Posts Tagged ‘founding fathers’
When the system breaks
America’s founding fathers were some of the most cynical men in history. The government they designed in the Constitution is constantly at war with itself. Having just revolted against a despotic government, then lived through the mess of a government that was too weak, they sought to create an institution that could act with great speed and power when the need was so great that everyone could see it, yet one that would also be too preoccupied with infighting to encroach much on the public when times were good.
The founding fathers did this not by requiring men to aspire to high ideals, but by positioning their basest ambitions against each other. The first amendment to the constitution mostly describes our right to be left alone while keeping an eye on the government, the second amendment arms the citizenry to enforce the first. Unfortunately, every so often, the system created goes horribly, horribly awry.
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