I don't want to guess at your position.
That's a pleasant change for Feelies!
I don't know how well you understand the difference between Hamiltonian and
Jeffersonian Democracy. I mean this honestly
I know some, though not by any means all, or as much as I would if I had really studied it. I've read many of the Federalist papers, have read some of Jefferson's stuff, and have the Malone 6 volume biography which I've dipped into but haven't read in its entirety. I read Thomas Paine avidly as a college student.
From what I know, I would classify myself as a Paine-Adams-Jeffersonian. Very suspicious of government, view it as a necessary evil but also believe that power corrupts. Doesn't have to be absolute power, even limited power corrupts. I have one friend, a former partner in a consulting group, who was one of the kindest, most honorable and decent man I ever knew. He got appointed to the State legislature. The process changed him in ways I would not have believed possible. I have personally known every county commissioner in this county in the past 20 years, and only one of them retained his integrity through his full term of office. Another one is trying hard, and coming close, but knows he isn't fully succeeding. One of our current commissioners, who before being elected was a decent and honest person, has IMO has become totally corrupted by power and has learned to love simply playing power politics. Very sad.
My dream is to amend the Constitution so that any person who sought an elective office was automatically disqualified from running. Candidates would be selected by lot, just like juries, and a certain number of names put on the ballot for the electorate to choose from.
Oh well, you shouldn't have gotten me started! I don't have time this morning. But you did ask! |
