“The accumulation of all power, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands … may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
– James Madison
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
– James Madison
“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.”
– Anonymous
Perfecting the Form of Orem’s Government
As an Orem city councilor, it’s easier to defend your God-given (or natural) rights when our municipal government is structured well. Orem since 1980 has operated with an elected part-time city council (headed by its mayor) that oversees an appointed full-time city manager. This has worked alright for us, but I suspect that we could do even better.
I’m still studying this matter, and am not yet ready to comment about it, but I agree with America’s founders that rightful liberty is generally best-protected through republics, which are characterized by decentralized power, mixed elements of monarchy and aristocracy and democracy, and the rule-of-(natural)-law rather than the rule-of-men.
On Regional Plans
From 2018 to 2021, Envision Utah sought to subjugate Utah County’s relatively-free markets to a central plan about where residents would live, what homes they would inhabit, and how they would landscape, which they promoted using both local values and exaggerated fears of population growth. Many local politicians embraced their vision, but I oppose it.
David for Liberty 