There is danger from all men.

There is danger from all men.  The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with the power to endanger public liberty.    

- John Adams

John Adams provides us with a great litmus test, or measuring stick, for our government.  Have we trusted a man (or a group of men) with the power to endanger public liberty?  This is a good question, and one that can be debated endlessly.  Let me try to play both sides. 

Our president has been given (or has assumed) way too much power, insomuch that he has, indeed, crossed the line into endangering public liberty.  Where?  When?  How? The greatest argument supporting this assertion is taxation and government spending.   It is no secret that our current president has spent more money than the last ____ presidents combined.   Having never had to keep a balanced budget in his life (I don’t think that’s a stretch), he simply does not have the worldview or experience of economic/financial responsibility.   The concept of not spending what you don’t have is simply foreign to him, and I daresay it does not enter into his realm of possibilities that there be a balanced budget or a decrease in our national debt.  His definition of a deadbeat nation is one that does not raise its debt ceiling.  My definition of a deadbeat nation is one that is not spending within its means.  To be fair, I doubt there are but a few presidents who have behaved as financially responsible as I think one should; but comparatively speaking, this president has to take the cake.  In addition, he has unilaterally stepped in to rescue private companies with government spending, creating an even bigger burden on the taxpayers. 

So, he has spent a lot of money, I’ll give you that.  But how has that impacted your personal freedoms, or “endanger[ed] public liberty”?

Bad economic policy creates poverty and dependence on the government.  Poverty and freedom are rarely seen together.  Ask the millions on food stamps, and the record number of people holding up cardboard signs at intersections these days.  It is not the government’s job to ensure employment for everyone; and ironically enough, when they try to do that with misguided principles (more government spending), it has the opposite effect.   Has my personal liberty been impacted by this president?  Hmmm.  I honestly think not, at least not directly.  I am not satisfied with my answer to your question; but this is where I stand right now. . .

Furthermore, it’s the Congress that approves spending, not the President.  

I’ll give you that one.  And so I’ll expand Adam’s statement to a plurality: “trust no man, or group of men” with the power to endanger public liberty.  Shame on those who voted for bailouts, who could not pass a balanced budget, and those who (at the very same time) live much more extravagantly than the average American.  This is one reason we had such a dramatic shift in the 2010 elections; many constituents did not agree with the huge increase in government spending.

So, government spending.  That’s all you got?  Pretty weak evidence to support the allegation of endangering public liberty. 

Yeah, I’ll stop here, I think.  Sure, I have my gripes with this president—and about 95% of our current politicians; but I’m unable to articulate how this post’s quotation from Adams relates to modern politics.    It’s a combination of my lack of knowledge of details, and my inability to write politics well. 

I like the quotation, though!

**This is the third post based on quotations I've lifted from my reading of David McCullough's book, John Adams.