Posted on 11/26/2003 8:35:35 AM PST by Tatze
Sorry for the vanity, but this is the second time in recent memory I have thought of this story and wanted to look it up. Ive searched the internet in vain. I think it was presented as a true story, but could simply be a fable.
It was about a Congressman or Senator in the very early days of the country. He was walking his district asking for reelection votes. He stopped and talked to a farmer who said he liked the Congressman, but would not vote for him again because of the Congressman's vote on one specific bill.
The congressman thought for a second about all the bills he had voted for and had some ideas about which bill the farmer could be talking about. The farmer explained that recently a woman had lost her home in a fire, and that Congress had voted to give her money to rebuild. The congressman could not understand how that could cost him the farmers vote, because it was such a good thing to do.
The farmer further explained how it was wrong to help her, because they didnt help others who had similar tragedies, not to mention the constitutionality of the whole concept.
The congressman realized that just because it seems like a good thing to do, it doesnt mean its Constitutional and should be done.
Potential search key words: Crockett, campaign, sockdolager Blessings
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