James Madison Quote

"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress. ... Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."

by:	James Madison (1751-1836), Father of the Constitution for the USA, 4th US President
Rating:
Categories:	Congress, Constitution, Economics, Education, Police, Power, Religion, Serfdom, Statism, Subversion, Usurpation, Welfare
	Tweet

It is really too bad this is only set up to rate less than an innumerable tomes. And the truth shall set you free.  -- Mike, Norwalk      3
And subvert the foundations of the nation they have. Restore the Republic. End the Fed.  -- J Carlton, Calgary      3
Sounds as though President Madison was making a prediction. Just take a look at Washington today.  -- jim k, Austin,Tx      3
Jim, can you imagine our founding fathers' shock on today's situation.  -- cal, lewisville, tx      3
Every congressman should read this quote every morning before casting a single vote. Madison knew because he studied history.  -- Carol, Georgia      4
Congress is US, We are the Congress. Ever heard of elections for Congress.  -- Waffler, Smith      4
Absolutely true -- and Madison ought to know, he was the prime author of the Constitution. Waffler suffers from groupthink -- spoken like a true government employee suffering from narcissism justifying every power grab by saying, 'hey, we the government ARE the people'. Congress is an elected body of representatives of We the People who administer the government as chartered by the US Consitution. Congress has been granted limited and specific powers of administration by the People -- all else are reserved to the people. Congress is NOT the People -- the People are the People, and some of the people are in the Congress. If you are unable to make the distinction between someone and everyone, you suffer from cognitive dissonance.  -- E Archer, NYC      2
Waffler, excellent comment. Your comment shows you are a patron in good standing of the foreign statist theocracy that infests this land. There is no lawfully or constitutionally recognizable Congress within the boundaries that used to be the United States of America. The foreign despot, recognized by its unlawful, unjust, and unconstitutional compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity, borg mentality, lack of allodial ownership, religious activities, and myriad of alphabet soup agencies, along with its claim of inherent right as an organic hegemony has taken on some of the form of the once de jure government but has defined tyranny far beyond Madison's here quote. "Man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years." (Lysander Spooner)  -- Mike, Norwalk      2
Waffler, when almost every single politician out there is a self serving criminal and cares not at all for his constituents...voting and masturbation are mutually comparable. And no, I don't vote either LOL (unless there is a Libertarian to vote for) It's pointless to "vote" for your dictator. In fact I'd love to see a day when nobody voted because they were all at the local gun shop.  -- J Carlton, Calgary      3
FUD: Fear Uncertainty Doubt... the heart & soul of today's GOP & Tea Baggers... and of most of the posters to this web site too... ;-)  -- Anonymous, Reston, VA, US      3
Reston...I have no fear, no doubt and I'm absolutely certain the communists will be expelled from this nation. You should probably start packing and book a flight to...oh...North Korea? You'll be right at home there. :)  -- J Carlton, Calgary      1
-- J L L, Dover, NH
-- Ronw13, OR
Waffler, have you ever heard of corruption. Dead people in droves are voting, ineligible people are voting, people are voting multiple times, people in sequestered rooms are fabricating huge number of votes, etc., etc., etc. California recently closed down an investigation of illegal votes because the carnal god overlords' activities were being uncovered. I have friends in New Hampshire who have filmed bus loads of students (and others) loading up in colleges in Boston to go register and vote in New Hampshire. I've used this quote often but it fits very well here for the rest of the legitimate voters. “A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years.” (Lysander Spooner) Neither "I", nor any free person has been included in "Congress is US" since at least before the War Between the States.  -- Mike, Norwalk      3
Waffler, your groupthink is showing.  'We' are the People.  There are people in Congress, but not ALL the People.  And because only a few people are representatives in Congress, the government cannot claim to be the People.  The People are the People, and the government is a very small subset of the People.  People in government frequently refer to themselves as the People rather than representatives of the People.  This is how they justify power grabs — 'hey we are the People so it is our right.'  The fact is, government officers and employees are beholden to reams and reams of regulations that the People are not subject to.  Because of the power and the risks being put in the hands of the government, they must observe strict rules — they are not permitted to do just anything.  Too often, government employees attempt to place those restrictions on the People themselves because they do not make the distinction between the free choices of the People versus the limited powers granted to government.  -- E Archer, NYC      3
Well the old man predicted 2021...  -- Bob, Wokestan (Formerly USA)      2
I love this quote — probably because I am an elder now and have learned what a republican form of government is. I imagine today's young adults might be confused by this quote, thinking that it IS the job of government to 'establish schools, assume the provision of the poor, undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads, in short, every thing.' ;-) Compound this corruption with the ability to print up unlimited amounts of currency and charge the people compounding interest on what becomes an unpayable debt, and you can't help to see that we have become slaves to the government, which has become a slave to the private banks that create this 'money' for Congress to spend, spend, spend. Nowhere in the Constitution is the power and authority to regulate carbon emissions, energy production, 'hate speech,' social media, nor to mandate medical procedures — experimental or otherwise — or allow millions of non-citizens to emigrate, work, and even vote, thus displacing the citizens whom the government are supposed to represent. Heed Madison's words.  The Founding Fathers have become the enemies of the State, and their words have all but been blotted out from the minds of the People.  -- E Archer, NYC      3
