Would our forefathers lead a rebellion against our government?

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   jstfishinmanposted 10 years ago

   Would our forefathers lead a rebellion against our government?
   
   What would the signers of the Declaration of Independence think of this country they fought for and founded taxing it's citizens and still being 17 trillion dollars in debt?

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   The Frog Princeposted 10 years ago

   Is a wood pecker's beak hard?  They are probably having fits watching these career, professional pickpockets screw up what they created.
   
   The Frog Prince

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      CalebSparksposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Concise and to the point...

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   AlexDrinkH2Oposted 10 years ago

   I'm sure they would - but probably not in the sense you mean (armed insurrection, etc.) - men such as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Mason, Franklin, etc. would certainly be at the forefront of the critics of today's governance, particularly of this administration.  In fact, they would probably be leaders of the Tea Party and like-minded organizations.  Now, if the country were to be lead continually by the far left (as it is now) and our freedoms were seriously being eroded to the point where the Republic was in danger of dictatorship, then they would probably call for all-out rebellion . . . and I would be among the first to join them.

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      jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I personally think we have all ready gone to far.

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   LandmarkWealthposted 10 years ago

   I think they would be primarily concerned that the balance of power between states and the Federal gov't has been encroached upon.  They had many disagreements.  But they were all fundamentally concerned with too much power being concentrated in the central gov't, and protecting the states rights consistent with Federalist principals.

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      jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My one hope is that we can get the power back from the federal government.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      When people place their trust in a central planning authority, they'll eventually be disappointed.  In time the pendulum swings back towards personal responsibility.

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   Rock_njposted 10 years ago

   They probably never envisioned the young and struggling United States being a world economic and military power some day.  A lot the United States' problems stem from trying to be a world empire.  As history has demonstrated many times, it's damn expensive to run an empire and often the cost of empire building and maintenance causes them to implode over time.
   
   One thing we could do is stop borrowing money from China to defend Japan from China and stop borrowing money from the Middle East to defend Europe against ghost enemies that no longer exist.  That is the insanity that goes along with being a mature empire, and one that is heading for decline.

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      jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      We have been the police for the world for far to long.

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   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   Our Forefathers that founded this country "One nation under God." You better believe it. The tea party would be the first to go, then the rest of congress. And of course Obama. I'm sure they are rolling over in their graves as to what this country has become by politics. Abortion, gay rights, burning the American flag, overall embarrassment from the rest of the world.

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   junksellerposted 10 years ago

   Well, it would take them a long time to even figure out what was going on. When they did, they might disagree with the way things are going, that doesn't mean they'd be willing to lift a finger for a group of people who on average are grossly ignorant and oftentimes don't even bother to vote. Personally, I think they would tell us that we have gotten exactly what we deserve and that we have squandered the chance that they gave us.
   
   Would they worry about a little bit of taxes and debt? I doubt it. I think they'd laugh and say that's a puny problem we can fix in a few years.

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   b.croweposted 10 years ago

   Yes they would. They would no doubt call on the citizens to dismantle and start from scratch.

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   a-drifterposted 10 years ago

   Yes. Yes . And yes. I have been waiting for years for some sort of revolution to rise up. I honestly believe that a democracy can not flourish if the people don't force the government to listen. If our founding fathers were here today they would be writing furiously, going on every Sunday morning political news show, and Twittering like mad men. They would urge for action, but that action would be on us.
   
   My question back, even if great men like them were around today, do you think they could incite us to action? Or have we become so passive with our government that we just shrug it all off and invest nothing into politics?

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      jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The problem I see is that about 1/2 of our society lives off the tax payers. To get the 1/2 that work for our tax dollars to side with us in the private sector, would be a big obstacle. Not that it couldn't happen, as the government takes more taxes.

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      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      When you account for all taxes, we almost all pay in the 30-40% range. We all benefit from that money as well. This taxpayer martyrdom myth is pure nonsense.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'd love to see that data. The aggregate revenue to the treasury is always 15-20% of GDP. If you include state and local tax, minus transfer payments the effective rate is nowhere near 30-40% for the average American.  Only those on the high end.

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    Clarke Stevensposted 10 years ago

    I imagine the signers would be in awe of the country that was born from their pens.
    
    Sure, there have been disagreements, some of them appearing before their ink had dried.
    
    And there have been serious, contentious issues since.  In fact there have been dozens of these issues, including taxation, the creation of banks, slavery, state's rights, freedom of speech and religion.
    
    There have been times when the country's forward motion all but stopped.  Just Google "the Presidential Election of 1800" for example.
    
    But the signers were an intelligent lot, and very politically savvy, too.
    
    They created a system that was self-correcting.  When the government steered away from its path, there was a built-in mechanism to bring it back on course.
    
    It wasn't a system based on hard and fast rules, a book, or a King.  It was a new idea, based on three words: "We the People."  It, ultimately, put the power in the hands of the citizens.
    
    So, would the signers be frustrated with today's reckless government spending and misguided policies?  Sure they would.
    
    Would they say that their Declaration and Constitution lacked the capacity to deal with these circumstances?  Not on their lives.

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       jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Very well said, but it makes you wonder, with 17 trillion in debt, and spending @ one trillion over per year. Where are "We The People" when it comes election time? How gullible are "We The People"?

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       Clarke Stevensposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Unfortunately, the whole democracy process can be painful, messy and frustrating. Churchill said 'democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.'

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