Political Parties

There is a story that I read to our sons when we were homeschooling.  It was a wonderful story of a man who lived on a farm but he was revered highly for his knowledge in matters of governing a country.  I'm sorry to say, I can't remember all of the particulars but what was impressive about the story was the fact that after the man help correct the major problems and got the country back on track he went back to his home.  The people of this country wanted to make him king or president but he wanted nothing to do with all that. They offered him all kinds of things but he would have nothing to do with any of it.  He wanted to help the people and he did, then he wanted to return to his life of living in the country.  Someone was telling me that it sounded like George Washington but I don't think it was. I wanted to post this story because, for me, it was very moving and it was an example of how I believe leaders of all countries should be.  Their service should not be for personal gain but for the welfare of their citizens.  I know I saved that book containing that story, but I haven't found it yet.  But as I have been looking thru all of my history books, I sit in awe of what I read.  The very thing the founders feared has happened.

I've watched more news in the last 6 months than I have in the last 20 years.  I have had a very passive attitude because I've thought what can you do, who can go up against that corrupt system and change anything.  But as I listen to our elective officials talk about partisan politics it has become disgusting to me.  It became clear to me that they don't care about the people of this country they are concerned about their political party.  Then when I started going through my history books and reading about the constitution I was pretty amazed.  It would be to the benefit of us all to go buy a history book and start reading about the constitution and what the Framers intended. 

In the Federalist, James Madison argued that the Constitution would control factions.  He defined a faction as a group of citizens that pursues it own selfish interests without thinking of the common welfare.  The Framers believed that factions were dangerous for the republican government, whose purpose is to promote the common welfare.  The Framers thought that political parties, groups of people who join together because they have similar views about government and factions.  If parties became part of the political system, they would fight to promote the interests of their own members.  The Framers feared that the strongest political party would then control the government.  Under such circumstances, the government would not equally protect the rights and interests of all the people.  It would instead promote the interest of the party in power.

Thomas Jefferson (my man) believe in a narrow view of the meaning of the constitution.  He believed in small local government.  Jefferson believed that a broad interpretation of the constitution would give to much power to the national government. 

I would say that is exactly what has happened!  There are no easy solutions.  But there is one commandment that should play in the decision making of our political leaders, "Treat Other People The Way You Want To Be Treated and Life, Liberty and Happiness for mankind." When they are voting on bills they should be asking themselves these  questions.  It's not about your political party but it is about American citizens and what is best for them.