As far as I can tell, everything that Thomas Sowell writes is worth reading, but I especially like how he is so effective at linking his arguments to the underlying principles of a free society.
And when he writes a column focused on those underlying principles, I can’t help but get inspired. He reminds me why I’m at the Cato Institute and why the fight for liberty is so important.
Indeed, what he says about the Constitution in his latest column is so good that I sort of view it as a birthday present for me. But the rest of you should enjoy it as well.
The American Revolution was not simply a rebellion against the King of England, it was a rebellion against being ruled by kings in general. That is why the opening salvo of the American Revolution was called “the shot heard round the world.” Autocratic rulers and their subjects heard that shot — and things that had not been questioned for millennia were now open to challenge. As the generations went by, more and more autocratic governments around the world proved unable to meet that challenge. Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been “exceptional.” You couldn’t be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document — the Constitution of the United States — by opening with the momentous words, “We the people…” Those three words were a slap in the face to those who thought themselves entitled to rule, and who regarded the people as if they were simply human livestock, destined to be herded and shepherded by their betters. Indeed, to this very day, elites who think that way — and that includes many among the intelligentsia, as well as political messiahs — find the Constitution of the United States a real pain because it stands in the way of their imposing their will and their presumptions on the rest of us. More than a hundred years ago, so-called “Progressives” began a campaign to undermine the Constitution’s strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven’t really changed much in a hundred years. …A constitution exists to create a framework for government — and the Constitution of the United States tries to keep the government inside that framework. …Does the Constitution matter? If it doesn’t, then your Freedom doesn’t matter.
The column was written to debunk and mock a vacuous piece by the Managing Editor of Time magazine. If today is the opposite of your birthday, and you deserve to suffer for some reason, then you might want to track down and read that article. I wouldn’t recommend that level of masochism.
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[…] P.S. As a big fan of Professor Sowell, I’ve cited his columns more than 20 times. My favorite examples of his writing can be viewed here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And you can see him in action here. […]
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[…] of his writing can be viewed here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And you can see him in action […]
[…] P.S. As a big fan of Professor Sowell, I’ve cited his columns more than 20 times. My favorite examples of his writing can be viewed here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And you can see him in action here. […]
[…] of his writing can be viewed here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And you can see him in action […]
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[…] Fans of Professor Sowell can read more of his work here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And you can see him in action […]
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Good reading but this particular writing does NOT capture the essence of American exceptionalism. “We the people” is NOT what sets American democracy apart from the rest of the world today where democracy is so widespread.
“We the people …” can be implemented as “We the people … decided (voted) to crucify Jesus today”, “We the people … decided (voted) to make Socrates drink hemlock today”… “We the people … decided to confiscate Jewish properties and split them amongst each other (i.e. nationalize them) today (yes the majority supported that too)” etc.
American exceptionalism lies in “We the People… agree to a grand bargain whereby we will make it nearly impossible to screw other people when, as expected, shifting, fluid, temporary majorities will form which will vote to screw some minority…” only to find themselves in the minority soon after so that in the end most people get screwed, often.
Today’s Americans, in their infinite naiveté about international matters and ignorance about what made this country exceptional, seem to forget that while Fascism, National Socialism, Communism and many other totalitarian systems may not have followed the formal democratic process to power, they were nonetheless popular movements supported by a majority of “We, the people”.
The perils of no such grand bargain, to protect people against people, became obvious just a few years after the American revolution, in the French Revolution where the majority of people made the heads of minority people roll by the guillotine, only to find out in the next few years that majorities are fluid and ever shifting, thus making everybody liable to be dragged by the people under the guillotine at one point or another.
For democracy to survive these days it must follow America’s exceptionalism rule : “Majority, honor the grand bargain and don’t screw minorities, especially for minor gains”. Otherwise, democracy risks being supplanted by totalitarian regimes which, in a world of free movement of capital and increasingly people, will compete to attract competent people by offering the best overall package of personal freedoms. This is why many people these days are starting to feel freer overall in Dubai and Singapore rather than France and Italy. And this is why a liberal immigration policy is so essential to freedom and this is why totalitarians of all stripes have been and will continue to fight it.
I do not know about U.S. constitution, its meaning and implications, as U.S. citizens would know, even though I read on it and the revolution. But whatever I hear and read about, it seems as if its an elementary knowledge that constitution limits federal government.
Constitution brought together the states whose conflicting policies and non-unanimity created problems for the ‘United’ states. But even when the constitution was made to override the loose ends of Articles of Confederation, it maintained the autonomy of states and people to a large extent. In that sense, the federal power was meant to be limited as framers did not intend to replace one authoritative power (British rule) with another one under a different name.
So I read the article by Richard Stengel to understand Tom Sowell’s column better. I think what Stengel is trying to do is:
‘Constitution was not intended to limit the federal power.. of course framers wanted that..’
‘Overstepping War powers resolution is bad.. many presidents did that.. so it’s not bad’
‘debt is bad.. presidents in power are – for – debt.. so it’s not bad..’
‘It’s not unconstitutional for government to ask citizens to buy anything.. but it may be a bad law..’
‘There’s nothing unconstitutional about any of Obama’s actions.. but constitution is not a code of law.. so we don’t have to worry about going beyond constitution’
Stengel is not trying to make a case based on principles but rather comes out confused if the actions taken by federalists are good or bad or best or compromise.
Finally he says, “Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women.” But he doesn’t tell us if the interpretation of constitution by big-government supporters (he seems to be for big-government) promotes this liberty.
Birthday salutations indeed!
[…] via Dan Mitchell […]
Good advice, Dan. I wouldn’t submit to that level of abuse, on any day of the year. However, there is a more subtle form of self-inflicted injury. It is shocking that a free and independent people could so quickly abandon their principles and volunteer themselves into the indentured servitude of U. S. citizenship. It proves a fundamental point. No one can force a slave to be free.
Happy Birthday, Dan!