Let's break down and analyze this paragraph very carefully and we shall see what Mr. Jefferson truly had in mind……


"No, my friend, the way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to."

1.        Let's not have all government in the hands of a few in the Capitol.
2.        We need to make the individual more responsible for himself and then the culmination of all of these people together will form the type of government that is needed.
3.        It says to divide the responsibility and work with people's strengths and not place upon them responsibilities over which they have no control.


" Let the national government be entrusted with the defence of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself."

1.        The national government should in no way be responsible for anything other than listed. The defense of the United States and all foreign and federal relations. It does not require the federal government to be responsible for any social programs, entitlement programs or equality programs.
2.        Each state should be responsible for the people's rights as a whole. It totally maps out what every form of government should be responsible for on each and every level. The part of the sentence that says "each ward direct the interests within itself" means to me that if the people in that particular "ward" needs help, then it would fall upon the other members of that "ward" to help them. Not someone across the country.



"It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man's farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best."

1.        It is this form of government that ultimately comes down to each person being responsible for him and his. If this and the above were done, then I promise that no one would go hungry. Everyone has something to offer. Everybody knows how to do something. There is no reason why nobody has to be without work. This pretty much proves that taking personal responsibility is the only tried and true way to make it work. Do it yourself. Don't demand that others do it for you. If this were to happen, then when somebody needs help, people will be more apt to help because let's face it…..everybody's going to need help every once in a while. This truly puts us in the frame of mind of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Thanks for posting his letter, Amos. You made my point beautifully.

God Bless America

Hubby