We are old fashioned. We would have children memorize this for the simple reason that we know of no better introduction to the purpose of government, both the question and the answer. More on that in a moment.
As to the authorship, credit is given to
Thomas Jefferson. It was an achievement of which he was justly proud. It's right there on the tombstone at Monticello,
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Thomas Jefferson Tombstone at Monticello
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his home outside Charlottesville, Virginia. We put it that way, because it a document with some history and lots of inputs. The Virginia Bill of Rights is one precedent. George Mason was the drafter of that document, which begins:
"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights..."
The point here is not to detract from Jefferson's incredibly fine essay, but rather to note that it was an act of government. And government is a collective business. That in itself makes the achievement significant. That it was an act of government founded on the premise of individual liberty makes it profound.
BREXIT: Contemporary Example No. 1. "No taxation without representation!" was the cry from Britain's American colonies in the 1770s. No one can say that there weren't strong economic motives behind the American drive for independence. But it was also about the nature of government. Indeed, whenever citizens and governments interact, it is always about lots of things mixed up together. On the one hand, there are grievances and aspirations, often economic, and, on the other, there is, inevitably, a concern about the nature of government itself.
The economic elements have understandably gotten a lot of play in the current upheaval over the UK's decision to leave the European Union. But it was also - and arguably fundamentally - about the nature of government. Prime Minister
David Cameron made that clear in his remarks outside 10 Downing Street on June 24. "
[O]n questions about the arrangements for how we are governed," he said,
"there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves, and that is what we have done."
We are hardly the first to mention the Brexit vote and the American Revolution in the same breath. AEI's
Michael Barone did so quite interestingly in a recent article, in which he commented on some of the economic costs of the American Revolution. Citing the work of Peter Linder and Jeffrey Williamson, he noted that "American incomes fell more than 20 percent between 1774 and the 1790s, when Alexander Hamilton's financial system kicked in."
Peter Allgeier did so amusingly several months ago. It was at a GBD event back in February and just a few days before Mr. Allgeier retired. At the time, he was still the president of the Coalition of Service Industries. After describing a conversation with a British colleague who put forward the leave campaign's desire to be free from an oppressive power, Mr. Allgeier reported his own response, which was:
"Well, yes, we had that experience about 200 years ago, and it proved to be [quite beneficial.]"
We should be clear. That observation was made in a lighthearted moment months ago, and we do not assume that it reflects (or reflected) Mr. Allgeier's views on Brexit. But the parallel was drawn.
Presidential Election 2016: Contemporary Example No. 2. This year's Presidential election in the United States will also be about many things: income distribution, trade policy, national security. It will also be about the nature of government.
But that is all for later. Today is a day to put out the flag. Play patriotic music. Watch the Fireworks in the evening. And, if you find yourself in the company of someone associated with Mr. Jefferson's University, you can add to your greeting - with great enthusiasm:
Wa-Hoo-Wa!
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
May You Enjoy to the Fullest This
240th Anniversary of the United States of America.
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For the Fourth of July
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