The people of the United States of America do not want limited government because they are the government. People are good and will guide us to more advanced civilized manners and morals. The people of the United States are only limited for awhile until they are prepared to evolve even more refined and sophisticated. We will amend our manners, our documents, our attitudes and move more thoroughly and confidently through the vastness of space and time, accept the challenge for life and it's infinite destiny. Socialism is the challenge of social abilities to create the infinite life force.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      2
Another false equivalency, Fred.  The people are not the government — the government are representatives of the people and must follow the rules established by the Constitution which limit their powers explicitly.  The government was not formed to guide us!  It was formed to protect us from being ruled, as had been the case for thousands of years.  The people individually are the best judges of guiding themselves.   Certainly, you do not and cannot speak for the people.  This collectivist group-think is exactly the kind of rhetoric used to claim power that is not yours.  The people speak for themselves, and a representative government is to give the people a forum for the redress of grievances.  Since We the People come from many backgrounds, have varying skills, abilities and aims in life, the government cannot 'guide' us.  The laws are for the protection of lives, liberty, and property, i.e. the inalienable rights upon which the government was chartered. The state is a poor guide for the people, as left unto itself, would make all serve the rulers to be the masters of all.  We are not to trust the government — ever.  Like a casino, office-holders are kept in check by the distribution of power because power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  -- E Archer, NYC      1
The people, Mr Archer, are the government. The government proceedings and procedures are for everyone, not for a chosen few. "It is for everyone, or it means nothing."  The government was formed to guide us in a civilized manner. We the People are not that complicated. We all want the same basic desire, Mr Archer, to make a difference, to make a contribution, to ask what positive contribution can I perform for my country and my world?  The government is not a casino because it grows like anything in life. There are no revolutions in casinos, but there are revolutions and revolutionaries in government. Socialism is the challenge of social abilities to create a revolution.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown
Sillik, your theocratic rhetoric, couched in circular word salad has no basis in fact, secularism or nature's law. Sillik your redefinition of words, concepts and doctrines does not change fact or law. FYI, at nature's law (Declaration of Independence) we the people (individually or in concert) are not the government ! ! !  Each person, as an individual is a sovereign that hires persons to represent his/her inalienable rights and liberty in a body politic of servants. At nature's law, corporeal man can NOT create law, he/she can only organize rules, as according to "order" (by example; driving on the right or the left side of the road). Sillik, your reference to proceedings and procedures in a theocratic expose of/within a philosophy such as "legal positivism" or "legal realism" is only appropriate for the theocratic patrons of that specific religion (call it government, socialism or otherwise). To make a difference, contribution and a positive contribution to the individual family of man (individually and in concert) is to promote individual sovereignty, inalienable rights and liberty at nature's law. Socialism is diametrically opposed and destructive to that means.  -- Mike, Norwalk
Fred, your collectivist group-think is showing again.  Indeed socialists have difficulty with establishing boundaries, particularly when defining what is 'mine', 'yours', and 'ours.' The people are the people.  The government is comprised of a very small subset of the people.  A self-governing people are comprised of individuals who are self-governing and thus responsible for their own actions. As a free individual, I cannot dictate to my neighbor, nor am I obligated to follow the dictates of my neighbor.  We each have claims to our labors and the fruits thereof, i.e. our property. A representative government formed by mutual agreement of the people, have only the powers the individuals who chartered it have.  Therefore, if I can't do it to my neighbor, the government can't either.  The primary purpose of government is to resolve disputes in a 'civilized' manner while respecting the rights of each individual equally before 'the law.' Again, the responsibility of the government is not to guide the people — far from it.  It is the responsibility of the people to guide the government! To tear down such a government by revolution is indeed the means of socialism towards the end which is authoritarianism and the rejection of the inalienable rights upon which We the People founded our government.  And to that end, you can expect much resistance from the self-governing as you attempt to lay claim to what is not yours in the name of the common good.  -- E Archer, NYC
Interestingly, Mr Archer in my "groupthink" I have no like minded associates and other than me you don't have any like minded associates. It interesting to me at least that you can't possibly notice this contradiction. Socialism is the challenge of social abilities to create consistency.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      1
Correction: Sorry, Interestingly, Mr Archer in my groupthink I have no like minded associates and other than me you HAVE only like minded associates. It interesting that you can't possibly notice this contradiction. Socialism is the challenge of social abilities to create consistency.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown
(-; Sillik — interesting. Your group think is a void in nothingness (completely lacking in any material reality). Groupthink is a mental onanism that can tangibly in fact, have no associates. Whereas, individual sovereignty allows for no other like minded associates. It is interesting to me at least that you can't possibly notice this contradiction. ;-)  -- Mike, Norwalk

Tweet  Rate this quote! How many stars? 0 1 2 3 4 5	What do YOU think?
Your name:	Your town:     CLICK JUST ONCE!

Get a Quote-A-Day! Free!
Liberty Quotes sent to your mail box.
Email: