Burlington
High
School
Burlington,
Kansas
Teacher:
Mrs.
Devra
Parker
A
Faultless
Society
By
Tayler
J
Kuhn
12th
grade
Since the beginning man made his own rules and laws to govern his people. These rules or laws were a part of many different types of governments: democratic, dictatorship, anarchy, formal, or informal. Some of these laws were ghastly for the people that lived under them, but some laws helped make and develop talents in some amazing people. These people built marvelous civilizations and countries. There are always some outstanding men or women that step up with leadership skills and write documents that set new standards for governing a developing country. One of these men was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote a document called the Sunset legislation. This document called for a different type of democratic government that never had been published before.
The first part of Sunset was about the different generations and the life span of each age bracket. Thomas talked about the average age of a person being around 55 years of age and the ripe age being 21. At the time he wrote this document, he believed that every 19 years a new generation came into power. He stated that the land should belong to the living generation not the dead. All the rules and laws of the land would be decided by the living. The document could change to fit new circumstances that each generation faced.
This is an excellent way to look at certain areas of the government. If a new generation deemed it necessary to change or abolish laws then they had the right. The people of a country should not follow a law that was made 30, 50, or even 100 years ago if it does not meet their needs. In many ways America followed that standard since the late 1700’s when the constitution was written. Over the years, different times and events allowed for changes in and the development of different laws. Every year new laws are created or old ones die.
Jefferson stated a point that could be critical to each generation. At this time, the Baby Boomer generation is getting ready to retire. While they have done a great deal to develop our country and standard of living, they have racked up a colossal debt. This amount of national debt is now $8,600,000,000. While looking at this enormous figure, it almost looks impossible to pay it off. Jefferson felt that a new generation should not have to pay off the consequences of the previous. He stated that every generation could only borrow what they could payoff. With this idea every new generation would not have to worry about a debt that they had no control over making. While the idea was excellent in theory, practicality was a different matter.
If for the 19 years a generation controlled the country it had to set a budget and live by it, what consequences could the country face? While this was one heck of an idea, where would the country be today if we did not borrow the money to beat the USSR in the arms race during the Cold War? Would each generation have to start over and watch as communism possibly made great gains in gathering allies of developing countries and democracy re-grouped? Where would our country be if it did not spend the money to help fight terrorism around the world and ensure safety to our home country? Sometimes the consequences of accumulating debt to insure the future of a country would make better sense. Many do not mind having a safer future with more opportunities for their children and grandchildren by paying a little extra into taxes or other funds. Everyone has to make sacrifices for the common good. While Jefferson’s theory was basically a good idea, to live by it would only destroy the country down.
When I first read this article about Thomas Jefferson and the Sunset legislation, it reminded me of the sun. Every sunrise starts a new day similar to a new generation starting their place in history. As the sun moves through the sky, it casts different shadows on the ground below. This is like new laws and rules being changed or keeping the same ones in place. When the sun sets, it looks stunning and peaceful just like when the generation is getting ready to end and all the hard work they have done is finally paying off. Then, when the sun finally goes down and people wait to see what tomorrow brings is like wondering what the next generation will bring. However, unlike the sun starting a new day each morning, many of the tribulations that each generation must face continues from generation to generation. Each generation can make changes, but they must also face the problems of the past and the future. The saying “don’t hang your head because the sun will rise tomorrow” makes so much sense with this premise. Our country has had some bad moments in the past, but we have to learn from the past and face the problems of the future.
Everyone has an opinion about what somebody says or the action that they take. I have stated my opinion about the Sunset legislation and there are some things I like and dislike. While I may feel like my opinion does carry much weight because I am not a leading congressmen or a governor, I can make a difference with another part of what Thomas Jefferson believed and wrote into the Constitution. Believing and staying strong as a nation is what makes our country superior and men like Thomas Jefferson who went beyond to make a little more happen.
Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required Reading
Q1- What was the average life span in Jefferson’s age according to his letter?
A-1 The average life span was around 55 years of age.
Q2- Do some research and find out the size of the national debt you are about to inherit as taxpayers. Don’t forget the benefits promised in your name to the older generations under the guise of Social Security and Medicare.
A-2 The national debt that my generation is about to inherit is around $8,533,524,991,510.39. My share to pay would be around $28,466. The generation that I live in will not have Social Security or Medicare.
Q3-What do you think of Jefferson’s assertion that “…no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of it's own existence.”
A-3 I believe he is thinking in the right direction. One generation should not have to pay off the last generation’s debts or mistakes that they made. The earth belongs to each generation.
Is it feasible to undue the social contracts in your children or grandchildren’s life times?
Would you want to even if you could? Why or why not.
A-3b In reality it is very feasible to undue the contracts of the past, but some people will not agree with it. Changes always have to be made if one would like it or not.
Q4- Do you agree, as Jefferson maintained, that “[debt] between society and society, or generation and generation, there is no municipal obligation, no umpire but the law of nature. We seem not to have perceived that, by the law of nature, one generation is to another as one independent nation to another.”
A-4 I do agree with Jefferson that between two different generations are like two different countries. Every generation is going to be different so one generation should not have to make up for the past mistakes.
Q5-
In
view
of
Jefferson’s
words
that
follow,
why
do
you
think
a
sunset
provision
on
generational
debt
wasn’t
included
in
the
U.S.
Constitution?
“But
with
respect
to
future
debts,
would
it
not
be
wise
and
just
for
that
nation
to
declare,
in
the
constitution
they
are
forming,
that
neither
the
legislature,
nor
the
nation
itself,
can
validly
contract
more
debt
than
they
may
pay
within
their
own
age,
or
within
the
term
of
19. years? And that all future contracts will be deemed void as to what shall remain unpaid at the end of 19. years from their date? This would put the lenders, and the borrowers also, on their guard.”
A-5 If one generation builds up a debt and supposedly the next generation should not get stuck with it, but you cannot just do away with a debt without paying for it. That theory is not very possible, unless the lenders and borrowers worked out a system of payments.
Q6- What do you say to Jefferson’s assertion that “a law of limited duration is much more manageable than one which needs a repeal.”?
A-6 We should create all laws for a limited time, because they have to be changed. It is easier to change laws in times of need then repealing it when needed.
Q7- “We have already given in example one effectual check to the Dog of war by transferring the power of letting him loose from the Executive to the Legislative body, from those who are to spend to those who are to pay.”
A-7 This is not really in a question form, but for me to explain what this means would make more sense of this matter. He is saying that when we spend on foreign affairs that generation should be able to make up for those payments. When he quotes those who are to spend are those to pay.
Q8- In light of the excerpt from his letter above, what do you think Thomas Jefferson would make of our nation’s recent history of fighting undeclared wars?
A-8 He would be disappointed and grateful for what his country has done. There have been wars that we should never have gotten evolved with. Also there have been times were we played the big brother roll very well.
Q9- Name ten of the twenty-six states that have enacted sunset.
A-9 Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, and Maryland are ten that have enacted the sunset legislation.
Q10- What state abolished all state government? What do you think the voters got for their trouble?
A-10 West Virginia abolished the idea of sunset for a form of government, they over step there boundaries when they tried to abolished there whole state government but the governor stepped in with a veto. They ended up with wrong representation in their states legislation.
Q11- What good do attempts at enacting Sunset legislation achieve even when the laws are not enacted?
A-11 This provides scrutiny to help redesign goals, costs, and benefits of the functions of the government.