I've been watching the historical rendering of David McCullough's John Adams. I just watched the portion addressing the Boston Tea Party and the restraints placed upon Massachusetts after the revolt, including removing the independent governance of Massachusetts, removing the enforcement authority of the Massachusetts courts, imposing a quasi-martial law, and the economic strangling imposed when the Crown stopped all exports and imports from Massachusetts not approved by the Crown.
It's not all pretty or romantic. The frustrations of the people, as throughout history, resulted in barbaric acts--tar and feathering, public beatings, inappropriate vilification, and misplaced heroes. And despite the high-mindedness of a few individuals, they couldn't bring themselves to abolish slavery at that time. It wasn't perfect, by any means.
What strikes me, though, is how it all could have turned out so differently. It was only a small group of young idealists who met for the Congress, including John Adams. They were young and had only known governance under the monarchy. Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. John Adams was a lawyer and worked his own farm (without slaves, incidentally) while trying to care for his wife and 4 children. They still had hope for peace under and loyalty to the Crown. Adams even had been asked to be a representative for the British. Adams became involved in the Congress only when the Crown overstepped and began strangling Massachusetts, economically and forcefully. And they were all labeled treasonous and subject to hanging for their rebellion against the King.
It could all have turned out so differently. The irrational reaction of anger could have driven the new government into a very different set of governing documents, or the fear of something different could have postponed action until it was too late. But these young men (and, in Adams' case, his wife Abigail) fought against the tyranny and followed integrity in their governing responses. It was a delicate balance.
I suppose this is relevant to this blog because it was the economic strangling by the Crown more than any dictatorship-like brutality or slavery that caused our country and its principles to come into being. --The right to earn a living and care for our families and have the dignity of self-governance. It was the overstepping and greed of the monarchy that sparked the revolt. And it was that overstepping that caused the common, government-less men and women to fight back together, just for the right to care for themselves.
It humbles me to read the writings of these men (and of Abigail), the integrity and courage of their responses in government and in war. They could have quietly stood by, but they didn't. They sacrificed their comfortable positions with the monarchy and their families' safeties (Adams' family was 5 miles from Boston and on the front lines), and they did so with level-headedness. They were so young--many of them younger than I--and yet they had wisdom I'm not sure I have.
It could all have turned out so differently. As we sit in our McMansions and go through our drive-thrus and buy $300 dollar jeans, we would do well to remember that and to remember that these people were fighting for the right to purchase sugar and flour and other basic staples for the winter cold. We would do well to sacrifice some of our comfort and our own greed in memory of that.
4 comments:
This makes me think that a government- maybe any form of government- will become powerful and repressive unless it is dissolved every few years. Seems like the only way to keep government FOR THE PEOPLE is to have a revolution maybe every 5 years, completely destroy the government, and rebuild it anew. New people, new concepts.
I'm sure that's what term limits are supposed to do, but it doesn't work. It's still all career politicians. And the goal of government is to become more powerful. The more powerful the government is, the less powerful the people are. They steal our freedom. I'd like to see the government completely eliminated and completely rebuilt, but it's too late. Our government is too big, too strong. We've let it overpower us.
I had a revelation the other day. My brother and I sometimes spew the same types of rhetoric, even though I feel there is a difference in our core belief about the way things should work.
It's generally anti-government.
I was curious why this cross-over occurred, even though he believes in Communism and I believe in hands-off, self-regulatory, leave me alone-type business. I think that's called Anarchy. (Even though I'm keenly aware that wouldn't work because too many people are dishonest assholes.) Anyway, I realized that he believes the government represents capitalism, where I believe the government only stifles capitalism. The government puts restrictions on my freedom to run my business, takes money out of my pockets, and basically tries to regulate me out of business. It's a game of taking as much as absolutely possible from a business, but leaving just enough for it to keep running, providing more money to steal. Take too much and the business dies. Reminds me of a quote from Ronald Reagan, lambasting Congress: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” So yours is a noble and certainly not new idea. However, I am not sure that calling for anarchy and then complaining on the other hand that you are “keenly aware that wouldn't work because too many people are dishonest assholes,” will really achieve anything. Further while a revolution every five years is idealistic and certainly would precipitate change, it is somewhat juvenile to think that type of system would allow you to run your business at a personal and global profit.
