20Mar 07
An American Enigma
posted by
I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves. I want them to have the rewards of their own industry. That is the chief meaning of freedom.
It is too easy under their influence (peace, and prosperity) for a nation to become selfish and degenerate. This test has come to the United States. Our country has been provided with the resources with which it can enlarge its intellectual, moral and spiritual life. The issue is in the hands of its people. Our faith in man and God is the justification for the belief in our continuing success.
These quotes were given by an American president. Unfortunately he has now become an American enigma. We have an biography on this unknown president. I decided to read it and to my suprise I was introduced to the most conservative and principled president of the twentieth century. He grew up in Vermont and from his fathers and forefathers he inherited a solemn face, dry humor and most importantly sound principles. Through his entire life he never deviated from these principles but rather developed more as his political career legnthend. It is said, he purified the Executive branch by his honest, diligent and stable charactar. Nowadays if he is mentioned, he is usually called a political simpleton or lazy misfit, however this is contrary to true history. By his non-progessive actions he decreased the national debt and taxes. The economy boomed during his term and a half. Here is a quote which perfectly describes his presidential actions:
…[his] genius for inactivity is developed to a very high point. It is far from being an indolent activity. It is a grim, determined, alert inactivity which keeps [him] occupied constantly. Nobody has ever worked harder at inactivity, with such force of character, with such unremitting attention to detail, with such conscientious devotion to the task.
[His] inactivity is not merely the absence of activity. It is on the contrary a steady application to the task of neutralizing and thwarting political activity where there are signs of life.
Ronald Reagan once said about him;
.If you look at his record, he cut the taxes four times. We had probably the greatest growth that weve ever known. And I have taken heed of that because if he did nothing, maybe thats the answer [for] the federal government.
Interestingly, Reagan, when seeing three presidents pictures, Jefferson’s, Washington’s, and Truman’s, in the white house. Requested Truman’s to be removed and replaced with the American enigma.
Who is this American enigma? He’s right before Herbert Hoover, and after Warren G. Harding (who died in office). His first name is John and he was called by the American public ‘Silent Cal’ but his name which has been successfully erased from the minds of most modern day Americans is none other then Calvin Coolidge.
The Lord is calling faithful men! President Coolidge is indeed a forgotten one. I must admit that I was unsure on the meaning of enigma. According to answers.com it is: ‘Anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret.’ From your post, President Coolidge fostered self-government, moral truths, and foundational principles that helped retard the growth of socialism, a common entropy of civilization. Yet for it, he has been forgotten and derailed – often a key to knowing you’re doing right! Thank you Matthew for bringing to light another of America’s unsung heros.
Very insightful. I’m surprised how little I know about our past presidents. It is always good to learn more about our nation’s intriguing history. Good post! And persuasive too.
Wow! Great article, Matthew! You’ve really stirred my curiosity to learn more about President Coolidge. It looks like Wikipedia has a pretty good article on him: “…the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating the economy.” That would be an interesting debate.
Very interesting! We need more leaders like Coolidge and Reagan.
Mrs. McWilliams! Great hearing from you. Thank you for stopping by. I wholeheartedly concur with you. We need the Coolidges and Reagans to rise. Praise God, that in the generation being raised by your generation, there are those who will indeed stand in the gap!