WHERE HAS COMMON SENSE GONE?
(Remembering the Evils of a Ruling Class)
No. 7
Thomas Paine – July 2009.
We hear a lot these days about the way the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights is being abused. We hear somewhat less about the Declaration of Independence. Have any of us stopped long enough lately to reconsider what these documents were all about and what the circumstances were which led to their development? Do we clearly remember what purpose they were intended to serve? The following may get a little wordy, but I ask you to stay with me for a brief history lesson which will provide some background not normally referenced by historians.
Historians have long plumbed questions related to the genealogy of these important documents and events leading up to their development. They have developed much good information and insight which is unfortunately now little disseminated. The poor excuse for history textbooks furnished to students today would have one believe the American Revolution started coincidentally with the Boston Tea Party and the events at Lexington and Concord Bridge. My understanding is the revolution was actually the culmination of a very long series of events, many of which have become obscure over the centuries. I am no historian, but I will discuss my thoughts about some of the lessons of history and their parallels with the present.
The year 1676 was the year my seven-time great grandfather (an Englishman living in the English Colonies of America) was hung by the English Governor of Virginia Colony. He was guilty of strongly expressing his objections to the way the King’s business was being conducted in Virginia.
He had arrived in America some years earlier, to escape the wrath of Cromwell, after coming down on the wrong side during the recent English Civil War. Seems as though past loyalty and support for the Stuart Monarchs was of no consideration once the Stuarts had wrestled the throne back away from Cromwell who was “protecting” the land. The fact my relative had substantial land holdings and conducted thriving tobacco growing operations, which could be redistributed to those who more readily acquiesced to all of the King’s caprices, apparently did not help his case any.
By now you are wondering what is the point in discussing this long forgotten event? The point is this. This was not a singular event but one of many thrust upon English Citizens by a corrupt and self-indulgent ruling class. It is merely one example of how life, liberty and property can be stripped away at will by corrupt individuals coveting power.
But the king was not all powerful you are probably thinking……why as far back as the year 1215, the year of the Magna Carta, the English Monarch had ceded some of his absolute power and authority to others. True, on the surface, but these others were the
Barons, the select few, who would continue their unholy alliance with the king in order to
maintain and enhance their own power base. They certainly did not believe in the trickle-down theory as relates to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when it came to common citizens. (But the Magna Carta did set an important precedent that would later guide future generations.)
Having power and control over the people was what mattered to them because of the way such power enriched their own lives. Life of others had little value to those in power and they behaved accordingly. Maintaining power was their all consuming objective. A partial outline of English ruling royalty makes interesting reading:
House of: Lancaster (1399 …………)
York
Lancaster
York
Tudor
Stuart
Commonwealth ( under Cromwell and son for 6 years)
Stuart (…………1714)
What can we observe from this? Over a period of 300+ years the monarchy changed hands seven times but only four royal families were represented (really three if one does not consider the momentary interlude of the Tudors). Ultimate power shifted periodically but it was only briefly allowed to elude the control of a tiny group of aristocratic individuals. They destroyed one another as they saw fit, and also many thousands of citizens along the way, to enforce their personal claim of God given rights.
By 1776 the repressive behavior of the English Monarch, against his own English citizens in the American Colonies, could be tolerated no longer. The Declaration of Independence made it clear to all that free men also have rights, given by God. Rights that no monarch or other power, other than God, has the right to usurp. Independence was declared and ultimately achieved after a lengthy struggle. Then followed a constitution for the United States of America along with its’ Bill of Rights, carefully spelling out and limiting the power of a federal government, while granting the citizens and the several states the remaining authority to govern themselves.
How did all of this work out? Pretty well, that is until the Federal Government started to intrude deeper and deeper into the daily lives of citizens, and the citizens did very little to object. Sadly, soon after followed state and local governments once these professional
politicians observed the general population did not strongly object to having their individual rights compromised. The classic slippery slope! How quickly the lessons of history are forgotten.
Flash back to the revolution of 1776. A very significant percentage of the American population wanted to stay under the full control of a repressive governing aristocracy, professing a blind loyalty to the King while feeling insecure with respect to the duties and obligations that come with self-government. Is that where we are today as a country?
Are we willing to continue letting a political ruling class tell us how to think and how to act on every important issue? Do we have so little confidence in ourselves as to believe it is better to leave our liberty and prosperity in the hands of arrogant, self-centered, power hungry politicians, rather than regain self-determination for ourselves? Do we really believe this political ruling class will act in the best interest of the citizens while setting aside their own self-interests?
WHERE HAS COMMON SENSE GONE ?
Today the citizens are being controlled daily by a small group of professional politicians who have virtually stripped the citizens of their individual rights.
Our founding fathers clearly saw the dangers inherent in an all powerful governing class, so they carefully planned for a government controlled by the citizens. Our founding fathers believed that a few good men, of differing backgrounds, elected from time to time from the general citizenry would provide the representative government most in tune with the needs and wishes of the citizens. Our founding fathers understood the danger of a ruling class and they never dreamed the people would be complacent enough allow the government to be taken over by a ruling class of professional politicians. Politicians who once in power would not relinquish that power by choice, and by chance only to another professional politician, who would then covet the power as long as possible until, once again, a professional politician took it away.
Today, our elected politicians have become self-perpetuating at all levels. This was never the intent of our founding fathers and it has been at the expense of the citizens. The same citizens who have been very nearly excluded from the specific benefits government was established to provide. Once again the citizens of this good country have reached a point of departure. They can no longer abide by the destruction taking place to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by our political ruling class.
The time for citizens to act is now! It is long since past time to call to account the ruling class of professional politicians and replace them all with citizens who are more interested in their own country than in their own power.
Do not be misled…….The issue is miscast when it is presented as capitalism against socialism or conservatives against liberals. These are critical and important concepts, for sure, but they are only manifestations of the real problem which is a self-perpetuating ruling class of professional politicians. Some excesses of capitalism are bad but eventually rectified, while the excesses of socialism are self-supporting, self-perpetuating, and not at all self-correcting. Socialism is the tool being utilized, both wittingly and unwittingly, by the political ruling class to gain, maintain and enhance their power over the citizens. Very likely this tool will have its desired effect so long as the general population cannot see a way forward to change the status-quo of a professional political ruling class.
No, the issue at hand is how to deal with those elected officials, of any persuasion, who do not respect the concepts and safeguards for which our founding fathers so diligently fought. Please reread C.S. No. 6 and start to apply some common sense about how to deal with our problem politicians.
T.P. (2009)
