Quote:
Originally Posted by MRM
The problem with quoting our founding fathers, especially Madison and Jefferson, is that they wrote a lot and you can find quotes to support pretty much any position.
Now if we could only figure out what the original intent of the founding fathers was on all points so we could get back to it.
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I am not sure I agree. What happens is that special interests (intellectual and political) try and interpret the Constitution when it is absolutely clear what the FF's overarching intent really was: Freedom from government sponsored religion, freedom of worship, states rights and a government with checks and balances so that no one ideological bent could threaten the freedoms outlined in the constitution.
What we have wrought is an abomination of indexed social programs, foreign adventures, suppression of states rights to a degree that federal power is a monstrosity, intrusions on personal liberties and a tax code (there was precious little in the beginning) so convoluted it has no basis in constitutional law.
We got where we are because federal power has been used in exactly the way the FF's feared: to appeal to our self interests and vanity.