Post by saints22 on Jul 10, 2020 16:01:10 GMT -5
The mayor writes a very nice letter, but he’s kind of mixing different things together to make his point.
The Benjamin Franklin quote is inappropriate in the context in which he uses it in his letter. Franklin was talking about a specific situation, a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Penn family (founders of Pennsylvania). The legislature was trying to tax family lands owned by the Penn family to pay for defense of people and property during the French and Indian War. Instead of being taxed on their property, the Penn family wanted to pay a lump sum of money. So when Franklin uses the phrase “purchase a little temporary safety”, he is literally talking about spending money for communal defense and protection.
The mayor also misses on his use of the quote from Jefferson, who is referring to education and voting. He is talking about education being the foundation of democracy and a prerequisite to voting. He says that ignorance and good self-government cannot exist together: one destroys the other. He believed that universal suffrage required or demanded universal education. “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories. And to render them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree"…….through education.
The last paragraph of his letter is more than a bit over the top……
“…..where would America be if our ancestors that pioneered the countryside, facing a mortality rate that would make the coronavirus look like a scratch [he’s entitled to his personal opinion, but that’s all that statement is], had simply given up, turned back, or laid down and died out of fear?” [If those pioneer ancestors had done that, guess most of the country would still be in the possession of the people who lived there before those pioneers forged ahead.]
“When did we stop being the land of the free and the home of the brave?” [Well, if we include slaves in the discussion, and the seemingly endless oppression of immigrants coming to this country, pretty sure it never really has been “the land of the free”.]
“Take charge of your own life. Nobody owes you anything. The government has never been more ill equipped to solve your problems nor is it its function to do so. This is America! Stand up and be somebody! Be brave and live free.” [Pretty much sounds like it’s every person for themselves. “Nobody owes you anything”, so guess you don’t owe anything to anybody else either. Not even going to touch that “The government has never been more ill equipped to solve you problems nor is it its function to do so” comment.
Good for the mayor that he wants everyone to be responsible, do the right thing, and take care of themselves. But at what point do we each owe something to each other, and not just to our family and friends, but to everyone in the community and the country? Don’t we each have a moral obligation to reach beyond ourselves and think of others? Can’t we each do some self-sacrificing, do something we may not particularly want to do, if it will benefit the community at large? Doesn’t really seem like a whole lot to ask, but based on his letter, maybe we shouldn’t bother asking the mayor to do his part.
The Benjamin Franklin quote is inappropriate in the context in which he uses it in his letter. Franklin was talking about a specific situation, a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Penn family (founders of Pennsylvania). The legislature was trying to tax family lands owned by the Penn family to pay for defense of people and property during the French and Indian War. Instead of being taxed on their property, the Penn family wanted to pay a lump sum of money. So when Franklin uses the phrase “purchase a little temporary safety”, he is literally talking about spending money for communal defense and protection.
The mayor also misses on his use of the quote from Jefferson, who is referring to education and voting. He is talking about education being the foundation of democracy and a prerequisite to voting. He says that ignorance and good self-government cannot exist together: one destroys the other. He believed that universal suffrage required or demanded universal education. “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories. And to render them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree"…….through education.
The last paragraph of his letter is more than a bit over the top……
“…..where would America be if our ancestors that pioneered the countryside, facing a mortality rate that would make the coronavirus look like a scratch [he’s entitled to his personal opinion, but that’s all that statement is], had simply given up, turned back, or laid down and died out of fear?” [If those pioneer ancestors had done that, guess most of the country would still be in the possession of the people who lived there before those pioneers forged ahead.]
“When did we stop being the land of the free and the home of the brave?” [Well, if we include slaves in the discussion, and the seemingly endless oppression of immigrants coming to this country, pretty sure it never really has been “the land of the free”.]
“Take charge of your own life. Nobody owes you anything. The government has never been more ill equipped to solve your problems nor is it its function to do so. This is America! Stand up and be somebody! Be brave and live free.” [Pretty much sounds like it’s every person for themselves. “Nobody owes you anything”, so guess you don’t owe anything to anybody else either. Not even going to touch that “The government has never been more ill equipped to solve you problems nor is it its function to do so” comment.
Good for the mayor that he wants everyone to be responsible, do the right thing, and take care of themselves. But at what point do we each owe something to each other, and not just to our family and friends, but to everyone in the community and the country? Don’t we each have a moral obligation to reach beyond ourselves and think of others? Can’t we each do some self-sacrificing, do something we may not particularly want to do, if it will benefit the community at large? Doesn’t really seem like a whole lot to ask, but based on his letter, maybe we shouldn’t bother asking the mayor to do his part.