Thanks to Guy McLendon and Jason J for passing this along. The final quote from Thomas Jefferson, from 1802, gives great insight into the current devaluation of our currency. My personal favorite is the second-from-last quote.
It’s also been said the Jefferson did his largest amount of thinking when he dined alone. Obviously, Thomas Jefferson was much wiser than our Federally-controlled public education system gave him credit for. Imagine our Congress today, if Thomas Jefferson were working hand-in-hand with the likes of Rep. Dr. Ron Paul and other true conservative libertarians… anyone for Congressional sessions only lasting a month?
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When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.
Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.
When the representative body have lost the confidence of their constituents, when they have notoriously made sale of their most valuable rights, when they have assumed to themselves powers which the people never put into their hands, then indeed their continuing in office becomes dangerous to the state, and calls for an exercise of the power of dissolution.
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.