In Praise of Cleveland
16 February 2007
The Editor, USA Today
Dear Editor:
Al Neuharth rightly lists the current occupant of the White House as being, perhaps, America's worst-ever President ("Mea Culpa to Bush on Presidents Day," Feb. 16).
But on this holiday let's pay tribute to one of the few truly respectable men to hold that office - a man who, sadly, is not highly regarded by historians: Grover Cleveland. Unlike most of the other 41 Presidents, Cleveland actually respected the Constitution. These words from his first inaugural address actually describe the man's actions during his two terms: "In the discharge of my official duty I shall endeavor to be guided by a just and unstrained construction of the Constitution, a careful observance of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the states or to the people, and by a cautious appreciation of those functions which by the Constitution and laws have been especially assigned to the executive branch."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
The Editor, USA Today
Dear Editor:
Al Neuharth rightly lists the current occupant of the White House as being, perhaps, America's worst-ever President ("Mea Culpa to Bush on Presidents Day," Feb. 16).
But on this holiday let's pay tribute to one of the few truly respectable men to hold that office - a man who, sadly, is not highly regarded by historians: Grover Cleveland. Unlike most of the other 41 Presidents, Cleveland actually respected the Constitution. These words from his first inaugural address actually describe the man's actions during his two terms: "In the discharge of my official duty I shall endeavor to be guided by a just and unstrained construction of the Constitution, a careful observance of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the states or to the people, and by a cautious appreciation of those functions which by the Constitution and laws have been especially assigned to the executive branch."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Saturday October 20, 2007 at 10:07am