by Frank Thomas
1. INTRODUCTION
In Thomas Jefferson’s words : (July 1816)
“Some men look at constitutions with sanctamonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of covenant, too sacred to be touched.
… Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind …. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized societies to remain under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”
Similarly, James Madison warned it´s in the nature of humans to ignore the harm, while emphasizing the benefits, their actions may have on others. Every society has rotten apples where power corrupts, in consort with media and politicians playing upon people´s natural fears of certain economic or government forces working against them.
In James Madison´s words: (Federalist no. 51, 1788)
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary …. In framing government which is adminstered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”
“The great desideratum (necessity) in Government is, so to modify the sovereignty as that it may be sufficiently neutral between different parts of the society to control one part from invading the rights of another, and at the same time sufficiently controlled itself, from setting up an interest adverse to that of the entire society.”
These words form the debate over government´s role in modern society. Is it a rugged individualism philosophy of, “Too bad, you´re on your own” when faced with urban blight, massive layoffs, destructive automation/ outsourcing of jobs, abusive family environments, no or grossly inadequate health care, drug and gang at-risk youth, decayed infrastructure systems , lack of job training and job development for those made redundant or obsolete? Is government not the answer but the problem? Is limited government good government?
In my opinion, present-day adherents to Adam Smith’s philosophy of government’s limited duties formulated in simple times are blind, standstill retrogressionists …. ignoring our country’s complex transformations requiring new institutional arrangements . In the 19th and 20th centuries, our nation enjoyed its greatest social and economic successes when it took the middle course between the individual and community aspects of our human nature. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower embodied this centrist governing ideal.
I believe, therefore, we should treasure and perfect the integrated middle course paradigm of balancing legitimate public interests, minimum harm to workers and environment while nurturing a thriving free-market, innovative capitalism. I say this as a small business entrepreneur for most of my working life.
We easily forget that in Thomas Jefferson´s time, the largest US ‘cities,’ were New York and Philadelphia with populations of 60,000 and 30,000, respectively in 1800 …. cities the size of just small towns today. Jefferson’s reality was that he lived in a predominantly, self-sufficient agrarian environment. Nevertheless, remarkably, even then he favored a dual concept of minimalist govenment and support for the common man. Would Jefferson have extended his government principles to working people and consumers in a transformed industrial high- tech world with proactive public policies/strategies to maintain public order, stability, equity, a fair-playing field, safety, and societal well-being?
My answer as a centrist is, Yes. Indeed, he very likely would have encouraged prudent public policies to meet the social-economic issues of daunting scope today that certainly did not exist in his time. Survival of the fittest was not his governmental doctrine; but prudence balanced with social concern for the common man’s welfare were also Jeffersonian prima facie governmental values rarely acknowledged by far right propagandists.
Over two centuries have passed since Adam Smith outlined his ideal functions of government in 1776: national defense, administration of law and order, provision of public goods such as infrastructure, basic and applied education. Today, over two centuries later, government’s constitutional responsibility for the public´s general welfare has grown to embrace health care, old-age pensions, unemployment compensation, natural disasters, aid to those afflicted by special problems, strategies to improve education, consumer protections.Such are the basic needs of our modern, complex, technologically interdependent life-style connected by an international internet network of mass communication operating at lightening speed which has less and less touch with human impulses.
Americans have long agreed on government’s role to support a military power, to enforce liberty and property rights among people – so long as the actions of some do not violate or harm the fundamental rights and freedom of others. However, emotional and economic differences continue to distort government’s other given constitutional role to protect citizens against interests/actions adverse to the general welfare.
In Jefferson´s time, there were no drugs, medicines, urban congestion with related crime and social problems, preservation of food and serious obesity related health problems, exponential dependence on energy and resultant environmental pollution, issues of industrial production and rapidly advancing technology, cut-throat product import competition and labor/manufacturing outsourcing practices destroying jobs at a faster pace than new investments and ideas can replace them sofar. Further, in Jefferson’s time there was no need for sensible, regulatory restraint of the complex, uncurtailed excesses of raw capitalism and special interests infringing on the rights/freedoms of others – where constructive, firm reforms of same are systemically being obstructed by insider- money influences rather than forthwith adopted out of concern for the common good and the long view.
2. WHERE DO WE TO GO FROM HERE ?
To be continued ….
