For Any And All American Conserve-atives (and not the British variety ala Neo British Conservatism)
While Americans are being bombarded with the television and print ads for the great sales that can be had today, President’s Day, maybe it is time for a step back in history in order to view this holiday for what it is, and what it was never supposed to be.
When I was younger, there were two holidays in February, one celebrating George Washington’s birthday, and one then also celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday – two of our historically revered presidents for their accomplishments given their rather humble beginnings and backgrounds.
Of course, Washington himself would have been apalled at such an idea in this country that was based most of all as one in which the President actually had very little power, intentionally so, in order to keep our government separate and apart from that of most of Europe whose governments were above the people, and not at all accountable to them with respect to their lives and/or property rights.
In fact, one of the greatest historical arguments on record after that first election was the title for the individual holding the the highest office in the land.
John Adams, of course, had a hard time breaking free of his "sovereign" ideas insofar as this new government was concerned on this point, and attempted to get the officeholder a "title of nobility," similar to that of Great Britain, the country we fought an entire war to break free from that monarchial style of government, and that ruler’s control.
He wished to put words like "Supreme" and highlight the "commander in chief" roles in time of attack when this nation was at war, which was the primary focus actually for this new office, other than as one of the checks in the branches of government over any proposed legislation given primarily simply the right of veto power (of course, with Congress then given the power to overrule even the presidential veto upon a supermajority vote).
Mr. Washington, of course, disagreed – and disagreed most vehemently, and who was elected by a unanimous vote of the people and the Congress (at which time, the electoral process did not include political parties or partisanship to the degree to which it has progressively undermining the electoral process as a result, and the announcement of the "winner" simply released to the public after an official counting by the head of the Senate, the sitting Vice President as one of his rather elementary duties also).
He insisted that the provision be made that "no titles of nobility" became henceforth a part of our Constitution, and was a humble man and insisted on simply being called, "Mr. President."
Quite unlike the last presidential election held in this country with all the hoopla and expense of a coronation, and with President’s Day now mostly a commercial holiday now and stressing the "executive" rather than his intended rather minimal role envisioned by those founders
I think Mr. Washington would support a new "change" since this Administration has made "change" one of its foremost goals with respect to the prior administration and its excesses with respect to both the office, the officeholder, and extra-Constitutional functions which also "regressively" have occurred where now this office has expanded to the point that those founders never, ever intended.
Maybe instead of now all the focus being turned once again to possibly entering into another war on behalf of other foreign nations with respect to the continued involvement of this country in the Middle East on behalf of Israel and Great Britain’s pre-World War I accord (from which country two terrorists attacks have caused Americans to first now have to remove their shoes prior to boarding domestic airlines – which are now also globally owned outside Constitutional intent, and potentially after this last attack, even their underwear, or undergo invasive body scanners being installed in many airports as this is written), a clear recognition once again of our true intended form of government is needed.
Happy American Constitution Day all.