“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess the most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous while they continue to hold their public trust.” James Madison
If there is one thing America has not done, if there is one great principle the country has tossed out the window, if there is one great piece of advice and truth that is utterly ignored in the political ethos of the United States today, it is the words of James Madison above as written in “The Federalist,” no. 57. And it’s why we are destroying ourselves.
Of course, firstly, to do what Madison said, a person must know what “virtue” and “wisdom” are, and most Americans don’t. The godless Left has made licentiousness, decadence, perversion, and depravity so prevalent that a nuclear family is now “weird.” And such is the reason why we elect people like Biden, Clinton, Obama, Pelosi, and every other Democrat in Washington and around the country—and most Republicans as well.
If you give Evil the right to vote, do not be surprised when Evil is elected to public office. If you give Madness the right to vote, do not be surprised when Knaves are elected to office. If you give Selfishness the right to vote, do not be surprised when Selfish people are elected to office. If you give Ignorance and Idiocy the right to vote, do not be surprised when tyrants rule over you. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But we have kicked God’s Word to the curb, and true wise men can see the horrendous consequences of that in our world today.
As James Madison so perceptively wrote, the first two crucial elements in any country, or, as he said, the “aim of every political constitution,” should be, first, to elect rulers of wisdom and virtue, those able to “discern” the “common good of society.” Please note that last phrase: “the COMMON good of society.” Governments should benefit every citizen equally, not provide special privileges and benefits to people whom those in power favor and whose votes they want to purchase. If you read the powers given Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, you’ll see that those powers are neutral, benefitting all Americans equally. There was no DEI, no money for some favored group paid for by those out of power. No political parties are mentioned in the Constitution (and George Washington specifically warned against them) because parties are divisive, not unifying. When Party D gets in power, it will benefit its members, paid for partly by Party R’s members who do not believe in those things. And when Party R gets in power, it will reciprocate. That isn’t unity. That is division; that isn’t “the COMMON good,” Madison said was the “first aim of a political constitution.” And THAT, folks, is what really caused America’s civil war if you’ll take the time to study it and truly find out.
AND, further, “to compel a man to furnish funds [taxes] for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is tyrannical and sinful” (Thomas Jefferson). Amen and Amen. “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none” (Jefferson again). Triple Amen.
But a “tyrannical and sinful” government is exactly what America has today, and it is exactly why the country is so horribly divided. We have elected evil, degenerate rulers with no virtue and no wisdom who think only of themselves and how they can selfishly remain in power. And they do it by granting financial and other favors to people they are trying to cajole into voting for them. America has created a hideously unvirtuous political system that has been and is being ruthlessly exploited by godless tyrants who worship no god but power. It has been happening for too long now, and even the great wisdom of our Founding Fathers hasn’t been able to protect us from our own lack of virtue and wisdom.
As always, our Founders were right. America has given power to amoral narcissists, and the country is in dire straits because of it. It’s not new in history by any means, but it does seem to be a lesson that humans never learn.
Madison’s second point in the opening quote is equally valid. We must elect rulers of virtue and wisdom and “take the most effective precautions for keeping them virtuous while they continue to hold their public trust.” “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). Even the best of men can be tempted to abuse power. That is exactly why the Founding Fathers wrote a Constitution that gave national government officials very little power, putting most of it into the hands of state and local governments that the people can more easily monitor. Impeachment and removal from office was a protection against unscrupulous leaders written into the Constitution, but such has proved very ineffectual. How do you keep the wicked from being wicked? Nobody, not our Founding Fathers, not even Jesus, has ever been able to solve that greatest of human dilemmas.
Thus, every great nation in history has eventually destroyed itself, firstly, from within with unvirtuous rulers, and secondly, by hungrier mouths who descend upon it to feast on its dying, decadent carcass (can you say, “illegal aliens”?). Our Founders understood that perfectly. They repeatedly warned us about it and tried desperately to protect us against it. But nobody can fully protect against evil in the human heart. Evil obviously has a vested interest in perpetuating itself.
Too many Americans no longer know virtue and wisdom; they only know evil and decadence, which is why evil and decadence rule much of America.
My substack: mklewis929.substack.com. Read my series on “Wisdom From the Founders,” and Biblical studies of Psalms 119 and Revelation. There’s lots of good stuff exposing Leftism’s follies, and a frequent video podcast (for paid subscribers), so sign up. Follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl. Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon.