If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, and give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; And the sixteen being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they do now, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; But be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains around the necks of our fellow sufferers; And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering...and the forehorse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression. - Thomas Jefferson I believe that this quote is an excellent one on this day of mealy-mouthed debates about 'government stimulus,' which is a code phrase for expropriation of wealth from the productive for use by the most inefficient. Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men to have ever lived. We are fortunate to be able to claim him as our own, even though his philosophy is available freely to all. When we part ways with Jeffersonian Principles, we further damn ourselves and our children.
Great quote. It rings true in the worst ways. Jefferson has many more excellent quotes, why can't Americans see that the nightmare the Founding Fathers were so concerned about is HAPPENING RIGHT BEFORE YOUR SLEEPY DRUNK FAT EYES!
Libertarians already know this, Ron Paul and supporters already know this and supporters of the FairTax already know this.
Because most are more concerned with who is going to win American Idol. And, of course, many simply could not understand even if they wanted to.
âI place economy among the first and important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our choice between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.â â Thomas Edison
âGive me the power to issue a nationâs money; then I do not care who makes the law.â - Mayer Amschel Rothschild (formerly Bauer) âPaper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value - zero.â - Voltaire (1694-1778)
The Founding Fathers, drawing from their experience and knowledge of European history, TRIED LIKE HELL to give us a framework of government and personal liberties/guarantees so that the American Freedom experience would be perpetual. And look at what our political leaders have done to us. Some of it is our own fault. Some is just the greedy, self-serving, power-hungry nature of mankind.... as a people we are powerless to stop them (1) due to our political and economic naivete, and (2) our being susceptible to politicos "promising something for free if we will just vote for them"... NOTHING IS MORE EXPENSIVE than the "free lunch"...
Excellent excerpts from brilliant men. But could any of them have envisaged the cutting edge economic devastation that the Bush administration was capable of perpetrating? I don't pretend to have an answer to the current economic crisis, but I don't think you guys do either. Even so, some of you gents are just a bit too confident in your opinions at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.
Excellent quote and post, although I would clarify that this is a expropriation of the future toils of THE PEOPLE for the use by the powerful and those well connected to the powerful. This BAILORAMA is enslavement.