The Consent Of The Governed

I often find myself wondering how our current government relates to the founding principals of this nation. Having been a history major, and one who sees great value in the lessons of history I cannot help but wonder how this nation of individuals, whose heritage going back to Paine, Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson,  to name a few, could find itself in  the fiscal and social disarray it does today.

As a proponent of the political philosophy the government which governs least governs best,  I blame this dislocation from our founding document on the government. However, in all fairness to reality... we are a democratic republic and as such the people wield a great deal of power over the institutions that govern us. But only if we chose to effectively exercise this power.

One only needs to look to the dismal voter turnout (with the possible exception of the last national election) to realize that voter apathy has played a large part in our current state of affairs. Basically the American electorate has abrogated their responsibility to  "govern themselves." At least in recent times.

The following is an excerpt from one of America's defining documents, The Declaration of Independence:


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."


"Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Comments

  1. Les: I’m in 100% agreement that "we must be educated at all times with respect to our history" however, this is a challenge unto itself considering the history books in our public schools are leaving out or distorting facts plus inserting opinions, which I don’t believe belong there.

    A few weeks ago my 12 yr old said, “Mom, my history book says that FDR was a great president.” I looked at his history book and sure enough, that’s what was printed! How are we to teach our youth the FACTS when they are printing opinions? What business do opinions have in History books? And how do we get facts to children who don’t have parents who are involved or who aren’t educated themselves?

    We aren’t just faced with a generation of uneducated adults; we are also faced with an entire generation receiving information that is skewed. How do we combat that?

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  2. Pamela - Good questions all, for which there are no real easy answers.

    Some ideas... 1) start taking children to the public libraries at an early an encourage they read books that support your values, 2) guide children home in use of the internet to access information the effectively counters the mainstream government/media complex, 3 teach kids at home the value, importance, and art of of effective research, 4) teach and encourage children to use critical thinking and be independent and driven by crowd group-think, 5) And the granddaddy of them all... work to shut down the Department of Education. This department is now, and has been for several generations ran by progressive socialist/statists who have effectively given us revisionist history. The majority of which is designed to indoctrinate rather than educate the youth of America.

    As I see it the Department of Education should be dismantled and control of school systems returned to the states and local municipalities.

    The big battle to radically change our nations direction is being waged in academia, the weapon is control of the minds our our youth through indoctrination, revisionist history, and the government educational and media complex.

    It is neatly intertwined and geared to further the progressive agenda going back to Woodrow Wilson and FDR. The crowning achievement by this movement was the successful marketing of, and eventual election of BHO to the Presidency of the United States. He is, as expected filling the government with progressive ideologues that will continue, and rapidly so, the extension and reach of this movement.

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