James Madison and the Future of Limited Government

by Samples John and John Samples

Book Overview

This book looks at the ways in which James Madison's ideas might instruct and inform our era.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930865236
• ISBN13: 9781930865235
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Cato Institute
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Good Book, a must read

This is a must read for anyone that believes that taking our rights away is "good for the common good" and "protects" us from terrorism. This is a good read for all the second admendment haters that believe that it was a "different time" and tyranny could never come to the U.S.

Foedus respublica! Madison and the Future of Limited Government

~James Madison and the Future of Limited Government~ is a perceptive anthology of essays on Madison political thought and its relevance today. The legacy of James Madison, the constitutionalist, the federalist, and the republican is celebrated in this succinct little book from the libertarian Cato Institute. Madison's legacy was as an advocate of constitutionally limited-government which was to be effectuated by dividing and separating powers with a horizontal system of checks and balances amongst the legislative, executive and judiciary while concurrently setting the various institutions of government against one another. Likewise, there was vertical check as a true federal republican system is one of dual sovereignty, and all powers not expressly delegated to the federal government were reserved to the states. Madison was a profoundly reflective political thinker with no rosy delusions about the goodness of human nature. His political theory as espoused in the Federalist Papers, his letters, and in the somewhat shrouded constitutional debates manifest his desire for a representative republic and a classical liberal civil society. Madison was practical, appreciative of ordered liberty, and cognizant that human frailty and sinfulness cannot be transcended by perfecting the mechanics and science of government. "But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself," avowed Madison in Federalist #51. Therefore, the very institutions of government must be mistrusted, and must be set against one another. Power must be made to counter power. Thus "ambition would counter ambition" in the Madisonian equation of federalism. What the founding fathers sought to do at the Constitutional Convention was produce an energetic general government exercising powers best performed at the national level such as foreign affairs, national defense, regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, et al. while preserving to the States all powers not expressly delegated. Madison favored a federal government confined to expressed "enumerated objects" of power. In Federalist #45, Madison declared that the federal government's "jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects." True Madisonians cannot adhere to the notion of general legislative power vested in the Federal Congress. Madison readily acknowledged that sovereignty emanated from the people, but found its political expression in representative government. He was keenly perceptive of the limitations of democracy

Classical Liberals Unite!

As a classical liberal my beliefs have become an anachronism in America. I belong to a philosophical social club so small that when books like this come along we are given hope that the masses will wake up to the tyranny. Alas, hope is quickly dashed upon the realization that the Fabian socialists have dumbed down the masses over the last forty years to the point that the arguments presented in this book are far beyond most Americans' comprehension, let alone their ability to affect change. Nonetheless, this is an outstanding group of expertly written essays that are well presented by editor John Samples. Samples also writes one of the essays and an excellent introduction. Some of the topics presented are: Federalism, abuse of the general welfare clause, multiculturalism, democracy, and the essence of representative government, pure democracy, rule of law, and foreign policy. Using historical documents each author is able to help us understand the brilliant mind of Madison and that the abuses of government we are experiencing were foreseen not just by the Anti-Federalists but by Madison as well. These brave men gave us a system that, while less then perfect, is the most advanced in human history. However, as the editor notes, there is an implicit understanding for this design to work. That understanding is that there is virtue among us. Madison once asked, 'is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks -no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.' Do Americans possess enough virtue to maintain a limited government? To do so we need to be well educated, remain skeptical of government, and act on that skepticism. We must reject statements from family and friends like "they should do something about that." No they shouldn't, we should. Keep the government out of it. I, like one of the contributing authors James Buchanan, am less optimistic about our future. I think the socialists are winning and have created a society where individual liberty has been cast aside as an old conservative idea and replaced with an environment "where everyone seeks to take wealth from someone else." Sadly I have tended to give up on the dream that liberty, free thought, speech, and economic markets can once again be a reality in America. I vote now for total gridlock so as to hopefully stop all new legislation, taxes, and pork.This wonderful book renews my love of our experiment even if it has gone awry. It offers me solace in these tough times of ever increasing government abuse. This book has renewed my vigor to keep up the fight for what is right and not just settle for government gridlock.