Government v. Society

Article V Blog ^ | March 12th 2018 | Rodney Dodsworth

[Jacquerie]

Article V opponents argue that society is too corrupt to trust to a Convention of States. Aren’t the signs all around? School shootings, fatherless homes, muslim no-go zones, barbaric gang killings, government-sponsored abortion and sale of body parts, creeping proscription of Christianity, coarse manners, illiterate high school graduates, all point to an untrustworthy culture in decline. Not only is the decay evident across the whole of society, but thanks to decades of open borders society itself is fracturing into pieces, pieces of self-serving groups intent on beggaring every other group for government goodies.

To Article V opponents, societal corruption begins with and wells upward from the people into government. As John Adams related, republican free government rests on the foundation of a virtuous society; a horrid fate awaits our nation unless society reverses course and in turn sends better men and women to government. And soon.

What is behind the seeming dissolution of American civilization? I say that corruption does not rise upward. What ails America trickles and occasionally floods downward from the commanding heights of government, especially federal courts, on a society seemingly unarmed and unable to fight back. The answer is plain to see.

Republican society, being self-governed, demands a certain commonality of interests, traditions, and heritage. It needs a glue that connects individuals together such that they pursue common and national goals. The glue in America was and remains Christianity.

Alexis de Tocqueville cautioned in his 1835 reflections on Democracy in America, that the pursuit of liberty without religion hurts society because it “tends to isolate (people) from one another, to concentrate every man's attention upon himself; and it lays open the soul to an inordinate love of material gratification.” In fact, Tocqueville says, “the main business of religions is to purify, control, and restrain that

[Fhios]

Article V opponents argue that society is too corrupt to trust to a Convention of States.

I think it's more like our bureaucracy is corrupt. Many political appointees end up embedded bureaucrats. Senators and Congressmen are easily bought and paid for. Where do you think the pool of Article V representatives are going to come from?

Article V convention is no good unless the topics and issues are strictly limited to an agreed upon amendment or group of amendments, new and additional amendments. Otherwise the whole shebang gets hijacked by big monied interests and our favorite, the globalists.

Say what you may, I will never support an Article V convention open to any issue anybody wants to bring up. It has to be limited and the limitations set so that each state has to adhere and be bound by it.

[i_robot73]

I still can not get my head around the idea of adding MORE verbiage to the Const. when the clear English of the existing is so abused, neglected and omitted; or that simple CLAUSES have been used to usurp and turn Federalism on its head.

[BDParrish]

I suppose this comes up because people think it should happen and it could fix something, but I do not see it. It would open up a new battlefield perhaps, but I expect our side to fight as poorly in that convention as it does on every conflict or issue.

The current thinking as I understand it, and please correct me, is that we picked one issue, immigration, on which we clearly agree, and which clearly has the most serious import for our country, and for which we actually have a leader, Trump, who is trying to do something and get behind him and fight it and win it!

Well you see how that is going yes?

We might try something like invading Russia during winter time.

[Jacquerie]

“The 17th Amendment is hereby repealed.”

Within six years, we’ll see a remarkable return of federalism, non-social justice warrior appointees to federal courts, and building respect for the 9th, 10th and maybe the 14th Amendments.

[i_robot73]

>
“The 17th Amendment is hereby repealed.”

Within six years, we’ll see a remarkable return of federalism, non-social justice warrior appointees to federal courts, and building respect for the 9th, 10th and maybe the 14th Amendments.
>

States don’t reaffirm their (C) authority\powers (via 9th/10th) TODAY. They’ve (illegally) ‘deferred’ to Fedzilla. Sending their own picks to the Senate, via originalist, does nothing to change that. Sorry, I just don’t see it/how.

We had the start of Socialism BEFORE the 17th was even a thought. Though, it was the foot on the pedal.

[Jacquerie]

Here is an informative post on Article V.

http://articlevblog.com/2016/05/the-john-birch-society-vs-article-v/

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Government v. Society

SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil . . . - Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)

The "writers [who] . . . confound society with government” are cynics.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! —Isaiah 5:20 King James Version (KJV)

Since society and government are in a real sense opposites, cynicism towards society corresponds not to cynicism towards government, but the reverse - faith in, even naiveté towards, government.

And the combination of cynicism towards society and naiveté towards government is, IMHO, pretty much the definition of socialism, whether of the Communist or Fascist tendency.