Loading ...This is the sum of good government
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson painted in 1800 by Rembrandt Peale
On March 04, 1801 Thomas Jefferson gave the first of his Presidential Inaugural addresses.
After listing some of the items the federal government is responsible for, then he asks, “With all these blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and a prosperous people?”
He then answers that question with “Still one thing more, fellow-citizens–a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government; and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.”
Hopefully, Americas Next President will understand and embrace this more than the last few American presidents have.
In other words, Thomas Jefferson knew that limited spending from and in the government is essential, along with leaving money (the bread it has earned) in the pockets of those that have earned it!
It is evident that Jefferson knew that the only way to prevent the President from acting like a King was to limit the Federal Government, and the Presidents power to tax and spend.
He outlines that the governments job is try to restrain (not prevent) us from injuring one another, to be frugal with our monies (revenue the federal government has collected) and to allow the citizens to regulate themselves in business.
It’s really too bad today’s federal government either doesn’t understand these principles or it just chooses to ignore them and violate it’s obligations to the citizenry!
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