Are we living up to our founder's ideals?

[hueymahl]

“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞. What vast Additions to the Conveniences and Comforts of Living might Mankind have acquired, 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲’𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. What an Extention of Agriculture even to the Tops of our Mountains; What Rivers render’d navigable, or join’d by Canals; what Bridges, Acqueducts, new Roads & other public Works, Edifices & Improvements, rendering a compleat Paradise, might not have been obtain’d 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟! in bringing Misery into thousands of Families, and destroying the Lives of so many Thousands of working People who might have perform’d the useful Labour."

—𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧

[marble falls]

1. You mean like withholding sufferage to more than half the population, not allowing women to own ...

... land or sign contracts, slavery ....

[hueymahl]

4. Interesting response

The quote addressed none of those things.

[ITAL]

2. Much like now

The Founders had differing views about things. One can't say what their ideals actually were other than to be a Republic independent of Britain. Otherwise there were disagreements about a whole lot of stuff.

[walkingman]

3. We have made great improvements over the last 250 years but

it has not been easy and there is much left to do. The one things that has stayed consistent is that the ruling class (those with power and influence) fight it at every turn and will continue to do so. The only way it happens is by collective effort. VOTE like our future depends on it....because it does....literally.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. Should we?

[hueymahl]

6. Good question.

I agree with the quote I posted. In this particular case, I don’t think we are.