Doomed From The Start

[redcliffsw]

Doomed from the Start: The Myth of Limited Constitutional Government in America
-Thomas J. DiLorenzo

After spending a lifetime in politics John C. Calhoun (U.S. Senator, Vice President of the United States, Secretary of War) wrote his brilliant treatise, A Disquisition on Government, which was published posthumously shortly after his death in 1850. In it Calhoun warned that it is an error to believe that a written constitution alone is "sufficient, of itself, without the aid of any organism except such as is necessary to separate its several departments, and render them independent of each other to counteract the tendency of the numerical majority to oppression and abuse of power" (p. 26). The separation of powers is fine as far as it goes, in other words, but it would never be a sufficient defense against governmental tyranny, said Calhoun.

Moreover, it is a "great mistake," Calhoun wrote, to suppose that "the mere insertion of provisions to restrict and limit the powers of the government, without investing those for whose protection they are inserted, with the means of enforcing their observance, will be sufficient to prevent the major and dominant party from abusing its powers" (emphasis added). The party "in possession of the government" will always be opposed to any and all restrictions on its powers. They "will have no need of these restrictions" and "would come, in time, to regard these limitations as unnecessary and improper restraints and endeavor to elude them . . ."

rest of the article:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo182.html

[Warph]

Excellent article, Red....   About "A Disquisition on Government and A Discourse on the Constitution and Government of the United States" outlines the political theory of the esteemed southern statesmen John Caldwell Calhoun who is often lauded as the last American Founding Father.  My first introduction to this book was in a highschool civics class.  The book was written in 1850.  John C. Calhoun, born in 1782, was an original "War Hawk" at the outbreak of the War of 1812, Senator from South Carolina, Vice President of the United States; he is also one of the more interesting political thinkers in American history.  Dr. H. L. Cheek, Jr., the author of "A Disquisition on Government," presents an astute exposition of Calhoun's political thought.  There is no doubt that Dr. Cheek is a brilliant author whose command of the English language is indeed impressive.  Cheek brings Calhoun back to life and shows that his thoughts and political theories are still relevent in the modern America.  Everyone interested in politics and the government should read this book.  It is superb!  You can get Cheeks' book at Amazon for $8 bucks plus postage where I ordered mine.