Jefferson's quote
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.
A liberal friend's commentary
A decent general concept but rather simplistic, don't you think? Surely Jefferson didn't think the US could conduct foreign affairs, maintain a military, provide for the destitute, educate the young, promote public health etc. without taking at least SOME of the laborer's earnings. The only points at issue are 1. how much? and 2. for what purposes?
My response
I think it's interesting that the Jeffersonian democrats have now switched places with the Hamiltonian federalists. However not even Hamilton would ever dream of the role played by our present national government. This is not an argument that the government should not exist, but exactly your point -- how much and for what purposes. Military and foreign affairs? -- well supported in the constitution and the Federalist papers. Education and charity for the poor --- not at all the job of the federal government. Public Health - maybe, but we're doing a lousy job of it. (And I'm not talking about medical care which should not at all be a federal responsibility)The liberal idea it seems to me is that the founder's ideas were quaint but now outdated because of technological advances. I think just the opposite. Today's high tech will seem ridiculously primitive 100 years from now. But the concepts of the founders about how human society should be organized are enduring and I would submit are more important than ever in our media-immersed world.The general concept is that we are free individuals who can decide what's best for ourselves as long as we do not interfere with the rights of another. Government certainly serves to be the insurer of individual rights against the majority, enforce contracts, resolve disputes and similar functions. The states agreed that there are some functions best done as a united nation but with specific limitations which is where the "wise and frugal" comment comes in.After all, what is the government except politicians and bureaucrats who are making their living through "contributions" from the citizens. Unless these "contributions" result in "investments" that give us better returns collectively than we can do for ourselves individually we are wasting resources that we could better use for our own purposes. And after all, it is our work and resources that are being used.If the politicians (and bureaucrats) use our resources simply to garner favor with constituents who will continue them in their positions, then we have a perversion of the original concepts of our union's foundation. I believe that clearly we have long passed that point. With all this in mind I believe that Jefferson's point is absolutely right on the mark and is profound rather than simplistic. Sometimes simple concepts, like (e=mc2), have unimaginably explosive meaning. It has meaning for our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren.
