Thomas Paine on Congress

[Excerpts from Common Sense and from Rights of Man regarding legislators]  

 ...that the elected might never form to themselves an interest separate from the electors... On this depends the strength of government, and the happiness of the governed.

...a body of men, holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by any body.

When money is to be obtained, the mass of variety apparently dissolves, and a profusion of parliamentary praises passes between the parts.  Each admires with astonishment, the wisdom, the liberality, and disinterestedness of the other; and all of them breathe a pitying sigh at the burdens of the Nation.

Whether a combination acts to raise the price of any article for sale, or the rate of wages, or whether it acts to throw taxes from itself upon another class of the community, the principle and the effect are the same; and if the one be illegal, it will be difficult to shew that the other ought to exist.

It is from the power of taxation being in the hands of those who can throw so great a part of it from their own shoulders that it has raged without check.

...the portion of liberty enjoyed in England is just enough to enslave a country more productively than by despotism, and that as the real objective of all despotism is revenue, a Government so formed obtains more than it could either by direct despotism, or in a full state of freedom, and is, therefore, on the ground of interest, opposed to both.

[All courts and courtiers] form a common policy... detached and separate from the interest of Nations; and while they appear to quarrel, they agree to plunder.

What at first was plunder, assumed the softer name of revenue.

It is not because a part of the Government is elected, that makes it less despotism, if the persons so elected possess afterwards, as a Parliament, unlimited powers.

A man of moral honor and good political principles cannot submit to the mean drudgery and disgraceful arts by which such elections are carried.  To be a successful candidate he must be destitute of the qualities that constitute a just legislator; and being thus disciplined to corruption by the mode of entering Parliament, it is not to be expected that the representative should be better than the man.

Enumerated Powers in a Nutshell

I've taken the liberty of putting the enumerated powers of the Federal government in a short, easily read format...

These are our powers as individuals delegated to our representatives via the Constitution.

 

Not a very long list, is it?

The President can…

• veto laws
• issue pardons
• establish a cabinet of principle advisers
• act as military commander in chief
• ratify treaties (with the consent of the Senate)
• appoint judges, ambassadors, consuls, ministers and other officers (with the consent of the Senate)
• give the State of the Union speech
• convene or adjourn both Houses
• receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers
• take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed
• Commission all the Officers of the ....United States.....

Congress can…

• override a presidential veto
• collect taxes, borrow money & set monetary policy
• fix weights and standards
• regulate international and interstate trade
• provide for the common defense
• establish a uniform rule of naturalization,
• establish uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies
• establish post offices and post roads;
• provide for patents and copyrights
• constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
• manage the Capital and other Federal buildings

The Federal Courts can rule on…

• cases under the Federal Constitution, laws, and treaties
• cases involving ambassadors
• cases involving navigable waters
• cases in which the ....United States.... is a party
• cases between two or more states
• cases between citizens of different states
• cases between citizens claiming land in different states
• cases between citizens or states and foreign citizens or states

Thomas Paine on Government

[Enjoy these excerpts from the man of whom John Adams said "Without the pen of Paine the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."]

Thomas Paine regarding the Nature of Government:

Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.

When men think of Government, they must necessarily suppose it to possess a knowledge of all the objects and matters upon which its authority is to be exercised.

Laws difficult to be executed cannot be generally good.

Everything which Government can usefully add thereto, has been performed by the common consent of society, without Government.

If we look back to the riots and tumults which at various times have happened in England, we shall find that they did not proceed from the want of a Government, but that Government was itself the generating cause.

Every man wishes to pursue his occupation, and to enjoy the fruits of his labours and the produce of his property in peace and safety, and with the least possible expense. When these things are accomplished, all objectives for which Government ought to be established are answered.

Democracy, right?

What kind of country do we live in? The long answer is that the United States is a Federal Constitutional Democratic Republic. What does that mean? For starters, we are a democratic nation. The word comes from the Greek meaning “rule by the people.” We the People have the final say in how the country is run. Ultimately, the power of our government is derived from the consent of the governed.

But we do not have a direct say most of the time; we are a republic. We elect representatives to manage the affairs of state. This has a twofold function. First, it allows economic specialization so that only some people should have to deal with the full-time problem of managing public affairs. The rest of us can pursue the real business of going to work every day producing goods, offering services, educating, defending, raising children, growing food, etc. Second, by appointing representatives we attempt to make the state less fickle. Representatives can stand their ground against the opinion of the day, so long as their overall performance is in keeping with the long-term values and attitudes of the People.

The government is also Federal, as so eloquently argued in the Federalist Papers (which every American should read at least once in High School, and then re-read as an adult). Federalism is an idea of a stratified government, where we try to solve issues at the lowest possible level. It allows for a patchwork quilt of laws tailored to fit the varied communities across the country, while at the same time guaranteeing to everyone their God-given Rights (life, liberty, property) and the means to maintain them (the Bill of Rights).

Lastly and importantly, the United States government is Constitutional. It is not “mob rule, where 51 percent of the people may take away the rights of the other 49” as Jefferson described pure Democracy. Instead it's scope is limited to the powers necessary to ensure the Rights of the People and resolve disputes between the States.

Somewhere along the way we lost sight of the original purpose of government. We had established a government to ensure we could all live together without the threat of force depriving us of our life or livelihood. But now there are those who believe we must change government into a tool of force specifically designed to deprive some and benefit others. That is not the United States envisioned by the Founders and it is not the United States I want to leave my children.