To change the subject: Food for thought -- Jefferson on the division of property

Every Citizen is Entitled to Own Property

"The political institutions of America, its various soils and climates, opened a certain resource to the unfortunate and to the enterprising of every country and insured to them the acquisition and free possession of property." --Thomas Jefferson: Declaration on Taking Up Arms, 1775. Papers 1:199

"The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on. If for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be provided to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do not, the fundamental right to labor the earth returns to the unemployed... It is not too soon to provide by every possible means that as few as possible shall be without a little portion of land. The small landholders are the most precious part of a state." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:18, Papers 8:682

"No right be stipulated for aliens to hold real property within these States, this being utterly inadmissible by their several laws and policy." --Thomas Jefferson: Commercial Treaties Instructions, 1784.

"Whenever there is in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:18, Papers 8:682

" unequal division of property... occasions the numberless instances of wretchedness which... is to be observed all over Europe." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:17, Papers 8:681

"I am conscious that an equal division of property is impracticable. But the consequences of this enormous inequality producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of the human mind." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:17, Papers 8:682

http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1550.htm

Thanks for posting.

for some type of time machine, or way to interact with the founders in the modern environment.

It would be interesting, to say the least, to take Franklin on a 747 to Hawaii, or just drive Jefferson over a mile long bridge at high speed.

Part of me thinks they would be blown away, but another part of me thinks they would would be more concerned with how the experiment is working.

If I came back 200 years from now, I would expect great marvels, but I would be more concerned about our progress to sustain that which made it all possible.

Its thoughts like this that kept me out of the better schools. :dunce:

got anymore room in the time machine?

next stop Honolulu. ;)

I read Jefferson and Madison in particular for inspiration, intellectual companionship and enjoyment. I was given a book on Franklin for Christmas, and I am looking forward to reading about it. I don't know nearly as much about the history of the revolutionary or early U.S. as I would like.

country as the democratic republic they founded, they could not have foreseen the many changes to come but they did know much of the various types of government and did all they could to build one that avoided their inherent problems.

I think they did a fine job, now its up to us to preserve it. God help us.

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