Principles

Define our term: Principles

For the purposes of this site, we define a principle as a rational foundation for making decisions that is reasonable and valid regardless of ability or technology (unless the ability or technology is the focus of the principle). As a simple rule of thumb, a principle is equally applicable in 1806, 2006 or 2206 (unless reflecting a specific ability or technology).

Principles lay the foundation for the choices that we make every day. Principles determine how we choose. Leaders who believe that principles are not important, that it is OK to be inconsistent, that it is OK to make choices on a whim or in response to the most expensive voice will not support this web site, because we want them out of office.

Thomas Jefferson once said "This is the tendancy of all human governments. A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering..."

In the words of Immanuel Kant, Principles of Politics, in a free society
"every individual can have what is his own assigned to him, and secured against the encroachments or assaults of others."
Kant proclaimed the first principle of government was Liberty: "The Liberty of every Member of the State as a Man, is the first Principle in the constitution of a rational Commonwealth. I would express this Principle in the following form:—‘No one has a right to compel me to be happy in the peculiar way in which he may think of the well-being of other men; but everyone is entitled to seek his own happiness in the way that seems to him best, if it does not infringe the liberty of others in striving after a similar end for themselves when their Liberty is capable of consisting with the Right of Liberty in all others according to possible universal laws.’"
The equality of every citizen is the second Principle in the Constitution of a rational Commonwealth. The formula of this Principle may be stated as: ‘Every Member of the Commonwealth has rights against every other that may be enforced by compulsory Laws', then Kant excepted the leader(s)

What Principles do Politicians hold dear?

To improve the effectiveness of our government, we need our leaders to define themselves in a new way. Sound bites and photo ops may work great in 2006 politics, but they are not very good at matching the principles of our elected officials with the principles of the People. The only way we can do that is to have our politicians say more than sound bites and define more than their policies, exposing the principles underneath. Our politicians need to proclaim the principles they use to develop their policies, the ones they truly, whole-heartedly believe. What we the People want to know is, "will you do what I would do in a time of crisis or when making tough choices?" Policies must change as new information becomes available and as the world changes around us. Principles should change very little and can always guide our policy choices.

The Consititution and Bill of Rights as foundational principles

We are extracting the principles our Founding Fathers used to write our Consititution and Bill of Rights. Please join us. Just as this country was founded upon these documents, the politics of today and our government can return to their principles. Any elected official should be willing to accept these foundational principles. Beyond these foundational principles, derived principles have been identified in our laws or in court precedent which may cause disagreement among candidates. These areas should be identified by the candidates and may be seen as rational distinctions between and among candidates.

You may review our progress or participate in our wiki.