Is Bush Now a Budget Cutter?
Total federal spending rose by almost 30% during Bush’s first term, tripling the rate of growth of Bill Clinton's first and second term. A close look at the new federal budget and finds only cosmetic changes from the past. It's guns, butter, and debt all over again. Despite the president's rhetorical support for rolling back bureaucratic meddling in citizens' lives, more people now work for the federal government than at any time in history. And then there is the problem of the contractors... [Full Article]
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The midwives to the (present) social and economic destruction of this nation were the 1868 ratification of the 14th Amendment and the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, both of which were undoubtedly advocated at their time with a deliberate misinterpretation of a regular complaint of T. Jefferson.
In his (1782) "Notes on the State of Virginia," Jefferson lamented: "The majority of the men in the State who pay and fight for its support are unrepresented in the legislature, the roll of freeholders entitled to vote not including generally the half of those on the roll of the militia or of the taxgatherers. ... Among those who share the representation, the shares are very unequal. Thus the county of Warwick, with only one hundred fighting men, has an equal representation with the county of Loudoun, which has one thousand seven hundred and forty-six: so that every man in Warwick has as much influence in the government as seventeen men in Loudoun. ... If every individual which composes their mass participates of the ultimate authority, the government will be made safe, because the corrupting of the whole mass will exceed any private resources of wealth, and the public ones cannot be provided but by levies on the people. In this case, every man would have to pay his own price."
Jefferson repeated his complaint 34 years later: "Let every man who fights or pays exercise his just and equal right in their [the poliicians'] election."
Abraham Lincoln "seconded" the principle: "I go for all sharing the privileges of the government who assist in bearing its burdens. Consequently, I go for admitting all ... to the right of suffrage who pay taxes or bear arms..." (1836)
And Teddy Roosevelt: "Universal suffrage, to justify irself, must be based on universal service. It is only you and your kind who have absolutely clear title to the management of the Republic." (In a speech to the soldiers at Camp Upton, November 18, 1917.)
Let us face the demagogues' lie about "universal suffrage": it does NOT exist in America even today! Vast numbers of citizens are not allowed to vote on the grounds of their age alone (and I, personally, have known DOZENS of 16- and 17-year olds whom I would far rather see vote than THOUSANDS of "adults" I have known.)
The grammatically-correct name for "the vote" is "the elective franchise," and the definition of "franchise" is "a special privilege granted to an individual or group." If the elective franchise here were granted SOLELY to people who have fought this antion's wars and/or who (directly) finance the government's operations, we all would be far safer and wealthier!
Published: March 11, 2005 11:59 AM
Democrats..."Tax and spend",
Republicans..."Borrow and spend"
Published: March 13, 2005 9:04 AM
Democrats..."Tax and spend",
Republicans..."Borrow and spend"
Published: March 13, 2005 9:04 AM
Down here in Louisiana we have two unique trees. They are the Hirerpoppalorem and the Lorerpoppahirem. There is only one difference between the two. You skin the bark from the Hirerpoppalorem by starting at the top and working your way down to the base. You skin the bark from the Lorerpoppahirem by starting at the base and working your way up to the top. This my friend is the only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans on how they skin the willing American workers.
Published: March 13, 2005 7:17 PM