"The kind of power these factions are seeking is a power that the American Founding, based largely on principles of Protestant Christianity, intentionally put out of reach."
Unfortunately both major parties have been ratcheting up executive power for decades. The new illiberals seem to be just seeking another click on the ratchet.
The founders knew their machinations were a Rube Goldberg machine. They said as much in their various confessions. Let's face it... liberal democracy, US-style, is technocracy. It's government by technique. Let's design a government that dilutes power.
This was good, applied wisdom, and it remains good, applied wisdom. The only problem...
The founders, alongside their paper barriers, also provided an escape clause. "Alter or abolish".
It was epistemologically necessary for this escape clause to be included; after all, it wouldn't have been a good look to say otherwise, in the aftermath of kicking out George III.
But alteration and abolition require exercises of power, not restraint of power.
As I see it, this is the paradox of our founding.
Oh, what a mess we are. A beautiful mess. But a mess.
I wish I understood it all better. Brian, long time friend since you were a teenager, what do you think of this book: "Letter to the American Church" by Eric Metaxas. I saw it advertised.
"The kind of power these factions are seeking is a power that the American Founding, based largely on principles of Protestant Christianity, intentionally put out of reach."
Unfortunately both major parties have been ratcheting up executive power for decades. The new illiberals seem to be just seeking another click on the ratchet.
The founders knew their machinations were a Rube Goldberg machine. They said as much in their various confessions. Let's face it... liberal democracy, US-style, is technocracy. It's government by technique. Let's design a government that dilutes power.
This was good, applied wisdom, and it remains good, applied wisdom. The only problem...
The founders, alongside their paper barriers, also provided an escape clause. "Alter or abolish".
It was epistemologically necessary for this escape clause to be included; after all, it wouldn't have been a good look to say otherwise, in the aftermath of kicking out George III.
But alteration and abolition require exercises of power, not restraint of power.
As I see it, this is the paradox of our founding.
Oh, what a mess we are. A beautiful mess. But a mess.
I wish I understood it all better. Brian, long time friend since you were a teenager, what do you think of this book: "Letter to the American Church" by Eric Metaxas. I saw it advertised.
Stellar, Dr. Mattson.