That's something people miss that changed drastically during the reconstruction after the civil war. States and even cities and counties were once very independent. There were even a great many break away compounds and towns formed by specific religions, ideologies, philosophies, even industries.
Pre civil war many people still lived a very colonial style frontier or outpost lifestyle, self defense was at a premium. People were kinder and more gentle as a wrong word, a slight on a mans honor, could get you killed. Yes we had the roots of the industrial north east, but the rest of the country... I agree there were a great many changes that needed to be made. Race, sexual identity and gender, descrimination of all kinds public and private. Workers rights and workplace improvements. Religion far too deeply penetrated into government. We still have so far to go, and so many things to roll back though. Along with these needed changes we've amassed a weight of legislation and regulation and executive agenices and commissions and subsidies and debts and such that it would crush Atlas with ease. I am a republican in the truest sense of the word. I believe in a very weak central government union of in and inter dependent states each of which is primarily responsible to it's own citizens. I believe in representative government. I am in some ways very different however than Jefferson and some of the other founders. I do not think that all men are born equal under and outside the law. I think that anyone with a modicum of life under their belt knows it's a nice slogan with little bearing on reality. We are all born with different attributes, abilities and skills of varying degrees. I do however agree that we should all be treated equally under the law. I don't think we should all vote, but I think everyone should be able to qualify for it. Our electorate is ignorant and under educated for the tasks at hand. They are often mean and selfish and stupid, and their chosen representatives are often worse to the level of criminal negligence and to my mind even treason, violations of their oaths of office. This country was never intended to be a democracy, some place that sways with the winds of 51% or even 99% of the people. It was not supposed to be some classless society, they understood that human society is stratified. They however made it so one could go as far as their abilities and motivation would carry them. Individualism, your fate is your own. With all these liberties and rights come responsibility and even certain elements of danger, but these costs are well worth the ability to live as a free man knowing I am beholden to none and secure in my person and property, a king in my own land and mind and right. On Jan 10, 2013 7:43 PM, "Jerry Barnes" <[email protected]> wrote: > > "The militia carried what they owned, down even to food and ammo. If you > wanted a cannon, some individual had to buy and maintain it." > > Not to mention that militias were community organizations. Basically, each > town had its own militia. > > J > > - > > Those who have been once intoxicated with power and have derived any kind > of emolument from it can never willingly abandon it. - Edmund Burke > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:360012 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
