States: Tribunes of the People

Along the way of researching my last two posts, I ran across The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States (1913), by Illinois Senator James Hamilton Lewis. I was hesitant to open this online book because from his Wiki bio, Lewis supported both Woodrow Wilson and The New Deal. Bleh.

But, I gave him a shot and I’m glad I did. While his conclusions squint Leftward, mine do not; his portrayal of Roman government and politics struck me as factual and neutral. His text found a home on my online reference bookshelf.

The takeaway lesson is that republican societies must adapt their governing forms to counter corruption and repel tyranny.

Roman society. After two hundred and fifty years of monarchal government, a senatorial coup d’état established the Roman Republic in 509 BC. Instead of kings, two annually elected consuls shared, with the senate, the executive power of the state. Senatorial and consular abuse of the people soon replaced that of kings.

War, or the threat of war, was an ever-present feature of the republic. Conquered lands, under the earlier policy of the kings, were divided into small allotments for equitable distribution. Not so under the new republic; patricians saw to it that conquered lands fell under their control.

Militia and Debt. Early Rome relied on unpaid militia, farmers compelled to often miss planting or harvesting their crops. Having no other choice to make up for losses, plebeians borrowed money to start over, to plant, till, and work the next year’s harvest. But, war often interfered, and indebted farmers grew insolvent. Roman law allowed creditors to sell insolvent debtors into slavery.

So, the poorer class of the plebeians furnished most of the soldiers for military campaigns,

Very interesting history/current events, Jacquerie. Thanks for your work. The “laboratories of democracy” have become the stomping grounds of socialists, testing-labs of totalitarians. Pushback?

Zilch.

representation?

Zilch.

Economic shackles to sustain the FEDGOV Leviathan? Plenty (with no end in sight)

http://usdebtclock.org (click on states, also)

DEFUND/DISMANTLE FED GOV’s oppressive, unaccountable apparatus -agencies -ngos.

The most important question that was ever proposed to your decision, or to the decision of any people under heaven, is before you, and you are to decide upon it by men of your own election, chosen specially for this purpose. If the constitution, offered to your acceptance, be a wise one, calculated to preserve the invaluable blessings of liberty, to secure the inestimable rights of mankind, and promote human happiness, then, if you accept it, you will lay a lasting foundation of happiness for millions yet unborn; generations to come will rise up and call you blessed. You may rejoice in the prospects of this vast extended continent becoming filled with freemen, who will assert the dignity of human nature. You may solace yourselves with the idea, that society, in this favoured land, will fast advance to the highest point of perfection; the human mind will expand in knowledge and virtue, and the golden age be, in some measure, realised. But if, on the other hand, this form of government contains principles that will lead to the subversion of liberty — if it tends to establish a despotism, or, what is worse, a tyrannic aristocracy; then, if you adopt it, this only remaining assylum for liberty will be shut up, and posterity will execrate your memory.

Momentous then is the question you have to determine, and you are called upon by every motive which should influence a noble and virtuous mind, to examine it well, and to make up a wise judgment. It is insisted, indeed, that this constitution must be received, be it ever so imperfect. If it has its defects, it is said, they can be best amended when they are experienced. But remember, when the people once part with power, they can seldom or never resume it again but by force. Many instances can be produced in which the people have voluntarily increased the powers of their rulers; but few, if any, in which rulers have willingly abridged their authority. This is a sufficient reason to induce you to be careful, in the first instance, how you deposit the powers of government.

So far therefore as its powers reach, all ideas of confederation are given up and lost. It is true this government is limited to certain objects, or to speak more properly, some small degree of power is still left to the states, but a little attention to the powers vested in the general government, will convince every candid man, that if it is capable of being executed, all that is reserved for the individual states must very soon be annihilated, except so far as they are barely necessary to the organization of the general government. The powers of the general legislature extend to every case that is of the least importance — there is nothing valuable to human nature, nothing dear to freemen, but what is within its power. It has authority to make laws which will affect the lives, the liberty, and property of every man in the United States; nor can the constitution or laws of any state, in any way prevent or impede the full and complete execution of every power given. The legislative power is competent to lay taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; — there is no limitation to this power…

And are by this clause invested with the power of making all laws, proper and necessary, for carrying all these into execution; and they may so exercise this power as entirely to annihilate all the state governments, and reduce this country to one single government. And if they may do it, it is pretty certain they will; for it will be found that the power retained by individual states, small as it is, will be a clog upon the wheels of the government of the United States; the latter therefore will be naturally inclined to remove it out of the way. Besides, it is a truth confirmed by the unerring experience of ages, that every man, and every body of men, invested with power, are ever disposed to increase it, and to acquire a superiority over every thing that stands in their way. This disposition, which is implanted in human nature, will operate in the federal legislature to lessen and ultimately to subvert the state authority, and having such advantages, will most certainly succeed, if the federal government succeeds at all.

In a free republic…

Brutus #1 - Anti-federalist

We could start with one of their latest unaccountable collectives (CFPB) and work backwards...

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/?gclid=CM2iuO-WnNECFUUdaQodIXQJew

Budget...

http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201602_cfpb_report_strategic-plan-budget-and-performance-plan_FY2016.pdf

Start...

http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/2011/02/CFPB-2012-CJ.pdf

FEDGOV ALERT!

Sorry it took me so many days to read this. As usual you have given even more relevant sustenance to our fight for an Article V Convention. The Roman Tribunal is indeed an excellent analogy to what the three-fifths veto power of the States could do for We The People.

Since I have found the cause of Article V, I find myself using “We The People” in my day to day conversation more often. Our youngest daughter, with whom I spent both holiday weekends has been politically savy since her pre-teen years. We enjoyed hot beverages and I expounded on Article V, reapealing the 16th and 17th Amendments, the goodness that would be a 3/5 veto power of the states, pros and cons of term limits, balanced budget, alternatives to the IRS, and many related issues that ensue from these topics. I guess my term of choice in supporting the issue is “We The People” instead of “I think.” After a bit, daughter would smile each time I said it. She says she’s glad I’ve grabbed hold of an issue again as I have been politically sidelined since I was injured. Her comments were all in agreement and she has called her Senator and Rep on our Texas Article V agenda. We had several VERY enjoyable discussions during my visit.

Now to catch up on your next post :)

Oops! I should have done a better job of giving a footnote. Your blog is the main inspiration source of throwing “We The People” into my daily conversation ;)

When I was began asking Article V Convention questions right after the election I was given a link to your blog. I read thru all the posts in about 6 days. I’m a slow reader so that was fast for me. I was immersed in reading several different sources most of my waking hours for a couple of weeks to see if it really was as promising as I thought. Turns out, I find it MORE promising than I’d hoped IF we can get it done SOON.

I want to go back and re-read your posts more slowly (even for me) and carefully now that I have a little more time. There is other source information shared by a couple of other Freepers that I’d like to review also as I wait for our Texas Legislature to pass this :)

The daughter I mentioned is 31 now and has been more active in politics than I for the past few years. I’ve been politically active since my mid 20’s but I believe she has surpassed me. Her first experience as a delegate to the State Republican convention was at age 21 in 2006. She works in the oil business so not only stays political in her personal Christian conservative arena but business-wise as well supporting American energy legislation. I’m proud of all our kids but that youngun got her mother’s love of history and politics so she’s pretty special to me. I am actually very proud that as adults all 5 of our children have not fallen away from conservatism. It gives me hope. This year 3 of our grandchildren were old enough to vote and were all proudly conservative as well. I guess shoving my opinions down their throats since infancy wasn’t a waste of time. ROFL

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