Franklin Pierce Quote 

"I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity, ...
[it] would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution
and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded."

by:
Franklin Pierce
(1804-1869) U.S. President
Source:
In 1854, when vetoing a bill to help the mentally ill
Categories:
 
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Reader comments about this quote:
oops! don't let this information get out. We hold this truth to be self evident.
 -- Mike, Norwalk		 
If he had been a little wiser and a little more latina he would have found the authority in there somewhere.
 -- Justin, Elkland		 
 -- Anonymous 
Boy how times change...if I were to say maybe its time to buy a kinder, gentler machine gun..."I'm subversive." At least according to Napolitano.
 -- J Carlton, Calgary		 
That's the problem today, Americans have been first taught that charity is good which in pure form is, it's just that they believe, again by being taught, that our administrations are responsible to dish it out and that any American who disagrees is a selfish bastard. The selfish bastard is now the subversive.
 -- Anon		 
It's interesting that a politician becomes a great humanitarian by taking money away from you and giving it to someone else. If I stole money from a neighbor and gave it to another neighbor, I'd be arrested and jailed. These thugs in Washington do it all the time and Libs applaud them for it.
 -- jim k, austin		 
Well said Jim. Remember how compassionate Jimmy Carter was while using other people's money.
 -- cal, lewisville, tx		 
Government is by its very nature a charitable endeavor. All benefit from the common infrastructure created by folk coming together and creating roads and interstates, parks, and hospitals etcetera. One person may pay more in taxes than another. These common works of public property are legacies and a form of charity to our children and grandchildren. The coming together of folk in these ways is to be charitable, and I appreciate what are fore fathers have done for me by coming together to build this nation and "its general welfare". Everyone wants there own to fare well, but hate the word wel-fare, strange is it not. Pierce has never been sited as one of our star performers and now we can see why.
 -- Waffler, Smith		 
Waff, once again warped reasoning. The document says "Promote the general welfare" not "Extort whatever amount of money we want from working people to create a culture of welfare". And Government is NOT charitable by nature, it is historically controlling and power seeking by nature. Man you must really be at odds with all forms of reality.
 -- J Carlton, Calgary		 
Good one, J C. It's getting to the point that people are being taught that the government is reponsible to change diapers and dig graves. Nothing could be further from the intent of the Framers (geniuses, all). They knew that is what creates the same old form of oppressive totalitariaism. Obama and the hidden powers behind him have just about made the real Constitution - the one that kept people free to solve their own problems - obscure and irrelevent. Heaven help us. The looks looks a dry-run for the one-world government that the Bible says will usher in the judgement of God. Thinks it's superstition? Heaven help you.
 -- ColdDeadHand, Dallas		 
Waffler, you are confusing society with government again. Society is a charitable endeavor. Our As Thomas Paine said: "Like fire, (government) is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Our forefathers did not build this country through government but through private endeavor.
 -- Justin, Elkland		 
Society elects government. Justing are you saying your mayor, governor and senator etc are not part and a leading part of society. In your world does anyone lead society.
 -- Waffler, Smith		 
So the revolution was a private endeavor (apparently Justin never heard of the Continental Congress), the Louisiana Purchase was also a private endeavor as was the purchase of Alaska, the railroad land was purchased privately, the War of 1812, Indian Wars, Civil, WWI, and II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq were all private endeavors. The Erie Canal, I&M Canal, Panama Canal, the Interstate Highway System, Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, all dams were a private endeavor. A man land on the moon by private endeavor. Justin are you begining to smoke the same weed as Mike, Jim K, J Carlton and company. The weed of utter ignorance.
 -- Waffler, Smith		 
So how do we hold Congress and the President to account when they pass unconstutional 'laws' that merely raid the Treasury? There must be another check against unlawful spending of the public trust.
 -- E Archer, NYC		 
I believe that a wise latina woman can come to a better conclusion than a white male.
 -- Sonnia Sotomayor, Washington D.C.		 
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