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Why We Are a Republic

Thomas Jefferson is believed to have said :

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."

Thus, the founders sought a system that would curb and retard the domination of narrow interests as expressed by what Madison called "factions".

They designed a system that would force deliberation and measure, through checks and balances, and particularly discourage transient radicalism, stampeded on the country in a big hurry by those "who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion."

The founders looked to structurally squelch the tyranny of any majority. They knew.

Now these principles are being crushed under foot as we speak by the stampeding Obama government and its even more radical fellow travelers in our national legislature.

Obama and his henchman (and henchwomen) are no different than Bush, if not more grandiose, in wielding the same type of raw, arrogant, politically-self-serving, ideologically-self-indulgent power that the likes of Jefferson and Madison abhorred.

The stain of Bush was bad enough. Now Obama et al are pouring fat-laden gravy all over it, working it into the national fabric with great gusto.

All because : "We won."

Comments

Anonymous said…
"These principles are being crushed under foot as we speak by the stampeding Obama government and its even more radical fellow travelers in our national legislature."

I don't think so, Tyler.

I guess you haven't noticed that we are in a major economic downturn.

The stampede, if you must call it that, is a response to a critical situation facing the globe, which started right here on Wall Street, aided and abetted by poor oversight, and worsening on a daily basis.

There is not much time to act, experts tell us.

What's a leader in Obama's position to do but to respond?

The "stampede" did not begin with Obama, it began in the Fall with Hank Paulson, who took half of the TARP money and proceeded not to follow the wishes of Congress. So we still have the toxic assets, untouched, draining our big banks.

As far as I can tell, Obama is operating in a transparent fashion, coming to the public frequently, explaining the policies he is pushing.

I don't fault him for trying to combine stimulus with his campaign promises. Isn't that what we expect from the elected?

I think you feel stampeded, because Obama's package is not to your liking. Fair enough!

What would you suggest?

Perry Hood
Hube said…
What would you suggest?

*Sigh*
tom said…
"I guess you haven't noticed that we are in a major economic downturn."

Bullshit Perry. The U.S. government and/or the Federal Reserve can engineer "major economic downturns" at will. That is irrelevant to Tyler's point.

I guess you haven't noticed that the only thing in the U.S Constitution that says anything even vaguely like "except during emergencies" is Article I, Section 9, clause 2 (which allows for suspension of Habeas Corpus during Invasions or Rebellions). The founders didn't create a government that only has to obey the supreme law of the land when it's convenient - they created a constitutional republic.

"The stampede, if you must call it that, is a response to a critical situation facing the globe, which started right here on Wall Street, aided and abetted by poor oversight, and worsening on a daily basis."

OK, so Congress is at least partially to blame. Duh. And guess which former Senator received the biggest bribes^H^H^H^H^H^H campaign contributions from the very entities whose irresponsible decisions precipitated this so-called crisis.

"There is not much time to act, experts tell us. "

Chicken Little tells us that the sky is falling.

Please get a clue. There are at least as many experts telling us we need to slow down and deliberate. And many saying the government has done more than enough acting and that is the problem. The best thing about "experts" is that there are so many of them that all you need to do is canonize the ones saying what you want to hear.

"What's a leader in Obama's position to do but to respond?"

I challenge you to cite the parts of the Constitution authorizing each of Obama's and/or Congress's responses so far. Or any of the things he wants to do in the future.

(And by the way, the word general in the so-called "General Welfare" clause means applying equally to all of the citizens of the several States. You will be laughed at if you try to use it to justify specific benefits such as the bailouts.)

"The "stampede" did not begin with Obama, it began in the Fall with Hank Paulson, who took half of the TARP money and proceeded not to follow the wishes of Congress."

Nonsense. Congress approved his actions carte blanche when they passed the bill w/o removing the clauses stating that the Secretary (Paulson) could do whatever he damn well pleased with the money, subject to no Congressional or other oversight.

Did Senator Obama offer an amendment to remove that language, or otherwise oppose the TARP bill any any way? No. He is every bit as much to blame for it as Bush & his cronies.

"What would you suggest?"

That you read the posts where we tell you what we suggest.
Mike W. said…
"I guess you haven't noticed that we are in a major economic downturn."

Yes, and that's no excuse for Obama to basically say,

"I won, now do as I say."

Didn't we have enough authoritarian crap from Bush?

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