I firmly believe that business and individuals should have the right to self regulate and I personally detest the censorship, over taxation, and over regulation that has become the norm. However, there must be a basic structure (i.e. some form of government) that enables businesses to operate.
My grandfather was a coal miner with a third grade education. When he finally saved enough money he and my grandmother, who was 13 at the time they married, started a country store. They were one of the only stores around, they ran their business the way they wanted, charged what they wanted (which was always fair), gave credit when they wanted and raised their two boys (one my father) to be honest, productive, and compassionate people. I have been told by so many older folks from the town where I grew up that if it were not for my grandparents and the free food and supplies they so often gave, their families would have starved during the depression and the years following. My grandfather was a capitalist and a humanitarian. He knew what was right and he was free to do it.
My father, a board certified neurologist has been in private practice his entire life. He is the best neurologist in the tri state area and a better businessman. He too is a capitalist and a philanthropist, and used to work for free about as much as he did for pay. He used to perform lumbar punctures in his office at a rate of $250.000 plus the cost of the sterile equipment used to perform the procedure (about $34.50). Medicare refused to pay him that rate and refused to reimburse him for the sterile tray. Due to this and other cost related issues such as the high price of medical malpractice insurance when you put a six inch needle into someone’s spinal canal he no longer performs these procedures. Now the local hospitals perform lumbar punctures, in the hospital, in a private room, and Medicare reimburses them at a rate over $3,000.00 per procedure. We all know the high cost of sterile gauze today.
The problem with big government is it does not allow us the freedom to do what is right. I don’t need Tipper Gore telling me that my 11 and 8 year olds should not be listening to “Little Nickie” by Prince, and I certainly don’t need my tax dollars going to fund a $3000.00 procedure that should cost $284.50. That is not to say that I am against helping people or all government assistance. After all, there are a number of people who would call hypocrite on me since they know that I was on welfare when I had my first two children. However, I have more than paid for that now since I went back to school, twice, and now struggle to support a (soon) family of five and a failing nation that is paralyzed to make the right choices because we no longer have the freedom to do it. While I was glad to have the assistance and it certainly made things easier for a school teacher trying to support a family, there is no doubt that I never would have stopped moving and in the end would have made it without the subsidy.
I think that the world and America is full of people like me. We are not dishonest assholes, we have for the most part simply been stripped of the freedom to do what is right. Limiting capitalism, and limiting an individual’s right to put their money to the highest and best use has become the name of the struggle that sadly we are losing. We are losing this struggle not because people like Abigail and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were anomalies or have ceased to exist, but because people have become convinced that they don’t know what is right and even when they do, refuse to stand up for it. People have become convinced that there are too many assholes that don’t make the right choices (which by the way is one of the major justifications for big government, i.e. since you won't do it on your own I will force you to). Self doubt, doubt in others, and a doubt that we can have a government, but one that governs least and therefore best and allows us to run our businesses and lives in a manner that is right, are poisoning our ability and willingness to recognize what is right and do it. If a man chooses to recognize only they worst in others, I can only believe it is because that is what he sees in the mirror. Doing what is right is a struggle and as the saying goes, it is the blood of not only tyrants but patriots as well that makes the most fertile soil.
Dang McLaine, you're so smart. I wish I wasn't such a dumb old country boy. Thank you for helping me gain this insight; I am the one who is dishonest and lazy.
Isn't that sort of like when I look around and observe that almost all of the other coffee produced in this country is shit... I'm really saying that because I think MY coffee is shit.
My mama taught me to have discernment.
Your opinions are appreciated on this blog.
Your insults are unwelcome.
Thank you for the reprimand and/or constructive criticism. In the future I will make sure that any comments are clearly generic statements that can not be construed to be necessarily applicable to another commentator. I will also be sure to employ the use of the words "chairman" or "chairwoman" where appropriate.
As it were, it appears that I lack sensitivity and interpersonal communication skills in cyberspace as well. My sincere apologies.
As for your comments about your coffee. I do not understand why you would feel that way. It really is the only coffee worth drinking.
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