Hearts of stone

Sometimes ideology overcomes humanity. Sometimes an abstract idea becomes more important than reality. Some human beings forget they exist in world populated by other human beings without whom their existence would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Not wishing to bear one another's burdens, some humans seem devoid of any spiritual or communal feeling – espousing a morality of materialism.

They are statues with their hearts of stone.

More Republican constitutional bupkis

The US constitution seems very clear that taxes should be used to benefit the United States: pay the debts; provide for the common defence and the general welfare. But it’s never that clear: whose debts? which defence? what welfare?

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
— Article I (Section 8), US Constitution, 1787

Almost as soon as the constitution was confirmed there were arguments about debts from the war years, and what debts should be honoured. Taxes were used to pay for an invasion of Canada in the War of 1812, a war that was opposed by states near the Canada border who did not see it as part of any common defence. There was comparatively little discussion of the general welfare.

Tea Party: noisy but careless

The USA’s so-called “founding fathers” are the subject of much reverence, often uncritical, and often confused supporters of the US Constitution in 1787. These founding fathers are an amorphous, undefined large group, and let us concentrate on just two: Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson – all of whom are quoted repeatedly in many a Tea Party publication. The quotations are often less sagacious sayings and more convenient concoctions, shown by the fact that apart from the supposed author, citations are usually missing.