state’s rights

On Thomas Jefferson

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Jefferson by Thomas Sully, 1821-22

Jefferson by Thomas Sully, 1821-22

“In spite of all his greatness, anyone who had as many ideas a Jefferson was bound to find some of them would not work. But this does not detract from the wisdom of his faith in the people and his constant insistence that they be left to manage their own affairs. His opposition to bureaucracy will bear careful analysis, and the country could stand a great deal more of its application. The trouble with us is that we talk about Jefferson but do not follow him. In his theory that the people should manage their government, and not be managed by it, he was everlastingly right” — Calvin Coolidge on the third President, 1929, The Autobiography, p.215.

“About the time of the adoption of the Constitution, Jefferson wrote of his disapproval of parties, and somewhat later John Marshall expressed the same opinion. Yet when Jefferson undertook the practical administration of the Government and had a conscientious desire to promote the rule of the people, he became such a thorough party organizer that he has ever since stood as the patron saint of that method of expressing the will of the people. He realized that there was no choice between that system and turning over the administration of public affairs to an oligarchy or an aristocracy. The great place which he holds in our political history is due to his thorough comprehension of that fundamental principle” (Coolidge in one of the last essays he would write, entitled “Political Parties,” published posthumously in the Saturday Evening Post, 1934).

Today marks the 271st anniversary of Jefferson’s birth. A thought-provoking piece by Dr. Clyde Wilson reminds us in “Looking for Thomas Jefferson” to dig past the layers of academic veneer that obscure who he was, how he thought and why he is great…taken, like Coolidge, on his terms not through the lens of modern political prejudices. Historical study, to remain sound and honest however, must resist the urge to replace one set of biases with another. Any scholar must be approached with careful perspective to let the subject lead and inform not conform to the observer’s views.

“The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation”

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Here is an excellent recap of the first Coolidge Gala Dinner held last November. We look forward to many more to come. The fresh introduction to Calvin Coolidge for many who do not know who he is, what he accomplished and why he is important is thrilling to behold.

What a tremendous way to bring back our thirtieth President from an unjust “exile” by historians and to relearn the principles of limited government, engaged citizenship, and fiscal discipline by which he lived and led. These truths, along with many others, lack none of the necessity or power now than they did in his time. This is NOT out of some simplistic nostalgia about the “good old days” but rather strikes at something far more profound and fundamental: A government held to proper limits by a sovereign citizenry is the only foundation for social progress, economic opportunity and individual liberty.

In this period where so many assume “Big Government” is permanently here to handle every human contingency, we are inescapably bound by the reality of Coolidge’s precepts. As much as we may wish otherwise, we cannot indefinitely spend what we do not have just as we cannot reap what we have not sown, whether as individuals or nations. We have no more outgrown Coolidge’s belief in self-government, exemplified by such virtues as hard work, personal initiative and self-control, than the earth has outgrown a need for the sun.

As Mr. Cal Thomas, quoting his Presidential namesake, brings to our attention, “We can not continue to enjoy the result” of all our success “if we neglect and abandon the cause.”

Glenn Beck: Calvin Coolidge Still Matters

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Glenn Beck: Calvin Coolidge Still Matters

From August 13, 2010, here is the matchless Glenn Beck discussing Calvin Coolidge with David Pietrusza (author of 1920: The Year of Six Presidents, Silent Cal’s Almanack, Calvin Coolidge on the Founders, and his latest, Calvin Coolidge: A Documentary Biography) along with Amity Shlaes (author of The Forgotten Man and Coolidge). These three also examine Coolidge’s record on racial tensions, labor difficulties and how America emerged from very real economic and social turmoil into substantial accomplishment and opportunity.

Glenn Beck: Restoring History: Why Calvin Coolidge MattersTaken alongside the show above are these two video segments, “How is Calvin Coolidge relevant today?” from last year, Glenn Beck discusses what was so good about the 1920s and Coolidge’s part in it through an interview of Amity Shlaes.  They take a brief look at the causes of how that decade began with bleak depression and ended with genuine prosperity for everyone. Coolidge would reject the modern economist’s dilemma: either fight inflation and unemployment or cut taxes, either pay down the debt or increase taxes and government spending. Under Coolidge, inflation came down, unemployment became virtually non-existent, expenditures were slashed, taxes were cut four times AND the debt went from $23 to $16 billion in less than six years. Meanwhile, the economic disparities so prevalent during Leftist administrations melted away before actual growth, the freedom and dignity of reward for individual effort and the expansion of affluence felt by all, even the poorest Americans. The Twenties prove everything New Deal apologists and Keynesian economists have been saying for a hundred plus years wrong. Perhaps that is what is so offensive about silenced Cal.

Thanks to Mr. Beck, Mr. Pietrusza and Ms. Shlaes the mythology of a do-nothing Coolidge Presidency is exposed for the vapid revision of history that it is. They remind us that what Coolidge accomplished and the lessons he left us still matter.