2 ms·

No, Jefferson was wrong, plain and simple. The American Revolution led to a net decrease in liberty. By the 1790's taxes were higher than they had ever been u

No, Jefferson was wrong, plain and simple. The American Revolution led to a net decrease in liberty. By the 1790's taxes were higher than they had ever been under the British. The war itself force tens thousands of loyalists out of their homeland. Tocqueville wrote: "I do not know a country where there is in general less intellectual independence and less freedom of discussion than in America. .. . In America the majority builds an impregnable wall around the process of thinking."

chrischen 17y ago
How can you quantify the amount of liberty in America??? Let's say taxes were higher, that doesn't mean a decrease in liberty. They fought because of taxation without representation, not because of high taxes. So you're saying that majority rule in USA tends to prevent the smarter people from getting any power? I think what generally happens is that people who are smarter, and do things better, will do it. At least they have the ability to. Reality will prevail and reveal how much better they are, and then the majority will pursue the new method/idea.
- bokonist 17y ago
  I consider taxes to be a decrease in liberty, because I am no longer able to dispose of my income in a way that I please. Instead I am forced to hand some of it over, at pain of imprisonment. I have no actual power to prevent this.
  - chrischen 17y ago
    We all have to sacrifice some liberty. You sacrifice your right to shoot someone so that you in turn will not be shot by someone else. Laws are instituted so that we sacrifice some liberty in order to better preserve other liberties. As far as the war of independence goes, they were being taxed and not being represented properly, and this was an infringement on liberty. Were they doing it so that they can tax themselves higher later? No, of course not. That's not the reason why they wanted independence. They wanted independence to oppose that specific tyranny. So you can't argue that it was a bad decision because they ended up later having higher taxes anyways. You can't say independence was unjustified, because the act of fighting for independence does not by default lead to less liberty by taxation Likewise the statement that blood of tyrants must be shed to preserve liberty is not necessarily wrong by your reasoning because the current act to preserve liberty by bloodshed committed by the Americans was not done with knowledge that it would lead to higher taxation--and less liberty-- later on. So Jefferson saying that bloodshed is necessary to oppose any current liberty restraining powers is independent of any future infringements on liberty, because if such future infringements occur, simply reapply Jefferson's commandment and kill your oppressive leaders.

chrischen 17y ago

How can you quantify the amount of liberty in America??? Let's say taxes were higher, that doesn't mean a decrease in liberty. They fought because of taxation without representation, not because of high taxes. So you're saying that majority rule in USA tends to prevent the smarter people from getting any power? I think what generally happens is that people who are smarter, and do things better, will do it. At least they have the ability to. Reality will prevail and reveal how much better they are, and then the majority will pursue the new method/idea.

bokonist 17y ago
I consider taxes to be a decrease in liberty, because I am no longer able to dispose of my income in a way that I please. Instead I am forced to hand some of it over, at pain of imprisonment. I have no actual power to prevent this.
- chrischen 17y ago
  We all have to sacrifice some liberty. You sacrifice your right to shoot someone so that you in turn will not be shot by someone else. Laws are instituted so that we sacrifice some liberty in order to better preserve other liberties. As far as the war of independence goes, they were being taxed and not being represented properly, and this was an infringement on liberty. Were they doing it so that they can tax themselves higher later? No, of course not. That's not the reason why they wanted independence. They wanted independence to oppose that specific tyranny. So you can't argue that it was a bad decision because they ended up later having higher taxes anyways. You can't say independence was unjustified, because the act of fighting for independence does not by default lead to less liberty by taxation Likewise the statement that blood of tyrants must be shed to preserve liberty is not necessarily wrong by your reasoning because the current act to preserve liberty by bloodshed committed by the Americans was not done with knowledge that it would lead to higher taxation--and less liberty-- later on. So Jefferson saying that bloodshed is necessary to oppose any current liberty restraining powers is independent of any future infringements on liberty, because if such future infringements occur, simply reapply Jefferson's commandment and kill your oppressive leaders.