How bad has the expansion of federal government power into every area of life become? Consider the following statement about federal intrusion into local government: The federal government is already so enmeshed in the affairs of American cities that no one knows the extent. Federal tax money is used for schools, health facilities, public power, [...]
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He Who Has the Guns Thomas Jefferson famously said (I paraphrase), “When the people fear the government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty.” Whoever has the power to enforce their will is servant to the other. This same point was made by Carroll Quigley, the prolific Georgetown historian of [...]
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What can be done to return society to a biblical, free judicial system? In this section we will cover two main avenues to recovering a free society: the establishment of voluntary and private courts, and jury nullification. We will also discuss the commitment to Christian virtue necessary to make it work. Private Christian Courts In [...]
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Restoring America One County at a Time 8. Courts and Judicial Tyranny 8.2 Judicial Tyranny in America The understanding of how American freedom was lost in and through the judiciary should already be visible from our discussions of previous topics. We have seen how the John Marshall courts energized and applied the centralizing effects of [...]
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We are all familiar with this present financial crisis which began in 2008. Most people have heard that this event is “unprecedented” except for the Great Depression of the 1930s. This is largely nonsense. Due to our limited historical experience and our short historical memories, we either do not know or have forgotten the many [...]
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While little discussed in today’s textbooks, Washington held a virtually identical view of government as Hamilton—he was just less outspoken and more elegant about it. Some historians have considered Washington a mere front for Hamilton’s agenda—the public executive counterpart to Marshall’s later judicial back-door. But Washington often expressed views about “strong and energetic” government to [...]
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[To my normal readers: I apologize for the excessive length this time. To the critics: "Ask and ye shall receive" (at least this once).] Criticize Alexander Hamilton these days and about all you’ll hear in response from some quarters is, “Chernow, Chernow Chernow!” By many accounts, Ron Chernow’s 2004 work has cleared away all the [...]
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In view of this nation’s now 235-year existence (counting from the 1776 Declaration of Independence), 50 years—less than the average lifespan of an individual at any period of that history—seems like little more than a small, nearly insignificant portion of her history. But when that 50-year portion under consideration begins with the Constitution—the most monumental [...]
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I normally don’t get into online debates in comment sections, on Facebook, or even via email. I have too much work to get done, especially in regard to my “County Rights” project. In fact, I give this as general advice for most people online, in forums, on Facebook, etc.; these are a great place to [...]
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The Republicans in Congress are planning to read the Constitution! Wait, shouldn’t they have already done this? One would expect that they would be familiar with a document they have sworn to uphold. Will the reading of the Constitution make any difference in the way they run our nation? Watch this episode of Vantage Point [...]
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