spend the money of their constituents "on the objects of benevolence." They promised to violate the rights of some Americans for the benefit of other Americans. They promised to take money from younger Americans to buy prescription drugs for elderly Americans, take money from non-farmers to give to farmers and take money from wealthier people to give to poorer people. In a word or two, politicians campaigned on an unstated promise to ignore any oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution and instead go to work on undermining it.
Don't get me wrong. I don't blame only politicians. For the most part, they're only the instruments of a people who have growing contempt for our Constitution. You say, "Hold it, Williams. Now you've gone too far!" Check it out. How many votes do you think a James Madison-type senatorial candidate would get if his campaign theme was something like this: "Elect me to office. I will protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Because there's no constitutional authority for Congress spending on the objects of benevolence, don't expect for me to vote for prescription drugs for the elderly, handouts to farmers and food stamps for the poor. Instead, I'll fight these and other unconstitutional congressional expenditures"? I'll tell you how many votes he'll get: It will be Williams' vote, and that's it.
The "great" generation has transformed the electoral process from voting for those most likely to protect our Divine-given rights to liberty and property, to voting for those most likely to violate those rights for the benefit of others. There's no question that the "great" generation spared the world from external tyranny, but it has outdone any other generation in destroying both the letter and the spirit of our Constitution, and as such produced a form of tyranny for which there's little defense.
No, he would putupon's vote also. That's at least two. Find me a candidate!
And some of them are republicans... I cannot get through to them --- especially one --- each time she says that we "have to have prescription drug coverage", and then I respond to her that it just another government handout and is not in the Constitution --- her response is that "she doesn't care" and gets mad at me because I don't want our parents to be able to get their drugs.. !!!
UGH !!!
Walter Williams nails it with that comment.
However, isn't it ironic that Walter Williams is (or used to be) the substitute host of the Rush Limbaugh radio show and it has been Rush Limbaugh and Tom Brokaw who have been shouting the loudest about the "the greatest generation?"
In 2002 $11.173 million and in 2003 $18.108 million, was and will be appropriated by Congress for relief in Zimbabwe. James Madison or Walter Williams would have stood on the floor of the House to object, saying, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
You would be surprised how many bleeding-heart liberal Freepers there are. Just suggest we not send one penny of any American's hard-earned money to save starving children in Zimbabwe and see the response. Some examples are in the thread below:
Zimbabwe -- U.S. eyes end run around Mugabe
Hank
Sad, but so very true. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who cringes when I hear someone refer to The Great Generation.
She just doesn't care --- she thinks prescription drugs are a right...
You wouldn't believe me if I told you how stubborn she is --- I have given up on her long ago. FYI -- she just loves "the west wing"
I call her a democrat and she says she's a republican -- we get into more fights on this one...
I am thankful for their service, but I guess when somebody comes along promising goodies, they will be the first to stick their hands out. Nice way to pay respect to your buddies that died fighting against Socialism. I know its not only in Minnesota, but that one is the freshest example in my mind.
If one wants to appoint collective attributes to a generation I submit shame rather than glory for this particular period. In the face of adversity i.e.. the depression they turned away from our heritage of limited government. Nor did they check the advance of leftist ideology as it advanced throughout our education system. Do you think that the counter-culture and revolution of the 1960's suddenly erupted out of no where like the Big Bang? No, like a cancerous tumor it grew slowly then metastasized in the 60's but it got its start decades earlier. By time of the eruption it was too late to do anything.
Another sticky point of talking about generations is how you define them. Did the soldiers of WW2 fight the depression? most were children at the time. Should not surviving in the depression be associated more with the WW1 generation who were adults trying to provide for their families in the 1930's? See this greatest generation thing is like all propaganda, it doesn't make sense when one scrutinizes it but slogans are meant to be repeated incessantly and not thought about.
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