The wisdom of Thomas Jefferson

[steelslaver]

The problem is that a man like Jefferson would never get anywhere because of our party system. If the party doesn't "own" you and control you you are not going to get anywhere until the people wake up and abandon BOTH parties. Until then we have as much control as the guy on death row who gets to chose between hanging and a firing squad. Is it politics if I hate them both??

Lobbying wouldn't be a problem if both sides were not for sale to the highest bidder.

 

[feralmerril]

Today it`s all about charisma, BS, PC, being cool and hip. Common sense, responsibility, religion, morals, honesty, and not considering a free ride is for boring, dumb, old nurds. Realistic, experienced hard working fat people need not apply.

 

[dcxplant]

..who can funnel the money into the maw.

 

[mtgianni]

Jefferson was a brilliant man and probably the finest statesman this country has ever had, although his "manifest destiny" concept was a little rough on the Native American population and to this day has us embroiled in wars all over the globe where we are serving as savior and policeman to populations that by and large hate us. Not all well intentioned ideas always pan out the way they were meant to. Please do not take this as a ding on Jefferson whose greatness cannot be diminished, but only a reference to the complete history of his influence.

I believe James Monroe and the Monroe Doctrine are the reasons for the instances you quoted. Britain and the entire American forefathers set the tone for our Native American interaction, IMO not solely Jefferson.

 

[BC38]

I only wish that our politicians of today could look to the founding fathers of our country and learn from them...sadly the old saying "money is the root of all evil" is all to true today...the lobby system has corrupted our government to the brink of disaster...jmho

Talk about misquotes - this must be the most frequently misquoted phrase in history. It is from the Bible and the actual quote is
"For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil..."

Money is no more evil than guns or any other common material object. Guns and money are both just tools. Only what people do with them or in the pursuit of obtaining them is evil.

 

[the ringo kid]

That is a great read!!!! All of that is and has been my basic beliefs however I haven't even built a bird house and cant express myself near as well.

This thread should be published and distributed to schools as required reading.

 

[the ringo kid]

One of my top favorite Ben Franklin quotes is: "Where Liberty Dwells, There Is My Country."

Thanks for the correction Big D. Ill be back later with a few good Jeffersons.

 

[The Big D]

Presuming you meant "Where liberty dwells, there is my country," that is belived by some to be a quote from Benjamin Franklin..not Mr. Jefferson.

1057. Benjamin Franklin (1706-90). Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989

Be safe.

One of my top favorite Thomas Jefferson quotes is: "Where Liberty Dwells, Is My Country."

 

[rwsmith]

They were.....

Our founding fathers were not politicians. They held real jobs (farmers, tradesmen, lawyers, etc.) and did not consider their government service to be their primary occupation or source of income.

Be safe.

They were STATESMEN! Which is service given to the public good as opposed to politicians, whose interests are SELF-serving.

 

[the ringo kid]

Presuming you meant "Where liberty dwells, there is my country," that is belived by some to be a quote from Benjamin Franklin..not Mr. Jefferson.

1057. Benjamin Franklin (1706-90). Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989

Be safe.

Quite right, I went back to the book and it was Ben who said it. Its late and im tired so prone to more than usual mistakes.

Ill be back later with a few Thos Jefferson sayings.

 

[johngalt]

I believe Jefferson had another quote, something like "People end up with the government they deserve."

How did we get to this place? We were not invaded and conquered. We voted them in ourselves. People like to complain about the government as if it is was a giant alien force that just came in and took over.

It isn't, our government is a reflection of us. It is a creation of a people who would rather be coddled and live on handouts than accept the responsibilities that are a necessary ingredient of liberty.

The problem isn't reforming government, it is to convince ourselves to shoulder our responsibilities. The problem is with ourselves, our present government is just the result of that.

Someone like Jefferson will never be elected because people will never accept that WE are the problem, it is always someone else's fault.

 

[mtgianni]

Jefferson also took most of his early schooling on himself. His father was very much a practitioner of Primogeniture. in that his older brother was to inherit all. The brother died at sea when Thomas was an early teen and he was then forced to start his education at the good schools later than his classmates.