Comments on: Internal Improvements III http://www.wholesomereading.com/2008/12/16/internal-improvements-iii/ Musings on culture and politics by baseball writer Steven Goldman Sat, 19 May 2012 10:19:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Shaun P. http://www.wholesomereading.com/2008/12/16/internal-improvements-iii/#comment-551 Shaun P. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:41:23 +0000 http://www.wholesomereading.com/?p=378#comment-551 And all these years I thought JQA was just a failure as President. I was woefully mistaken. Rob, I'd say the converse of your statement is true as well: the less power wielded by the central government, the more opportunities for spectacular failures due to nothing being done - or worse, 50 states running in 50 different directions, some working together but some hurting each other. The funny thing about the quotes of Jackson and Jefferson is that, of course, when it was THEM in charge, doing things beyond the idea of "limited powers" was A-OK. And all these years I thought JQA was just a failure as President. I was woefully mistaken.

Rob, I’d say the converse of your statement is true as well: the less power wielded by the central government, the more opportunities for spectacular failures due to nothing being done - or worse, 50 states running in 50 different directions, some working together but some hurting each other.

The funny thing about the quotes of Jackson and Jefferson is that, of course, when it was THEM in charge, doing things beyond the idea of “limited powers” was A-OK.

]]> By: Rob in CT http://www.wholesomereading.com/2008/12/16/internal-improvements-iii/#comment-549 Rob in CT Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:29:27 +0000 http://www.wholesomereading.com/?p=378#comment-549 To be fair, this stuff does tend to conflict with the revolutionary idea that governmental power is too easily directed such that it restricts liberty (the ultimate ideal in this idealistic nation of ours). Hence Ronnie's famous quote. I'm not saying it's the correct view, but it's certainly understandable. The more power wielded by the central government, the more opportunities for spectacular failures (flipside being the more opportunities for big improvements, I know). As for Europe... I imagine there was and remains a pretty strong gut feeling that what they can do we can do better in our own peculiar way (*not* by mimickry). Again, I don't necessarily agree with that view... To be fair, this stuff does tend to conflict with the revolutionary idea that governmental power is too easily directed such that it restricts liberty (the ultimate ideal in this idealistic nation of ours). Hence Ronnie’s famous quote.

I’m not saying it’s the correct view, but it’s certainly understandable. The more power wielded by the central government, the more opportunities for spectacular failures (flipside being the more opportunities for big improvements, I know).

As for Europe… I imagine there was and remains a pretty strong gut feeling that what they can do we can do better in our own peculiar way (*not* by mimickry). Again, I don’t necessarily agree with that view…

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