History Lesson Needed?

I've heard a lot of people talking lately about getting rid of the current crop of politicians and going back to a bunch of Thomas Jefferson types who were dedicated to smaller government.  That sounds good unless you read up on the history of Thomas Jefferson.


If you look at the Kentucky and Virginia Resolution and his opposition to the Alien and Sedition Act supported and rammed through Congress by President John Adams, one would think that he was indeed opposed to big government.


Well, guess what? He was totally opposed to, big government, until Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third President of the United States of America. That was when things changed. If you are talking about the percentage of increase in government size. During the eight years that Thomas Jefferson was President he presided over the biggest INCREASE in the size of the federal government in the history of the United States of America.


There is an old saying, "Power corrupts!" The corollary to this law is that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely!"  This begs the question, will our new freshmen representatives be able to resist the "corruption of power" which comes as part and parcel of the office of Representative of the United States of America. Remember, you just elected them to one of the most exclusive and prestigious private clubs in the world. At any given time, there are only one hundred Senates and four hundred thirty-five members of the House of Representatives out of a worldwide population of just under seven billion people.


Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember the good intentions of many new politicians and watch them go smiling off to the wars of Washington DC. Of all of them that I personally know very much about, one, and only one has thus far resisted the corruption that is Washington.


I hope this time will be different! Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, I will not hold my breath until I see if it really works. After all, no one has yet answered the sixty-four million dollar question. Why would anyone spend twenty million dollars to win a job which pays one hundred and seventy-four thousand a year? Do the math:


20000000 - (174000 * 2)  = 1652000 in the hole.


As long as this type of math is being used in Washington I fear that the only thing, which will correct the problem, is one giant enema hose placed squarely in the center of the capital building. The biggest problem is that once THAT clog is loosened there is likely to be one very, very, very big mess.


Unfortunately, it is probably our children who will be forced to deal with the stink.