Posted on 01/26/2021 1:45:59 PM PST by Jacquerie
Through a series of lessons arranged in three Books, the thrust of Niccolo’ Machiavelli‘s Discourses on Livy deals with how nations in general, and republics in particular, can design, keep, and if necessary, restore free-government. The media for this exercise are the experiences, trials, successes and failures of the Roman Republic as related by Titus Livius (59BC – 17AD).
J.G.A. Pocock, an historian at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, coined the term “Machiavellian Moment” to identify the commencement of clear thinking in which civil society realizes that unless it takes corrective action, the corruption into which the nation has fallen may be irreversible.
From the opening of the 18th century, the language of our colonial forebears took on the dialect of the Glorious Revolution (1688) and more. Enlightenment writers and philosophers – Harrington, Milton, Sidney, Trenchard, Gordon, Bolingbroke, Montesquieu, Locke, together with Renaissance master Machiavelli, formed the authoritative literature of American culture. No matter the societal differences between the thirteen colonies, the educated and well-read heroes of the Founding Era were steeped in this neo-classical political tradition. A common language and tradition that bound them together almost guaranteed an eventual break with England.
Some two hundred and fifty years later, we are still familiar with their precepts – a patriotic ideal grounded in unalienable rights, public virtue and private property. Less well known today, yet itemized in our Declaration, are expressions of outrage at the corruption introduced into the colonies by George III. Just as many conservatives today regard our written Constitution as ideal, so our forebears likewise regarded the unwritten English Constitution of mixed and balanced government. However, having been raised in the aforementioned literature, his Majesty’s North American subjects were spring loaded to detect corruption of this most perfect form of government ever devised. American sensitivity was well known. In a March 1775 speech designed to head off further violence, Edmund Burke cautioned MPs to realize that the colonists “augur misgovernment at a distance, and snuff the approach of tyranny in every tainted breeze.”
As illustrated by our colonial experience, corruption of governing institutions isn’t the handiwork of the people; those at the top are responsible for planting the rot that eventually works its way down to society.
Civic personality, the perception of the individual’s place in society is shaped by many things, including one’s form of government, and the roles of religion, property and virtue. By the time ongoing corruption of the civic personality from a system that heretofore had been a source of trust and pride became apparent, the language of the previous seventy years compelled our ancestors to demand a return to the first principles of the British Constitution.
This demand, when virtue confronted corruption, constituted a Machiavellian Moment. One could say it occurred when the Stamp Act congress met, when delegations of leading men from across the colonies convened to devise measures in opposition to accelerating tyranny. Their work culminated in 1789 when the corrupted colonial government of George III was replaced with a new government built largely on old principles.
America is in a similar situation today. Virtue shall confront the corruption of our Constitution in a Machiavellian Moment when an Article V convention of the states is gaveled to order. As in the 18th century, the necessary, practical reforms of our governing system will span decades. It must begin soon, before the once freest and happiest people on earth slide into the depths of subjugation and despair.
Article V ping!
We must give the states more control over the Federal Government. Start with repealing 16th, 17th, and 19th amendments.
Create a balanced budget amendment, term limits, and eliminate all the alphabet agencies.
DC is redundant today for most functions other than “defense”
Also, allow for states to be broken up without congressional approval. People need better representation. Also, eliminate EOs. It’s time to neuter the Federal Government.
The left doesn’t care about the Constitution, and the courts won’t stop them. Every chance they get, they will subvert any and all boundaries placed on them, Constitutionally or otherwise. Do we REALLY trust that an Article V convention would be conducted according to the Constitution? I don’t. I don’t care how many guidelines or instructions come with it, the left will not comply, and the right will lay down and let the left do as they please. It’s rather stupid to think Article 5 Convention would change anything.
Do we really believe in honest federal elections?
But first, read the post.
Repealing the 19th ain’t going nowhere.
The 13th has a better chance of going down.
I mean the 16th, never mind.
How soon after any state contacts another about an Article V does the FBI show up and arrest the parties citing a conspiracy to unravel the constitution? Given recent events, I’d say about 20 minutes.
bkmk
In my post I did mention that the states have submitted hundreds of Article V applications.
Congress hasn’t acted. It hasn’t called a convention. I doubt it ever will.
But, if Donald Trump led the effort to force congress to do its duty?
New territory.
BUMP
I agree with ALL of this HOWEVER I believe WE need national election laws for NATIONAL elections the Dems are coming at us with a bill for elections legalize vote harvesting, NO voter ID EVER, NO requirement to prove citizenship EVER, voting drop boxes EVERYWHERE, same day registration EVERYWHERE!! We have to fight this and the ONLY way is convention of the states TERM LIMITS is LONG OVER DUE!!!
The better solution would be an amendment requiring 3/4 majority for increases in spending OR taxes in excess of 3% of the average of the previous 5 years. A second amendment would permanently link federal elections AND the filing date for taxes - within 20 calendar days, they should both occur.
Trump is the ONLY person that can rally enough troops to make this happen we NEED a convention of the states desperately!! I have always been afraid of this and I still am after seeing the weak Republican state legislators BUT watching Biden pumping out EO’s that he doesn’t even know what the hell he is signing is absurd!! The republicans KNOW this guy doesn’t have his mental capacity BUT they don’t care that someone with dementia is running the country!! The fact that the republicans are letting this happen is the reason for a 3rd party!!!
In 2016 I wrote extensively of the need for a COS and why Donald Trump should lead the effort.
Now more than ever America needs Donald Trump.
I think the first thing to do with an Article Five Convention is to take action that will build confidence. Repeal of the 17th amendment is a perfect start. An action that will show positive benefits immediately.
Repeal of the 16th is an action I agree with. I want repeal of the 16th amendment to be part of a complete revamping of federal taxation and congressional tax authority. Further, state and local income tax and property tax must be outlawed. Congress ability to write tax law eliminated. I would allow Congresss to write tax law in a national emergency. To prevent Congress from abusing that authority we would require a supermajority of state legislatures to approve the declaration of national emergency. And a two year sunset clause would be applied to any tax law so passed. There is so much to do on the tax front I would not attempt to fix it initially. Build confidence first then move ahead with an annual Article 5 until we get the government under control.
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