When I first got to college, one of the best pieces of advice I received was in writing and speaking, someone has probably already done it better. In that mindset, I draw upon several historical quotes to see what you think about them and how the quotes relate to today's society, economy and government.
"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
Benjamin Franklin
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
Thomas Jefferson
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
Thomas Jefferson
"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
Thomas Jefferson
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
Theodore Roosevelt
"There is not in all America a more dangerous trait than the deification of mere smartness unaccompanied by any sense of moral responsibility."
Theodore Roosevelt
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
Patrick Henry
Well, there they all are. Please enjoy and pick one to respond to. Happy writing!
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
I am in complete agreement with this statement. People who do not possess ethical standards should not be in power nor should the people elect such a person. The people have a responsibility and a duty to place in power someone with moral principles, which in turn, is someone with the country's best interests at heart. Additionally, this quote reveals a remarkable discrepancy between modern views and the views of the Founding Fathers. What's more, it speaks volumes about the country's deviation from the beliefs of the Founding Fathers and the original purpose of the Constitution. Unfortunately, we no longer live in a society in which government is ruled by absolute moral guidelines. More and more, government and the country as a whole, is becoming more and more secularized, as seen by various court rulings against the inclusion of religion in public proceedings such as school prayers and the erection of crosses and other Christian symbols on public property. As a result, it is our responsibility as Christians to stand up for what we believe in and call attention to the original intentions of the Founding Fathers and the initial aim of the Constitution.
"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin
I think this quote is entirely true. One of the huge issues in our political system is money. Taxes, welfare, the recession, etc... Money is the driving force behind the way we all operate. We go to college to get a good job to make more money. We develop ideas to sell to make money. And in relation to the quote stated above, we vote acording to which canidate can put more money in our pockets the fastest.
As we learned in class, different economic groups vote differently. Generally lower wealth citizens vote democratic, and higher wealth citizens vote republican. Why is this? Because democrats are usually for putting money in th epockets of the lower wealth people with things such as welfare, high-income tax boosts, and other things. The republican party on the other hand generally pushes for high-income tax cuts, and seems to support the idea of "working hard to make money", rather than simply giving out money to the lower class. The fact that we can vote on things like this is great, but at the same time, it is also bad. I believe it makes some people feel entitled to their "government checks" because they can simply vote in a canidate which supports this. Not only does this discourage working hard to make a living, this mindset also affects our entire economic system. When people simply sit on their butts and don't work hard, it throws off businesses. For example, if Steve Jobs or Bill Gates would have just had money handed to them, they would have had no motivation to persue their ideas. Had they not persued their ideas, the computer as we know it would not be the same, and that entire industry would be affected.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
To me this quote says a lot of things. Different people can take this one of many ways. When I first read it, one main thing jumped out at me. As we have been studying the many kinds of voters, this quote can easily come into play. There are people that decide not to vote because they don't agree with the candidates, they don't agree with their party, or they just don't want to. These are the people that are most likely to complain when the person running for their political party is not elected president for that term. On the other hand, there are the people that DO vote, but only because they can; they may not actually care. When this happens, these kinds of votes can end up being the turning point in the election. These people could hurt their own country. When stated that a vote is like a rifle, this means that people with the right character and reasoning should vote because they have a reason to support their decision. The people that throw a random check-mark on a ballot are what hurts the election and possibly could result in an unfortunate outcome. I completely support this quote said by Roosevelt for that exact reason. People with a reason to vote should vote, those who don't, shouldn't.
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin
This quote is entirely true. Freedom is earned through hard work and determination. If one truly desires to be free, then they must stick with that idea and take all the risks that are necessary.Freedom cannot, should not, and WILL not be awarded to those who abandon their dreams in order to play it safe. Men who do such things are cowards and are not fit to be free. However, if one looks at America today,he or she will most certainly see that many people partake in this petty exchange quite often.
Master F. out.
This is Jake O. by the way...
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin
I entirely agree with Benjamin Franklin on this point. Freedom is not a right that is innately born to an individual. That individual has to take certain risks to obtain that freedom, including the risk of sacrificing their personal safety for the overall gain of the world. This applies to things like drafting. If you are unwilling to join the army to fight for your freedom when it is absolutely necessary, you do not deserve to be free at all. Freedom always comes at a certain cost, as does most everything else in life. I also interpret this quote as a reference to an individual's own selfishness. Freedom benefits everyone in America, whereas personal safety only benefits the individual. In the end, it is a choice of selfishness or overall benefit.
