tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post5938962115298847389..comments2024-03-27T03:00:27.024-04:00Comments on Facts & other stubborn things: A random thought I had yesterday...Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259004160963531720noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-54397654902088584102012-08-05T20:15:25.218-04:002012-08-05T20:15:25.218-04:00Having the capital quite near to Virginia made a l...Having the capital quite near to Virginia made a lot of sense at the time given the mental framework of those involved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-37723827510801953262012-08-04T20:30:31.826-04:002012-08-04T20:30:31.826-04:00I think that's a good characterization. Someth...I think that's a good characterization. Something that I think is seldom appreciated about Jefferson is his pragmatism. Despite his taste for absolute principles in his rhetoric, when he held responsibility he was willing to make compromises. Once he was president, he tacitly accepted all sorts of policies that he had denounced as "tyrannical" and "aristocratic" during the 1790s. He didn't believe that the constitution gave him the authority to make the Louisiana Purchase, but he did it anyhow. I think it's a shame that this isn't thought of as part of his legacy, along with the lofty words of the Declaration, and the secularism.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943136764424893492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-12545227254510062842012-08-04T19:45:11.705-04:002012-08-04T19:45:11.705-04:00I'm actually quite a fan of Hamilton's. Ju...I'm actually quite a fan of Hamilton's. Just making a broader point in a semi-serious way.<br /><br />Jefferson often got the big picture stuff much more right than he did the details.Daniel Kuehnhttp://www.factsandotherstubbornthings.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-32043407387187138902012-08-04T19:30:33.469-04:002012-08-04T19:30:33.469-04:00Two things:
First, I'm confused by your chara...Two things:<br /><br />First, I'm confused by your characterization of Hamilton's plans as "crazy". I know that as a Virginian you are inclined to side with Jefferson, but you might also consider George Washington's convictions. Hamilton's plans secured the good credit of the United States abroad, fueled a robust and expansive industrial economy founded on free labor in the north, and imposed the first Pigovian tax in American history, on whiskey. The alternative was to default on the war debt, not have a central bank, and rely on slavery-based agricultural production. I think it's obvious how fortunate we are that things went the way they did. <br /><br />Second, I'm confused by the apparent belief that states choose "population centers" as capitals. It seems to me, on the contrary, that states often choose geographically central backwater towns, which then become more populous by virtue of being the state capital. How many people do you know who live in Frankfort, Kentucky? I think Richmond is an exception to the general rule.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943136764424893492noreply@blogger.com