One of my favorite historical figures is President Calvin Coolidge. School history books fail to capture Coolidge’s simple brilliance, which has tragically resulted in a complete abandonment of his principles by our political stewards today. Our country would be much stronger if policy makers adopted Coolidge’s philosophy on governance, leadership, fiscal responsibility, and his belief in the fundamental goodness of the American spirit, as our Founding Fathers defined it.
Coolidge is an inspiration to me and his stated principles strongly resemble the zeitgeist of the Blackhawk group. To illustrate, here are a few of my favorite Coolidge quotes below along with a few comments that contrast Coolidge's approach to what we see from politicians today.
“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form.”
(BR: This is why I’m such a strong advocate for a federal "Blackhawk Balanced Budget Amendment".)
“There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.”
(BR: Like Reagan, Coolidge had the courage to stand up to labor unions. Where have all the true statesmen gone?)
“The chief business of the American people is business.”
(BR: Coolidge was a leader who had his priorities straight. Can you imagine Coolidge raising taxes in the middle of an economic crisis like Obama wants to do!?! Not a chance. Coolidge understood that the economic engine of our nation is the key to creating prosperity and the highest quality of life for the greatest number of Americans. Of course our prosperity enables us to help make our friends overseas more prosperous too through the value of our mutually beneficial business transactions. :-)
“If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.”
(BR: ObamaCare, massive and wasteful bailouts, unconstitutional czar appointments, the FrankenDodd CFPA monstrosity, the proposed Cap & Trade economic massacre, appointing an inexperienced and avowed socialist to the Supreme Court, and the pending tax hikes in 2011—all of these cancers on the American body politic have or will be inflicted upon us by Obama without the consent of the governed.)
"Taxes should be lower and fewer people should have to pay them."
(BR: Coolidge had a simple, no-nonsense position on taxes and his actions spoke even louder than his words. By the time his term in office was over, Coolidge led the passage of numerous revenue bills that reduced taxes, reduced government spending, reduced the national debt by 25%, and completely eliminated taxes for everybody except for about 2% of the adult population. This was after the military buildup for WWI, major spending increases to fight drugs, alcohol bootlegging, and organized crime—so the federal government had already reached a substantial size—yet he was still able to keep the government disciplined and operating well within its budget.)
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
(BR: This is the anthem of my life that I’ve displayed on my personal homepage for years, which is why I’ve used part of this quote in the summary of this blog.)
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“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
(BR: This is the anthem of my life that I’ve displayed on my personal homepage for years, which is why I’ve used part of this quote in the summary of this blog.)
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