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
This quote is very relevent in the modern world of politics and government. The American economy is set apart by the ability of any individual to go into buisness for themselves and have a succesful life through hard work. As compared to the beginnings of American government, taxation has risen increasing higher over the years. As tax rates grow higher, according to the income of the citizen, the motivation to work with diligence is reduced. With almost half of some peoples paychecks being taxed before they even recieve it, it is becoming less and less of a goal to innovate, especially with new initiatives guarrenteeing care to each person, regardless of their input to society. This further decreases the purpose of working hard. Society will not be willing to expand if the fruits of its labor cannot be reaped.
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
Often times in our secular biased society, the line between morality and majority becomes skewed. In that liberty is based upon certain principles, not swaying perspectives. As of late democratic politicians seem to be relying on the support of the majority when making pivotal decisions when in actuality this is the antithesis of making moral and ethical resolutions for our country. Adams in his highly astute statement proves this point with great concreteness. America was founded upon distinct, unwavering, and Christian beliefs which should not be compromised merely for the sake of approval from the majority. My goal and hope for the future and progress of our society is that we obtain more devout morals and return to the premises on which this great country was founded upon. Rather than being easily swayed and gullible citizens of a country, who leaders base their decisions on what suits to the liking of the wholly uninterested and unaware majority.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
I agree with this quote. It's basically saying that it is the responsibility of the people (voters) to be educated about the candidates and make the right choice when it comes to voting and making decisions about government. This is the key to a properly-functioning democratic government. If the people stop caring and stop taking their responsibility seriously, the government will be drastically affected. Unfortunately, today that is happening more and more, as the voter turnout is very low. More people are beginning to not care about the government and are not taking their responsibility as voters seriously. This hurts the government because the best candidates are not going to be chosen. That is why it is important for people to recognize the responsibility and opportunity they have as a voter.
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
I completely agree with Jefferson here. He is saying that if a business is not able to sustain itself then it should have to suffer the consequences. Other businesses should not have to support businesses that cannot support themselves. This idea of other businesses supporting ones that fail is socialism. If business was socialized like this then someone could in essence become a millionaire off of an idea that never succeeds. There is no reason to do this because then no one can learn from their, or even other people's mistakes. That is the main reason why it is important that we avoid socialized business.
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
I agree with this quote completely. Simply taking from those who have earned money and giving it to those who have not is simply unfair. There is much talk of tax cuts for the middle and lower classes but none for the higher classes. When the lower classes are pocketing the hard-earned money of the higher classes it does not encourage them to work hard for a financial goal. Lower classes become comfortable in their low-income jobs, or no jobs at all and as a result, the economy is not stimulated. Not only is takeing from the "wealthy" and giving to the "poor" unfair in most economic situations, it is detrimental to the economy. Thomas Jefferson definately said it best!
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
This quote is very interesting. All it is basically saying is that depending how someone votes is a representation of their character. THis leads to another point. Knowing the candidate you are voting for is very important. You should not just vote for someone beacause of what other tell you, you should do the research for yourself and know exactly what you are voting for because it is a representation of you.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
ReplyDeleteI think the quote here that Patrick Henry said is interesting. The reason that the government created the constitution was to make sure America could hold together as one. If we never created a constitution for something to go by, we would never have a standard. We needed a standard just as we as humans need a standard- Jesus Christ. In like areas, Jesus Christ is our Lord and he is like God, therefore America's standard, the constitution, is what the government should be like and maintain. We still have our rights and freedoms in America, and the constitution is there to ensure us of that freedom. That freedom can never be taken away. I think that Henry illusioned that best in order to put it in perspective the meaning of the constitution.
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
The truth of this is shown extremely well in the founding of this country. Without the people having a religious background, it would of fallen into anarchy. We can look to the past and see all of the various rules and empires that have fallen because of their impure values and foundations. This is the reason while the United States of America has managed to last this long.
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
This quote is one that applies greatly to our society and our government today. It basically says that the constitution of the US is for a government that is morally right and answers to God. Without this type of government the country will fail, which of course is what we are seeing now with our government. They are not only ruining our country's economic situation, but also our morality and causing many people to question if certain things are really right or wrong, such as- abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, the list goes on... when we can clearly see from the constitution and Bible that they are indeed wrong.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
I agree with this quote. If someone that has no idea how to handle a gun and is holding a rifle and tries to shoot it, more than likely it will do no good. Many things could possibly go wrong. Such as, if someone that is going to vote is uneducated in what each candidate stands for, he's not doing any good by voting. Someone could easily vote by randomly choosing a name, thinking they are doing good because they are actually voting. But in actuality they could be doing more bad than good by random voting than actually not voting at all.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
ReplyDeletePatrick Henry
I think this quote only implies on times when there is an election or something. government today are making laws wheather people like it or not, but there is not much for people to do something about it. people are far more restrained by government than what Patrick
Henry though it would.
