John Kennedy once said to a assembled group of scholars in the White House; "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
The quotes below could prove his point.
- When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
- The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
- It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
- I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
- My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
- No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
- The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
- The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
- Thos. Jefferson
- Very Interesting Quote:In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Doesn't this sound eerily familiar to what is happening in America today?
h/t: "AbbieNormyl"
(I couldn't corroborate the above quote in my brief research, but did find the following: "A spirit... of gambling in our public paper has seized on too many of our citizens, and we fear it will check our commerce, arts, manufactures, and agriculture, unless stopped." --Thomas Jefferson to William Carmichael, 1791.)
I wonder if this kind of thought wasn't popular at Columbia and Harvard?
3 comments:
Thought of what? Did I miss something? Sort of like the thoughts in my head: not much there.
TJ and his buddies already thought of a lot of the issues that our current government seems to be clueless about, or considers to be 'unprecedented'.
Balderdash!
Jefferson said some similar things, but this particular quote seems to be only partially attributed to TJ. He actually did say in a letter to John Taylor in 1816 that "I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
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