Thomas Jefferson's Opinion Regarding the Redistribution of Wealth

"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." --Thomas Jefferson

The basic premise of American Society is individuality, personal responsibility, and the allowance to keep more of what one produces for himself. Through these principles the free market was born in America, and that system of Capitalism catapulted the United States to a position of prosperity never seen before in history.

Some men, during that time in history, argued that the government must take away some of the riches from those that are successful and distribute those fruits down to the less fortunate, the premise being that the poor were in that position of poverty by no fault of their own. Perhaps that is true in a governmental system that is highly centralized, and the government disallows prosperity through its heavy handed regulatory powers. In America, however, the Founding Fathers determined that prosperity comes to a society that provides equal opportunity, not to one that demands the government provide equal results. In a society based on true liberty, the less fortunate, for the most part, are in that position by no fault but of their own, but even in their present position, can still turn things around and become a prosperous member of the society. In a society where one has the freedom to succeed, that freedom also extends to the opportunity to fail. Failure, however, can be a launching board for success, motivating the individual who has experienced failure, and does not desire to return to such a position in life.

Creating wealth on an individual basis, in the long run, is also good for economies, and ultimately for the economic security of a nation. One must understand, however, that despite the rantings by those that cling to liberal political belief system, wealth is not taken by the rich from the poor, but is created through the innovation and industriousness of a hard working people.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," was the old adage, a saying born from a conservative mindset.

The Founding Fathers knew about the kind of people that would rather redistribute the wealth, rather than encourage everyone in society to create wealth for themselves. Today we call those people "liberals." The system they embrace has many names, but the most recognizable is "socialism."

The United States Constitution, and our republican form of government, was designed to combat such backward leftist thinking; a progressive agenda that supports strong, centralized governmental systems the Founders referred to as "tyranny." As always, the wisdom of the ages truly makes itself apparent when one studies the founding of this nation, and the great men that were a part of it.

Oh, and what is that wisdom of the ages? The Founding Fathers acquired that wisdom through research and exhaustive study of past governments, specifically republics. Through their studies, they created our American form of government, recognizing that it what was best for America because of Divine Providence.

God Bless America.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary