Founding Fathers vs. Today's Progressives

Friday, October 30, 2009
By Glenn Beck

The real revolution that's going on right now is limited government vs. total government: Our Founding Fathers believed in limited government; the radicals in the Obama administration believe in total government.

Number one, the right to property vs. social justice: Our Founding Fathers believed in the right to property. James Madison said: "That is not just government, nor is property secure under it, where the property which a man has in his personal liberty is violated by arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service of the less..."

But the Obama administration believes in social justice. Here's former White House green jobs "czar" Van Jones:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER WHITE HOUSE GREEN JOBS 'CZAR' VAN JONES: No more broken treaties. No more broken treaties. Give them the wealth! Give them the wealth! Give them the dignity. Give them the respect that they deserve. No justice on stolen land. We owe them a debt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Next, gun rights vs. gun control: Thomas Jefferson said: "No free man shall ever be de-barred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Compare that to what White House regulatory "czar" Cass Sunstein said about guns: "Almost all gun control legislation is constitutionally fine. And, if the court is right, then fundamentalism does not justify the view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms."

Next, we have free press vs. "responsible journalism." Thomas Jefferson said: "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure."

But now there is communication policy. Here's Robert McChesney, he's the co-founder of Free Press: "Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself."

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Now we have freedom of speech vs. communication policy. George Washington said: "The freedom of speech may be taken away and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter."

Compare that to FCC diversity "czar" Mark Lloyd, who said: "It should be clear by now that my focus here is not freedom of speech or the press. This freedom is all too often exaggeration. At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the critical examination of other communications policies."

And finally, there is debt vs. investment and stimulus: George Washington said: "There is no practice more dangerous than that of borrowing money; for when money can be had in this way, repayment is seldom thought of in time, the interest becomes a loss, exertions to raise it by dent of industry cease, it comes easy and is spent freely, and many things [are] indulged in that would never be thought of if [they were] to be purchased by the sweat of the brow."

Compare that to the words of Vice President Joe Biden on spending:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Now, people, when I say that look at me and say, "What are you talking about, Joe? You're telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?"

The answer is yes, that's what I'm telling you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

America, this is your choice: Today's revolutionaries or James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and Samuel Adams and John Adams.

Whose words make more sense?

— Watch "Glenn Beck" weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel


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