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You'd need the context. It could reflect very differently on his general philosophy, to know whether he was talking about war, or public assistance. Or abortion, or bailing out mortgage bankers. Or capital punishment or airport security or tariffs on Chinese-made goods. Without knowing that context, it would be irrelevant whether he said the words or not, and a gross miscarriage of history to apply them to any contemporary issue.
It's pretty clear by reading the previous sentences that Jefferson was differentiating his less interventionist presidency from the contemporary version of the militarily aggressive Bush/Cheney administration, at the time represented by the Federalists. I would respect the tea partiers a lot more if they followed that aspect of the Jeffersonian philosophy. They seem to make some odd differentiation between the dangers of big government from those of big military and big business. In Jefferson's mind, they were all tied together.
It's pretty clear by reading the previous sentences that Jefferson was differentiating his less interventionist presidency from the contemporary version of the militarily aggressive Bush/Cheney administration, at the time represented by the Federalists. I would respect the tea partiers a lot more if they followed that aspect of the Jeffersonian philosophy. They seem to make some odd differentiation between the dangers of big government from those of big military and big business. In Jefferson's mind, they were all tied together.
Well Jefferson did not belive much on industrialization and big buisness he had wanted the US to remain an agricultural slaveholding society.
They seem to make some odd differentiation between the dangers of big government from those of big military and big business. In Jefferson's mind, they were all tied together.
Like that is their only they are incapable of to differentiating!
NIce ducking and dodging so let me put it a bit differently. Did Jefferson say anything like that? Don't prove it just tell me yes or no.
Hi There roysoldboy ..... I truly enjoy all of your posts
I will give you Rep later ..... "THEY" still won't let me !
I just had to add this most timely and historically accurate Thomas Jefferson statement : "I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
The sheer genius of Thomas Jefferson's above statement certainly rings true today as we consider the "Political Circus Nightmare" in D.C. and the acute ineptitude of "The One & Crew" !
Let the ducking and dodging of the simpletons among us regarding the most intellectual President in history (Thomas Jefferson) now commence !
I just had to add this most timely and historically accurate Thomas Jefferson statement : "I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
Thanks Y'all / Old Sgt. Lamar
Here again, the quote has little meaning to the words of Jefferson without the context of the letter.
And since it is in response to correspondence from Mr Ludlow, even less can be obtained from the extracted quote.
But I read it as - the he thought that small governance works with small groups, but at what point does the group become unmanageable.
But with out the entire correspondence, one doesn't know.
Read past the headlines. (They are created to grab your attention only)
TO WILLIAM LUDLOW.
MONTICELLO, September 6, 1824.
SIR, --
The idea which you present in your letter of July 30th, of the progress of society from its rudest state to that it has now attained, seems conformable to what may be probably conjectured. Indeed, we have under our eyes tolerable proofs of it. Let a philosophic observer commence a journey from the savages of the Rocky Mountains, eastwardly towards our seacoast. These he would observe in the earliest stage of association living under no law but that of nature, subsisting and covering themselves with the flesh and skins of wild beasts. He would next find those on our frontiers in the pastoral state, raising domestic animals to supply the defects of hunting. Then succeed our own semi-barbarous citizens, the pioneers of the advance of civilization, and so in his progress he would meet the gradual shades of improving man until he would reach his, as yet, most improved state in our seaport towns. This, in fact, is equivalent to a survey, in time, of the progress of man from the infancy of creation to the present day. I am eighty-one years of age; born where I now live, in the first range of mountains in the interior of our country. And I have observed this march of civilization advancing from the seacoast, passing over us like a cloud of light, increasing our knowledge and improving our condition, insomuch as that we are at this time more advanced in civilization here than the seaports were when I was a boy. And where this progress will stop no one can say. Barbarism has, in the meantime, been receding before the steady step of amelioration; and will in time, I trust, disappear from the earth. You seem to think that this advance has brought on too complicated a state of society, and that we should gain in happiness by treading back our steps a little way.
I think, myself, that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious. I believe it might be much simplified to the relief of those who maintain it. Your experiment seems to have .this in view. A society of seventy families, the number you name, may very possibly be governed as a single family, subsisting on their common industry, and holding all things in common. Some regulators of the family you still must have, and it remains to be seen at what period of your increasing population your simple regulations will cease to be sufficient to preserve order, peace, and justice. The experiment is interesting; I shall not live to see its issue, but I wish it success equal to your hopes, and to yourself and society prosperity and happiness.
Prove to me Jefferson didn't say this: "get over here ho! I own you so I can do it whenever I want!"
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