Posted on 02/18/2015 3:14:56 AM PST by Jacquerie
The accepted dogma among many conservatives is that the way to save what remains of our republic is to vote conservative, constitutionalist, virtuous men and women into office. History shows that to be a blind alley, a dead end that occupies many minds, all the while evil men get away with high crimes.
It’s a pity that electoral history going back decades have failed to disprove their belief. Most of the conservative candidates we send to congress go wobbly, rino or worse. Meanwhile, no congressional rats ever turn conservative.
Clearly, there is something outside the power of personal character and public virtue that has soured the world’s sweetest experiment in liberty.
The Framers weren’t the first to figure out that the key to liberty was division of power. By 1787, that concept, which is largely forgotten today, was actually old hat.
In 1513, a far lesser known influence on our framing generation began a review of the Roman Republic. Drawing chiefly from Livy’s Histories, Niccolo’ Machiavelli took a fresh look at old models. What he drew as Roman lessons for his contemporary republic of Florence, the maxims therein were well known to our Framers and certainly apply today.
From his Discourses on Livy, of fundamental importance to any republic is a government that “establishes in it to take for granted that all men are evil and that they will always act according to the wickedness of their nature whenever they have the opportunity.”
He drew from the experience of early Romans, whom he credited with regularly improving their republic. In general, it was the key to its longevity. In particular, the constant tension between the few and the many was finely tuned over the centuries. Plebs and nobles had their distinct powers, and when one overstepped its bounds, the other was ready to defend its political turf. Through regular improvements to their republic, Machiavelli described early republican Romans as being on the straight path which could lead them to perfection.
From his perspective, republican Rome’s four hundred year life was a successful quest in the achievement of government perfection.
When challenges arose, Rome didn’t revert to the ages old cycle of monarchy/despotism, followed by aristocracy/oligarchy, and finally republicanism blowing up into anarchy.
Consider similarities with the life-cycle of the American Republic. Like the Romans, we started off under monarchs. Upon independence, we established distinct democratic republics. Soon thereafter, a loose governing structure in the form of a state dominated, (federal) confederation proved strong enough to cast off the British yoke. When that structure proved insufficient to secure peacetime public happiness, the people accepted a new design of government in the form of our Constitution, in which the states thoroughly participated, yet they shared power with representatives of the people. As when Rome established Tribunes of the people, America also followed a straight path toward perfection when it included a House of Representatives in its legislative body.
Further improvements in the form of fine adjustments to the republic followed. These include:
1791. Ten Amendments which acknowledged some God-given and societal rights.
1865. An amendment that eliminated the British imposed institution of slavery.
1868. The 14th Amendment that reinforced personal and societal rights guaranteed in the Declaration and Bill of Rights.
Until 1913, Americans remained on the straight path which could lead them to perfection.
Instead of strengthening the republic in the face of societal and economic change, Americans betrayed themselves. Overnight they weakened the freedom enhancing structure of their government. With the 17th Amendment they tossed confederal government and embraced a democratic republic, which history has shown to be precursor to anarchy, followed by tyranny.
They cut and pasted an inferior popular form over a finely tuned freedom enhancing federal form. Without adjusting enumerated powers which were designed with the assumption that the states would forever participate in congress, America substituted freedom with democracy as it’s central tenet.
There isn’t much time to step back on the straight path to republican perfection. Obama is gathering despotic powers as quickly as he can. Little stands in his way.
Yet, we can avoid the historic cycle of despots, oligarchy, democracy, anarchy. Article V of the Constitution is there, it is within our grasp. We must take it, restore federalism, or join history’s long list of failed republics.
:: Not everywhere....... just in MOST PLACES... especially north east and left coast.. but not only there. ::
It isn’t Salt Water regions but the “urban gulags” (AKA: The Projects), and that-too, simply by the number of frightened and cowed welfare recipients. These, aided and abetted by the guilt-ridden and (self-described) compassionate elite who “gather the tares” in such places, cause the inbred idea of ^We Must Win^ and then determine proper governing afterwards.
Not only does Machiavelli credit division of power for the longevity of Rome, he cites it for Sparta at 400 years and the 800 year Republic of Venice.
Same here, repealing the 17th Amendment is an important first step in restoring the balance of Personnel Freedom and government.
They were never supposed to be your Senators. The Senate was supposed to represent the interests of the state as defined by the state legislature. Your interests are represented in the House of Representatives. The reason we have the problems with the Federal Government now, with it’s overreach into areas it was never meant to have any power is because of the 17th Amendment. It’s ratification kicked one of the cornerstones out of the finely tuned Republic that the founders designed because the states interests were no longer represented in Congress. It is time to repeal the 17th Amendment once and for all.
The corruption has only gotten worse since then.
You have the distorted perspective. Another reason to go back to the pre 17th federal government, look at any graph of federal spending and you will note that after the 17th was ratified federal spending exploded because the control exerted upon Senators by the state legislators was no longer there. Ratification of the 17th allowed FDR to get his new deal through, it also is the reason we now have an $18 Trillion national debt and $100 Trillion of unfunded mandates, it is the direct cause of the US turning into a welfare state and also the reason progressives have been able to take over nearly every federal government institution. Why don’t you just go the entire way and promote a direct democracy, after all with two Houses of Representatives, which is what we have now, representing the same constituencies - their biggest money contributors - there is no need for a Senate. Why not just go to a Parliamentary system?
The question, however, is whether it's all that wise.
And yet you ignore the pressing need to abolish the 12th amendment and return things to the way the founder’s intended on that front.
Very interesting because I researched it too and it was working perfectly as the founders intended.
Like I said, you’re just like the author pointed out,
It worked better than what we have now. If the Senate were elected by the legislatures, we would have an overwhelming Republican Senate.
I'll toss out the Balanced Budget idea. Forbid any form of statutory revenue increases, and require the budget to balanced.
The Uni-Party establishment's howl would be hearable from the other side of the moon.
Anybody got a better idea?
Don’t blame him for your lack of understanding and lack of knowledge on what the reasons the system existed pre-17th.
Well reasoned and well stated, as usual.
I agree with this completely. Unfortunately to get this to work, we have to repeal the last three words of the 14th amendment.
Pandering to the voters became the Senator's primary interest rather than good governance.
And I suspect this is much of the reason why government pushes so many handouts. It's to help these people get elected.
Property Ownership
Literacy
Poll Taxes
Maintenance of the Rolls
The qualifications for exercising the franchise have been constantly eroded until we have devolved into the tyranny of the stupid, many of whom are actually supported by the state. Poverty and stupidity are not ideal voter qualifications.
Repeal of the 17th must certainly be addressed, if for no other reason than it will dilute the urban vote, which sends many Senators to Washington who are fare more Left Wing than the states they represent. The Senate was not designed to "help people." It was intended to safeguard the rights of the states within which the people lived.
It's a vanity, but a tightly reasoned one.
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