Thoughts on The Prince by Machiavellie

The Prince is filled with practical advice on how to conquer and maintain a state. The only standard is whether it is effective or not. This leads to a amoral book. Yet, I found some gems of wisdom and truth in this book, not because Machiavelli was looking to explain what is right or wrong in a moral sense, but what works and what doesn't work. This lends greater credence to those true and good principles that found their way into his book. This reminds me of Will Durant, an agnostic, who started to appreciated the role of religion, not because he was necessarily a believer, but because of his study of history, he saw the good that religion did.

One of the true and good principles in The Prince is the principle of preparation. He talks of how leaders should prepare for crisis and distress while the political climate is peaceful. He also notes how many princes neglect to do this. President Monson has said that when the time for action has come, the time for preparation is over. I have seen many times in my life where I missed out on opportunities because I was not prepared. It is a most humbling and bitter feeling.

Nations can prepare or not during times of plenty. The U.S. government did not prepare during the times of plenty for the current economic crisis. In contrast, I have heard that Chile did save up money when times were good to help weather this storm. What a state we are in when nations in Latin America can think more long-range than us!

Another truth that Machiavelli mentions is that it is better to be active than timid. He talks about how God or fortune will not do things for us, they can only provide the opportunities. This inspires me to be more active and seek to make my fortune instead of relying on a sense of entitlement that it will come to me.

In short, while The Prince is an amoral book, there is still truth to be found in it.

Federal funds=federal control

A lot of people are concerned about the Health Care Reform law that congress recently passed. I have heard people say that it is the end of our republic as we know it. To me, it's just another step in the slow progression towards federal control of our life. It's nothing more or nothing less. It seems to me that whenever the federal government funds an activity, they also end up deciding how you get to do that activity. A couple of examples of this federal control are funding for highways and funding for education. I see no reason that federal government for health care will end up any different.

Highway funding

From 1974-1995, the Federal Government controlled how fast you can go on freeways. If your state posted speed limits above 55, the federal government would withhold transportation funding for your state. In Nevada, they tested that law by posting a 70 mph sign. They found that the feds were serious and were willing to stop giving the State of Nevada millions of dollars of federal money for road repair and other transportation needs. Recently, Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a bill that would strip federal transportation funding from states that did not have a texting while driving law. Now, I am not against a law like that, but I don't see any provision in the Constitution granting permission for the federal government to pass that kind of law. It's up to the states to make that kind of safety law. Federal funds= federal control.

Education Funding

Funding for public schools is important, right? I agree that education is extremely important, but is it best served by funding from the federal government? With federal funding comes federal regulations such as No Child Left Behind. I have met quite a few teachers who HATE that law. I have heard that if schools don't meet the standards, then federal funding gets cut. Again federal funds=federal control.

Health Care Funding

Now we have a Health Insurance reform bill. Everybody will get covered, but I hear the price tag is almost 1 Billion dollars over 10 years. My understanding is that half (500 billion) of that will come from Medicare and half from new taxes. What will come with this new federal money? If past experience is any indicator, I predict that more federal regulations and control will come along with that federal money. After all, federal funds= federal control.