I need to re-read Animal Farm by George Orwell. It is a book about talking animals: pigs, horses, that sort of thing. But, it is not a sweet children's book. It is a brilliant cautionary tale about how the pigs on the farm convince the other animals that all of them should overthrow their cruel overlords and then become equal animals. Of course, by the end of the book, the pigs have taken over (which was their intention all along) and they tell the others that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
The founding father's of the United States recognized the danger in allowing power to be focused in one entity, thereby they reasoned out three branches of government to check and balance each other. They also asserted and believed that the true power of the government was inherent in the voice of a free and informed electorate--the voice of the people. They feared "big government," and the propensity of human nature towards power and avarice. They set a fixed scale of responsibility with the federal government carrying little or no obligation.:
Following is the fixed scale of responsibility as seen by the founders:
The first and foremost level of responsibility is with the individual himself
the second level is the family
then the church
next the community
finally the county
and, in a disaster or emergency, the state.
Under no circumstance is the federal government to become involved in public welfare.
The founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor. (the poor would feel obliged to vote for the leaders who took care of them). No Constitutional authority exists for the federal government to participate in charity or welfare.
[as stated in The 5000 year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen]
Wake up Americans. Become informed. Many of the animals in Animal Farm were content to be told what to do by the pigs. Many thought the pigs smarter. Some of the animals were lazy or thought things would always go on as they had in the past. And, sadly, most of the animals thought the pigs had their best interests at heart.
Perhaps it's time for us all to re-read Animal Farm.
