Now that Donald J. Trump is officially our president once again, we are confronted by two distinct possibilities. Will his blitzkrieg on inefficient and wasteful government and government spending turn out to be the set of reforms of which our beloved country has so long been in need? Or will his heavy-handed in-flight tinkering with the Airship of State cause inflation, depression, and rioting in the streets? There is of course a third option. It could be both, first one and then the other.
If we have a lot of the former and little or none of the latter in four years, I, for one, will be a fan; but only future history will resolve these questions!
It would help if he could keep his foot out of his mouth. In a social media post, President Trump said, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” A statement like that cannot help but have ramifications, historically speaking.
It goes back to King Louis XIV who said, “L’état c’est moi” which was the Frenchman’s way of saying I am the State and the State is me, no questions asked or considered.
Here’s another example: On December 2, 1804 at his coronation, Napoleon placed the crown on his own head as if to say I do not need the endorsement of the church or people, I am the King because I say so!
In 1964, Barry Goldwater, upon accepting the Republican nomination, said, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!” So close, and yet, so widely off the mark. The remark is widely considered to be the reason he lost the race. We could never and should never take issue with the “defense of liberty” part. However, many people did take issue with the subtext of Mr. Goldwater’s campaign pledge, namely that he, and he alone, would be the Decider no matter the impacts.
I am reminded of the fourth tenet of the Jaycee creed: Government should be of Laws rather than of Men. Laws have the advantage of being written, considered, revised, re-written, and voted on.
The ancient Greeks warned against the vice of hubris and with good reason.
Recent Comments