Hello Westfield, OK, back to politics…I had a surprisingly lot of positive response to my previous edit. How many really understand the words we use when it comes to this subject, or do we go along to get along; parroting someone else’s revised versions? A lot of my INDEPENDENT VOTER comments are often aimed at self-defined Conservatives, as they really are not…for what they say they are, has little to do with the terms they use. Likewise many Dems as well. This goes back to language. It may impress some people: Oh I’m a … and I believe in… Small government, and Conservatives did, early on that small government was the King, and the status quo: things do not change…Everything changes but in the 19th Cent. Old World it meant that the king stays king. WWI introduced many Old Worlders to Americanisms from our military. By WWII, plus enhanced communications as radio, lead to reforms. That gave Rights to the general populous. And, then with the war itself 100’s thousands of Americans all over, and our sense of personal Rights and Freedoms, our ability to vote, to organize, etc. America changed the world. And, with all the death and destruction; they no longer looked forward to the next war.
Liberals, originally were the Wealthy business class, thus those able to vote and be elected to office. Due to their vast investment in Trade and Commerce, banking and finance, and as time moved on mining and industry. As such they wanted their interests to be included into the government decision making. That is where the idea of a party that seeks inclusion came. Both factions however had no want to include the working people. A familiar example of a Liberal back then, was Ebenezer Scrooge. By the 20th century working men and soon women could vote.
The reason for the slogan: taxation without representation to come about was that most colonists couldn’t vote, and for those that could their voting district was in England.
A quick set of terms: politics; Greek origin: city, other related words: polite, police, polished… for the city was the place for doing business as such needed policing, the need to be “polite,” and city folk were polished in contrast to the rest of the population that were farmers. Government: of Latin origin derived from their term for rudder, that which steers the ship of state. Republic; two Latin words; Res Publica; things business. Bible reference the Publicans men of finance. Democratic; two Greek words Demos, and cratia; the People Rule. Oligarch, again Greek, meaning the Few Rule. More later. Verify by going to you library, reference room, and find a good dictionary, and encyclopedias (they compete to be objective)
The U.S was a mix of both…Jefferson’s Democratic Republican Party, as an example. Though he based his government model on the Old World class model and social order, more Oligarchic as was the way of it in most southern states. A curiosity is that in the North, Hamilton’s Federalist dominated, they were far more into real Democracy than Jefferson. The term Federalism has been modified A LOT, from the time of Hamilton for he advocated for a strong central government vs. states’ rights, and that the rich/prosperous be responsible to pay the taxes, as our nation enabled them to get rich. And, that the rest of the Americans needed to retain as much money as they can to move up the economic ladder. (Federalist Papers) Ok, enough for today; Next will be: are the Democrats going to seize defeat from the jaws of victory? Your former ward 3 city councilor Brian Hoose [email protected]
