Blaming Madison

CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARS, and maybe a few other Americans, understand that the U.S. Constitution has two basic purposes; to limit government, and to ensure that the masses of commoners have no political power. Madison, its author, expected the "better sort" to protect the "lesser sort" by ruling over them benevolently. And so it has always been; the wealthy elite in control of the poor, and the country. Madison's noble intent was that superior wisdom and intelligence of the white male land owning aristocracy, who had far more at stake and far more to lose in the new republic, would govern the United State to the benefit of everyone, rich and poor. Within ten years of ratification of his system, Madison realized that he had made a huge mistake, a huge miscalculation, hugely exaggerating the wisdom and benevolence of the elite., men such as himself. With in few years of constitutional government,it had become obvious to Madison that Americas' rulers were not at all concerned with the welfare of the poor teeming masses, and that, if the poor were to be protected, they would have to protect themselves. Madison, of course, became president, and was forced to contend with other issues, most notably fleeing from the British and leaving the white House at their mercy, while saving his own skin. But his initial confidence in plutocracy never returned, with good reason. and so, even as we toil today,we toil under teh same plutocratic system, with rule by teh land owning gentry having long since been supplanted by rule of the corporate wealthy. Were Madison alive today, he might well be appalled that we the people have made such little progress in gaining anything approaching true self governance, true mastery of our own fates. same sheep, different shepherds, so to speak, to speak in a truly Madisonian manner.