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Jefferson's belief was that unlimited expansion of commerce and industry would lead to the growth of a class of wage laborers who relied on others for income and sustenance. The workers would no longer be independent voters. Such a situation, Jefferson feared, would leave the American people vulnerable to political subjugation and economic manipulation. The solution Jefferson came up with was, as scholar Clay Jenkinson noted, "a graduated income tax that would serve as a disincentive to vast accumulations of wealth and would make funds available for some sort of benign redistribution downward."
Jefferson said something like that at a time (as Jefferson pointed out) when all food, clothes, and shelter was produced by people who were poor, while people who were rich did little or nothing to produce them; and in a country where shortages of that food, clothes etc. were scarce. The rich then, were the equivalent of kings; and Jefferson was very opposed to kings.
Today, of course, two hundred years of small businesses, and the efficiency of competition between them, spread enough wealth that virtually all "wealthy" people had gotten that way by working hard - a significant difference from what had existed in Jefferson's time. Today, such a progressive income tax punishes the most productive, which in Jefferson's time it would not.
I'm glad you put so much stock in Jeffferson's ideas. Here are a few more.
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, in his prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy, communicated to Joseph Milligan in a letter of April 6, 1816.
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” - Thomas Jefferson, in his "Legal Commonplace Book", quoting Cesare Beccaria
"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Abigail Adams, Feb. 22, 1787
"Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual." - Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson
""To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, —the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, comment in a prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy
"That government is best which governs the least, for its people discipline themselves." - variously attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Henry Davidson Thoreau
"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
---------------------------------------------
Jefferson was adamantly against big government, government "helping" people with the ordinary problems of life, government taking money from people who earned to to give to people who didn't, etc.
I hope you neo-Jeffersonians will let us know when you decide to agree and embrace Jefferson's ideas.
When can we expect you to do so?
Last edited by Little-Acorn; 07-04-2013 at 11:12 AM..
Jefferson's belief was that unlimited expansion of commerce and industry would lead to the growth of a class of wage laborers who relied on others for income and sustenance.
Jefferson said something like that at a time (as Jefferson pointed out) when all food, clothes, and shelter was produced by people who were poor, while people who were rich did little or nothing to produce them; and in a country where shortages of that food, clothes etc. were scarce. The rich then, were the equivalent of kings; and Jefferson was very opposed to kings.
Today, of course, two hundred years of small businesses, and the efficiency of competition between them, spread enough wealth that virtually all "wealthy" people had gotten that way by working hard - a significant difference from what had existed in Jefferson's time. Today, such a progressive income tax punishes the most productive, which in Jefferson's time it would not.
I'm glad you put so much stock in Jeffferson's ideas. Here are a few more.
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, in his prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy, communicated to Joseph Milligan in a letter of April 6, 1816.
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” - Thomas Jefferson, in his "Legal Commonplace Book", quoting Cesare Beccaria
"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Abigail Adams, Feb. 22, 1787
"Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual." - Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson
""To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, —the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, comment in a prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy
"That government is best which governs the least, for its people discipline themselves." - variously attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Henry Davidson Thoreau
"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
---------------------------------------------
Jefferson was adamantly against big government, government "helping" people with the ordinary problems of life, government taking money from people who earned to to give to people who didn't, etc.
I hope you neo-Jeffersonians will let us know when you decide to agree and embrace Jefferson's ideas.
When can we expect you to do so?
Hmmm, the leftists who tried to pretend they liked Jefferson's ideas, have suddenly gotten a lot quieter when they found out what Jefferson really stood for.
Exactly why Obama wants to bring in 11 to 30 million illegals to the legal labor pool, no matter how many millions of Americans desperately need jobs, Obama and the liberal Republicans and all the Democrats want to give illegals the right to grab up any and every job because they make more subservient type stoop labor for the elites who are getting very rich with the much lower labor costs.
Americans are being replaced foreign people who is more accustomed to this two class society with the handful of ultra rich and a very large peon class happy to take any chump change thrown at them.
Exactly why Obama wants to bring in 11 to 30 million illegals to the legal labor pool, no matter how many millions of Americans desperately need jobs,...
Like the 10's of millions of unemployed Americans who DIDN'T show up in the fields of Georgia and Alabama when legal and illegal migrant workers fled the state in droves after the passage of state laws targeting undocumented workers?
Jefferson said something like that at a time (as Jefferson pointed out) when all food, clothes, and shelter was produced by people who were poor, while people who were rich did little or nothing to produce them; and in a country where shortages of that food, clothes etc. were scarce. The rich then, were the equivalent of kings; and Jefferson was very opposed to kings.
Today, of course, two hundred years of small businesses, and the efficiency of competition between them, spread enough wealth that virtually all "wealthy" people had gotten that way by working hard - a significant difference from what had existed in Jefferson's time. Today, such a progressive income tax punishes the most productive, which in Jefferson's time it would not.
I'm glad you put so much stock in Jeffferson's ideas. Here are a few more.
Do you really think all wealthy people today are that way because of hard work??
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, in his prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy, communicated to Joseph Milligan in a letter of April 6, 1816.
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” - Thomas Jefferson, in his "Legal Commonplace Book", quoting Cesare Beccaria
"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all." - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Abigail Adams, Feb. 22, 1787
"Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual." - Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson
""To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, —the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson, comment in a prospectus for his translation of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy
"That government is best which governs the least, for its people discipline themselves." - variously attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Henry Davidson Thoreau
"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
---------------------------------------------
Jefferson was adamantly against big government, government "helping" people with the ordinary problems of life, government taking money from people who earned to to give to people who didn't, etc.
I hope you neo-Jeffersonians will let us know when you decide to agree and embrace Jefferson's ideas.
When can we expect you to do so?
Only 1 of your quotes deals with the OP's quote. And there's a difference between taking and taxation.
Jefferson said something like that at a time (as Jefferson pointed out) when all food, clothes, and shelter was produced by people who were poor, while people who were rich did little or nothing to produce them; and in a country where shortages of that food, clothes etc. were scarce. The rich then, were the equivalent of kings; and Jefferson was very opposed to kings.
Today, of course, two hundred years of small businesses, and the efficiency of competition between them, spread enough wealth that virtually all "wealthy" people had gotten that way by working hard - a significant difference from what had existed in Jefferson's time. Today, such a progressive income tax punishes the most productive, which in Jefferson's time it would not.
You actually believe all that?
All these "wealthy" people are not small business owners. In order for people to realize that first though, they actually have to realize how devalued the dollar has gotten over the decades. You actually think corporate America, towards the top is competitive?
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The rich must get richer at our expense, for our own good!!! 
