Public policy is rarely examined in a calm, rational manner and determining whether something is good or bad for the public good is often not the question. Opponents to a given policy will condemn it applying predetermined biases, and likewise a supporter will approve it without full examination. The Federalist Papers were not written for either of those groups, but for those that were sincerely passionate for the happiness of their country and also capable of discerning the best way to go about it.
In writing the Constitution the Constitutional Convention took into consideration the problems with the existing government and tried to improve upon it. The difficulties included providing for a necessarily stable, energetic government with infrangible principles of liberty. The Convention's conclusions came about without party hostilities and all the representatives were either pleased with the final result or convinced to sacrifice their own private opinions and interests for the sake of the public good.
Perhaps it's because I have my own preconceived biases, but in today's politics we have those that give reasonable arguments and information to back up their stance as Publius did, and we have those that tell them they need to compromise (perhaps a little more than compromise), or the world will end as we know it. Apparently, I am not in the group of people the Federalist Papers would have been aimed at; hopefully, the reasonable arguments and information of today will reach the same type of people Publius was successful at reaching.
No comments:
Post a Comment