Government – of, by and for the government ~ By Pat Boone

Commentary from WorldNetDaily

By Pat Boone Posted: December 12, 2009 ~ 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 How many of us have memorized Abraham Lincoln's immortal words from his Gettysburg address? "…that government, of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth." I suspect that, apart from Thomas Jefferson's equally immortal "… certain unalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," there are no words better known or more precious to patriotic Americans. Democracy. Independence. Liberty. Freedom itself. All of these more abstract concepts are actualized and made understandable in the words "government of the people." Government by the people themselves. Government fashioned completely for the benefit not of the governors, but for the people who select their own governors – to do the will of the people. This was a truly revolutionary concept. And it brought about the revolution that changed the world. The colonies that constituted America then were peopled with folks who were subject to a king; they were under his authority and pretty much had to live as he ordered, at his pleasure. But, the king wasn't there, and the people had gotten a very good taste of what it was like to make most of their own decisions and live as they chose. And they liked it. When the commands of the king became odious, and when he forced them to take things they didn't want – and then taxed them heavily on those very things – the people rebelled. In a bloody, impossible war, which against all odds they won, the people formed a whole new kind of government. It was their wish to govern themselves, voluntarily, through elected representatives who would implement the wishes of the majority. It would be a spare, lean government, guaranteeing equality for all citizens and favoritism to none. The framers of the Constitution foresaw, even foreordained, a competitive tension between the executive and legislative branches of this government, so they made the judicial branch the referee, determining which branch was adhering to the Constitution and which was usurping powers not granted it. And to make sure the elected representatives obeyed the Constitution and the expressed wishes of the people, they knew they could be kicked out of office after serving a short term. The people were in charge. The people ruled. And it worked! For over 200 years, this unprecedented, wild dream worked! The United States of America became the best, the most prosperous, powerful and envied country in the history of the world. The people proved they could govern themselves, in a system they called a republic, a democracy. But early on, Ben Franklin warned, "Beware; if the congressmen discover they can appropriate funds by taxation for their own purposes, the republic will be lost." READ FULL STORY>>