5000 Year Leap by Skousen-Drifting Away from the Constitution and the Founders Dreams

For those of you that have read my previous blogs related to Glenn Beck's Project 912, I've briefly mentioned the book The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen, which is a book Beck's recommended several times. I finally got the book and dove right in. One of the things that first struck me was in the introduction. The "student" mentions that Skousen passed away in 2006. This book, even in it's newest edition, was before the collapse of Wall Street, the days of bail-outs and pork, and prior to the historic election. I mention this because this book isn't about left wing or right wing agendas. It isn't bashing what's going on in the political scene today, because the author was gone before the walls came tumbling down. This isn't a book for Republicans or Democrats. It's a book for Americans. It goes over the 28 Principles the nation was founded on, with background information, direct quotes, and an unbiased modern-day description of what these principles mean, both yesterday and today.

In reading just the first chapter, I was struck by how dead-on the founder's predictions of the possible-future were. I say "possible" because, unlike some people, I don't believe the United States was doomed to fail. I don't believe that the principles the country were founded on could only hold for so long. I believe if we stuck closer to the Constitution and the origins of this nation, we'd be in a better place today. Again, this book was written before the major issues we've experienced in the past few months. Yet, here's something I found fitting for today: "..the Founders warned against a number of temptations which might lure subsequent generations to abandon their freedoms and their rights by subjecting themselves to strong federal administration operating on the collectivist Left. They warned against the 'welfare state' where the governent endeavors to take care of everyone from the cradle to the grave. Jefferson wrote: 'If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy'" (Skousen, 29)

Hmm...Sound like anything going on in our country now? How bout this: "They warned against confiscatory taxation and deficit spending. Jefferson said it was immoral for one generation to pass on the results of its extravagance in the form of debts to the next generation. He wrote: '...we shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves; and consequently within what may be deemed the period of a generation, or the life (expectancy) of the majority'" (Skousen, 29)

Too bad that's not the case now. Blame Bush, blame Clinton, blame Reagan, blame it back as far as you wanna go, it is what it is now. How do we keep it from affecting the next generation as Jefferson said? April 15th-here we come!!

Here's another interesting tidbit from Sam Adams, on the point of communism and socialism: "The Utopian schemes of leveling (re-distribution of the wealth) and a community of goods (central ownership of the means of production nand distribution) are as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the Crown. (these ideas) are arbitrary, despotic, and, in our government, unconstitutional." (Skousen, 30 from The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams by William V. Wells)




Amazing,within just a few pages how these 3 quotes hit the nail on the head with what's going on in our country today, the latter with what many feel is brewing. It's like one scenario leads into the next situation facing our nation. We were in a bad spot, we wanted change, we voted (not me personally, of course!) for that change, took the consequences that went with it, are now in the most troublesome of economic situations, and shifting towards what many believe is a communist state. Founding Fathers or Pyschics? You be the judge.



It's scarier and scarier everday, as the government seems to get in bed with big business everytime you look around. And the "schemes of leveling"...is it just me or does it seem as though capitalism has taken a backseat to equal oppportunity? The Founders talk a great deal about people giving up their individual freedoms in times of woe, (like now) to turn to a leader that will lean toward this "common good" approach (like now) to help level the playing field. I'm all for everyone being happy, don't get me wrong, but I think every American has the right to the PURSUIT of happiness, not that it should just be a God given right. Speaking of God, in my next blog, we'll get into the Founder's view on religion in contrast to the current un-PC world we live in today....