Why people seek elected office

Plato, Republic, 1.347.

[T]he chief penalty is to be governed by someone worse if a man will not himself hold office and rule. It is from fear of this, as it appears to me, that the better sort hold office when they do, and then they go to it not in the expectation of enjoyment nor as to a good thing, but as to a necessary evil and because they are unable to turn it over to better men than themselves or to their like.

Alexis Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 195.

Great talents and great passions generally turn away from power in order to pursue wealth; and it often happens that one takes charge of directing the fortune of the state only when one feels oneself barely capable of conducting one’s own affairs.

It is to these causes as much as to the bad choices of democracy that one must attribute the great number of vulgar men who occupy public offices. In the United States, I do not know if the people would choose superior men who might solicit their votes, but it is certain that such men do not solicit them.

C.S. Lewis, Present Concerns, 17.

I am a democrat [proponent of democracy] because I believe in the Fall of Man.

I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that every one deserved a share in the government.

The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they’re not true. . . . I find that they’re not true without looking further than myself. I don’t deserve a share in governing a hen-roost. Much less a nation. . . .

The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. Aristotle said that some people were only fit to be slaves. I do not contradict him. But I reject slavery because I see no men fit to be masters.

Friday miscellaneous (5/11)

Just FYI, Winston Churchill didn’t really exist (which must come as quite the surprise to him). At least, that’s what one out of every five British teens seems to think. (And somehow Robin Hood’s existence ranked higher than Richard I, despite them both being part of the same story.)

A school in Washington saw an 85% drop in suspensions using a new discipline approach.

Paul Mirengoff considers why no early challenge came to Romney’s nomination, and why it took so long for Santorum to gather support. He writes, “I believe the explanation lies partly in the tendency of conservatives to exaggerate the importance of certain insights, to the detriment of their ability realistically to assess the candidates from a more holistic conservative perspective.”

This week Rick Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney.

Obama’s reelection campaign is starting out ruthless. In the words of one commenter: “Obama has gone ‘forward’ all the way to the strategy of Walter Mondale. The president may persuade voters with this message, but he apparently has given up trying to inspire them. And this is not a small thing, since the Obama brand once consisted mainly of inspiration.”

The Obama campaign hit a snag in West Virginia this week. In the primary, 41% of Democratic voters went for Keith Judd, inmate at a Texas Federal prison.

We learn a lot about candidates from their political history, their friends, and their tough decisions. But what do we learn from their spouses?

For would-be dictators out there, here’s some good advice. Building a Death Star (as appealing as it sounds) isn’t worth it in a cost-benefits analysis. Instead, the author suggests considering the following:

1) Information Security. Wouldn’t it be nice if some too-dumb-to-talk 30 year old bucket of bolts couldn’t hack into the DS’s computer system in a few seconds? I would think so.

2) Troop Transportation. How does the US military get around in the desert? Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles. How do elite scouts of the future get around? On overgrown lizards. It’s just embarrassing.

3) More robots, please. I get it: the “Clone Wars” featured Republic clones vs the robot armies of the separatists, and the clones won. Still, though, some of those robots would be really useful in tactical situations, perhaps guided by clones on the ground.

4) More probe droids, please. After the Yavin debacle, the Empire sent out probe droids to scan remote systems. Why not keep a few loitering on every planet on a permanent basis? Then it would be lot harder for any rebellion to hide.

5) Practice, practice, practice. An entire legion of the Emperor’s best troops was defeated by a village of teddy bears fighting with sticks and stones. It’s just embarrassing. Clearly they needed better training in tactics, marksmanship, and hand-to-paw combat.

A radio enthusiast donated some old recordings to the Smithsonian, only to find them for sale online. He did his own investigating and uncovered thousands of stolen items.

In the 1980s, American Airlines began selling lifetime airline passes. It’s now seeking to get them revoked after losing millions.

This is a pretty incredible story about the US trained Iraqi troops now patrolling Iraq.

And finally, watch this to find out how to survive a robot attack (and then watch this).

Future ideas

Sorry that we don't have a substantive post for today. Jeremiah is visiting Michigan, which means that the authors are talking with each other instead of writing for you.

We've already covered several millenia of politics and history, so you can all  be jealous.

We've also been talking a lot about this blog and future posts. So keep watching for updates.

And let us know if you have any suggestions.

John Quincy Adams

"The duty is ours, the results are God's."

These are the famous words spoken by the 6th president of the United States. They have inspired me and I wanted to share a little about a figure who is little remembered by history.

Did you know that John Quincy Adams was serving his county at the age of 14? Yes, indeed, he is an example of a young man who lived 1 Timothy 4:12 that says:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

He was the assistant and translator to the colonial representative to Russia during the Revolutionary War. After about a year his mother (who was very controlling and critical of him her whole life) insisted that he come back to civilization-his father was the ambassador to the Dutch-to continue his education. JQA grew a lot in Russia learning to be independent and a self learner (feasting on the small Saint Petersburg library), but it was his greatest regret that he "wasted" so much time that he could have been in Harvard. He felt a duty to follow in his father's footsteps.

John Quincy Adams' presidency was a political disaster. He entered office under a cloud, and he didn't do himself any favors. He down right refused to do anything that looked, smelled, or could possibly be construed to be political. He lost his reelection and left office sad and dejected.

But this is where the story gets good. When his life was at its worst, God stepped in and brought meaning and excitement.

JQA was elected to congress and found a cause. He was no longer in it for himself. He found something bigger than his life that was worth fighting for. He began to fight against slavery (he is rightly called the American Wilberforce) and for the right of the American people to petition their government. The dull man who could not inspire a crowd of fans began to give rousing speeches on the floor of the Congress. He became the most inspired congressman who would bring applause from the audience and shouts of rage from his enemies.

JQA's greatest triumph was when he argued on behalf of slaves in the famous Supreme Court case United States v. The Amistad Africans. He argued before a hostile court packed with his political enemies. But his conviction and arguments that surpassed merely standing on legal doctrine and appealed to natural law and basic morality won the day.

John Quincy Adams is a hero because he is a great example of a man who had all the success that life and station could give and was unable to make much of it, but when he found God's call he became a pillar of American history. God can use anyone who is willing to follow His call. That is a hero.

Post by Jeremiah Lorrig

________
Related posts:
Why Superheroes?

Sec. Sabelius flunks Con Law

In what is becoming a systematic problem among the entire Democratic party leadership, Sec. Kathleen Sabelius of Health and Human Services was unable to answer basic constitutional questions regarding her purposed rule for contraceptive coverage. Watch the video.



First it was Pelosi's "are you serious?" response to a question about legislative power. Then Obama messed up judicial review (twice). And now this. Congressman Gowdy gets the Court's precedents right. But the Secretary hasn't even considered the issue.

It's not that there aren't any arguments to support the Democratic positions; there are (but I think they're rather weak in many instances). I don't think they're intentionally ignoring or undermining the Constitution. That would require knowledge about the Constitution.

I'm beginning to think the people in power have no idea what they're talking about.

________
Related posts:
A Constitutional Rewrite
Nullification, Federalism, and the Separation of Powers

College version of Les Miserables' One Day More

Someone shared this very clever song done by a very talented crew of students at Patrick Henry College. It has been a long time since I have had to study for an exam, but it has it struck a cord (hehe get the pun?) because of the talent, the many students I know who are in finals right now, and the fact that it is based on Les Miserables.

A variety of students are on the verge of ending their school year and, of course, because they are out of their minds with study, they break out into song!

I was able to track down the author of the piece and get the lyrics from him. They are posted below.