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
This quote is very true, we will not fully appreciate the freedom we have to bear arms until that right is being taken away. If we are not able to defend ourselves with guns or arms then we will not be able to protect our freedom. Even if this right is taken away people will still try to attack or rob us and if we dont have the ability to defend ourselves with a weapon then we will be completly vunerable and not be able to protect ourselves.
Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
i agree with this statement because the govt was founded on the basis of religion.. the whole reason america was created is because they wanted a place to worship God. if we take this its a completely different country.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
This is a very true statemet, that is still prevalent today. Our freedom of speech allows us to say what we want, but it can be for the good of the people of it can do lots of harm. If the rifle bearer is a radical that shotts words that are not beneficial to others, but rather lead to their downfall, it becomes a major issue.
"A vot is like a rifle, its usefullness depends on the character of the user." Theodore Roosevelt
ReplyDeleteThis statement is very true, there is no point in giving a person with no understanding of government or with no knowledge of the person running the right to vote. When this is done we end up with horid people in office. If everyone would get there issues straight and see that the clear and evident way to vote is republican, and not the other insignificant party, this nation would be a lot better off. Iam still lost to understand why someone would want more government. If someone wants more government then go move to a different country dont take it out on the rest of the hard working americans to have to put up with your laziness. Yet again this is a free nation so the vote is for anyone to have and thats why this quote puts a great explanation to why we have an "idiot" in office.
I understand there are several mispelled words and run ons in this comment. Iam to worked up to go back through and read it, therefore iam going to go watch a football game so i can scream and yell at the tv and get all of my anger out.
Thank you,
Burke Morris
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
I completely agree with this statement because as citizens of the United States we hold a great amount of power in the decisions we make. As our class is learning in Government many people choose not to vote because they believe voting wont make a difference but by saying that they are in turn affecting the rest of the nation by choosing to not vote because who we choose to put in power or not put in power affects everyone in their daily lives. This quote is also true in the fact that it states that people who are not well informed should not vote. If you are making a life changing decision like choosing your state representative or your president you as a person should know what that candidate is going to do in government. Many people are ignorant about the true ideas and movements that a candidate holds because they dont research it. As a voter you should be informed of who you are voting for and putting in power in government because those are the laws we follow in our daily lives.The main idea is that in our nation we want people that are well educated about the facts of each candidate to vote for our representatives in government and I completely agree with this.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
I completly agree with this quote because when we vote, we determine who will be in charge of our country for the years to follow. Teddy has a good point beacuse you would never give a gun to person who did not know how to use it. It is the same thing in voting for our government leaders. Voters need to know why they are voting for the certain candidate. We need to be educated in the laws of our counrty so we elect responsible individuals who will lead our country in the correct direction. Our answer is electing individuals in November that believe in less government and less spending. We need to be open minded and really research the candidates and what they stand for for the counrty to get back on its feet. Once again this is a great statement and I completely agree with it.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
ReplyDeletePatrick Henry
This quote talks about how we should use our instument of the constitution and use it in government to make it to our liking. We need to be able to have our knowldege of the constitution so we know what is right and wrong. The government needs to not use the constitution against our wishes. As the people of the United States we need know what is going on in our own government.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
This quote is quite relevant to our socitey today. Voters can be harmful or helpful when it comes to voting. Beliefs and opinions can effect a vote. This also applies to those who are not informes about candidates. Their vote counts and if they vote for someone they disagree with then they have to live with their choice for a term. Voters should be well informed before they go to vote.
"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt
Unfortunately my other post was deleted, so I guess I will just reiterate what I stated before. Before anyone should shoot a gun, they should know what they're dealing with. You don't go on a hunt expecting to get a deer if you don't even know how to load a rifle/shotgun. You have to know how to hold it up to your shoulder, what caliber bullets you're using, etc. Same thing with voting - in order to be a successful, knowledgeable voter, you must understand what the candidates are pushing for and what they believe. You choose which one best fits with your beliefs, then you hit up the ballots.
That is all.
Marissa
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
This quote is so true. The second amendment states "..the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Once the government tries to take this right away from the people, Americans will not stand for it and will do whatever is needed to protect their rights. Until this right is threatened to be taken away, people will be at peace with it. Americas are blessed to have such a right to bear arms and protect their freedom. Many countries do not give their people the entitlement to guns or weapons, because the government may feel threatened by the people. America takes for granted just how privileged they are when it comes to all the many rights they have.
i liked the quote of theodore roosevelt comparing a vote to a rifle. he says that a vote is like a rife; its usefulness is as good as the character of its user. so its true, a vote is only as good as the intentions of its voter. if one is voting for selfish reasons, its not neccesarily going to be a good outcome for all of us, but if they vote for overall reasons to benifit others, a lot more can be accomplished. unfortunately most people are selfish
ReplyDelete