Where there are no rights, there are no duties.
Categories
Benjamin Constant
Categories
Devil’s Island
On August 22, 1952, France closed its penal colony on Devil’s Island.
At first a leper colony, it had been transformed by the end of the 19th century into a prison tasked primarily with housing enemies of the French state.
Opponents say term limits destroy “institutional knowledge.”
Imagine legislatures where unsophisticated solons blindly fashion public policies lacking any knowledge of the pluses or minuses of past legislation.
Well . . . actually that explanation bears a striking resemblance to the status quo in our career-dominated Congress. Who wants that?
Now comes an interesting real-world example of such institutional memory: term limits itself.
Back in 1991, residents of Jacksonville, Florida, petitioned a limit of two consecutive terms for city council members onto the ballot — after the city council voted not to place it before voters. When voters had their say, a very loud 82 percent endorsed term limits.
The Florida Times Union called it a “landslide decision.”
That was 26 years ago.* Last month, Councilman Matt Schellenberg proposed that the voter-enacted two-term limit should be replaced by a more politician-friendly three-term limit. He wants to stay in office for 12 years, rather than just eight.
“I think we restrict democracy when we put limits on us,” he declared. “I find the position of being on the council for 12 years is a perfect number . . .”
That’s when Councilman John Crescimbeni offered a dose of outside-the-institution memory, explaining that council members who voted against placing term limits on that 1991 ballot were run over.
“Six of the ten people who voted against [term limits] didn’t come back to office,” Crescimbeni warned. “If you want to push the green button tonight, I suspect that’s going to seal your fate.”
Suddenly, the city council decided to push off making any decision . . . until this week’s meeting. **
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
* A new poll commissioned by U.S. Term Limits shows that Jacksonville voters oppose weakening their term limits law by a better than four-to-one margin.
** Your displeasure can be communicated to the Jacksonville council by calling (904) 630-1377.
Illustration based on a photograph by Mark Bonica
It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?
Categories
Nat Turner
On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led slaves and freed black Americans in a rebellion that was quickly suppressed.
Categories
Townhall: Symbols of Division and Diversion
What are we to make of these too-interesting/vexing times? Is it time for action about symbols? Click on over to Townhall for some ideas….
- PBS: Charlie Rose on Charlottesville
- Wikipedia: List of Presidents of the United States who owned slaves
- Census Data – 1860
- New York Times: New Estimate Raises Civil War Death Toll
- Common Sense: Radicalized Collectivists on the March
- Common Sense: Wolves Crying Wolf
- Townhall: Hate is Our Business
Categories
Estonian Independence
On August 20, 1991, Estonia issued a decision to re-establish independence on the basis of historical continuity of the Baltic country’s pre-World War II statehood, sloughing off Soviet rule since 1940.
On August 20, 1935, Ron Paul was born. Paul is now famous for his heroic congressional record, his several presidential campaigns, and for books such as End the Fed and Liberty Defined.
Categories
James Mill
A nation is poor or is rich according as the quantity of property which she annually creates, in proportion to the number of her people, is great or is small. Now commerce tends to increase this annual produce by occasioning a more productive application and distribution both of the land and of the labour of the country.
Categories
Racialized Collectivists on the March
After viewing Vice’s excellent, revelatory coverage of the so-called “Unite the Right” rally, it might help putting the current culture war and its Charlottesville battlefield in perspective courtesy of Carl “Sargon of Akkad” Benjamin:
https://youtu.be/gwSYhTWk6E8
Categories
Jean-Baptiste Say
The love of domination never attains more than a factitious elevation, that is sure to make enemies of all its neighbours.