8A | SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Community Voices
Conservative Corner — ‘The Forgotten Man’
By Joel Marks
Conservative Historian
Special to Siuslaw News
I
n this strange age of stim-
ulus packages, federal in-
frastructure spending, illegal
immigration with astonishing
COVID pandemic implica-
tions, as well as a federal wel-
fare state that is threatening to
end a once fiscally sound Re-
public, we appeal to our better
angels.
We see no end in sight re-
gardless of political party lead-
ership and, frankly, this spend-
ing pandemic has been with
us ever since the presidency
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
the true architect of America’s
welfare programs called The
New Deal. His relative The-
odore Roosevelt called it the
“square deal,” another progres-
sive misleading term.
Teddy and Franklin did not
appreciate the Framers’ re-
strictions on federal spending
spelled out in our Constitu-
tion, but those “restrictions”
were intentionally written into
the formula of limited govern-
ment.
Their actions said, “If the
Constitution does not specifi-
cally say I can’t do something,
I can do it.”
Of course this was exactly
opposite of the Founders’ in-
tentions.
Franklin and every presi-
dent since, regardless of par-
ty affiliation, have expanded
what Thomas Hobbes would
call “the Leviathan.” We are
now into unsustainable terri-
tory with our federal elected
officials not having the will to
reverse course. What is the Re-
public to do?
The solution for all the
young energetic youth out
there to do is listen to the
“Forgotten Man” — Mr. James
Madison.
Remember him all you high
school students?
Yes, he was not only the Fa-
ther of the Constitution, but
also the Father of the Bill of
Rights. Also the hero of the
Virginia Ratifying Conven-
tion; one of the main authors
of the Federalist Papers inter-
preting the true meaning of
the Constitution; the creator
of the Virginia Plan, which
was the framework for the
Constitution; and the individ-
ual who almost singlehand-
edly coaxed the indispensable
man, George Washington, to
attend the Philadelphia Con-
vention, without which none
would be held.
He also wrote 50 years of
letters to Thomas Jefferson, a
priceless collection of history
outlining the thinking behind
America’s formative years.
Because he was the leader
of the first Congress, he also
passed much legislation which
benefitted the American
structure by working closely
with our first president. Not to
mention, he was also secretary
Editor’s Note: Community Voices is a
monthly feature in the Siuslaw News. It
consists of viewpoints from people in the
Siuslaw region. Siuslaw News welcomes
these opinions as part of its goal to encour-
age community discussion and exchange of
perspectives, but they should not be inter-
preted as the views of the News or its staff.
of state and president, both for
eight years.
He is the one, unlike Ted-
dy, Woodrow and Franklin,
who said the general welfare
clause was only meant for
those things the states could
not do and that which is only
enumerated in the founding
document.
He was 5’4” and our small-
est president physically, but his
mind was like a steel trap and
he was larger than life.
We have moved away from
the “Forgotten Man” and now
have debt including unfunded
liabilities of $100-300 trillion.
The Federal budget in 1936
was approximately $6 billion!
During that year, there was
a famous Supreme Court case,
Butler vs. the US, which de-
cided to disregard Mr. Mad-
ison and Mr. Jefferson’s strict
reading of the general welfare
clause and accept Mr. Ham-
ilton’s expansive reading. We
now have a federal budget
akin to Armageddon.
Maybe we can remem-
ber the Forgotten Man and
realize the immortal words
of Alexis De Tocqueville in
1831, “America is great be-
cause America is good.”
May it always be so — and
may we remember the oth-
er indispensable man, James
Madison, who should be vig-
orously taught in our public
schools instead of racial theo-
ries which cause discord. Mr.
Madison caused unity.
Pastor’s Corner — We Were Once Free Men
By Pastor Ron Allen
First Baptist
Church of Florence
Special to Siuslaw News
“S
tand fast therefore
in the liberty by
which Christ has made us
free, and do not be entan-
gled again with a yoke of
bondage.” — Galatians 5:1
This passage speaks to us
on two levels: the state of our
country and the state of our
relationship with God.
In our country, today we
are losing many of the basic
rights that our Constitution
of united independent states
originally formed. As a mat-
ter of fact, people today rare-
ly acknowledge that is clear-
ly articulated in the name of
our Republic and affirmed
in our Declaration of Inde-
pendence and our Consti-
tution, The United States of
America.
Our government, while
granting enormous free-
dom with respect to moral
concerns, has constantly
been eroding our political
independence from an elite
ruling class. For example,
we have the right to engage
in practices that were once
considered immoral; to use
drugs that were once consid-
ered dangerous, destructive
and addictive; to use images
and language in public that
was once considered por-
nographic in nature. These
behaviors now are accept-
able all in the name of free-
dom.
However, the rights of free
speech about government
are being restricted. How we
use personal property is reg-
ulated in all areas, parental
rights about education and
health have been usurped,
laws have been passed in the
name of “crime prevention”
and “public safety” to regu-
late almost every aspect of
our lives. As a people, we
have never seen such control
over the lives of Americans
except in the case of slavery.
Just as these changes
within our society have been
gradual in nature and chang-
ing over many decades, for
the Christian, the erosion of
the passion to live like Jesus
slowly fades over time as the
cares and concerns of this
world begin to dominate our
waking moments.
As we make concessions
for the sake of convenience
and compromise for the sake
of instant gratification, sin
begins to dominate our lives
again, robbing us of the joy
and the sense of peace we
once had.
The Apostle Paul was
writing to the church in Ga-
latia to encourage those who
were struggling to try and
maintain spiritual and emo-
tional balance during a very
stressful time. To continue
to try every day, to live up to
the values Jesus taught and
lived out in His own life.
Their community was ex-
periencing cultural convul-
sions and their values were
under assault, much like our
culture today.
The question is, how do
we address this “drift” in our
lives?
The Bible reminds us of
this truth, “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrigh-
teousness.”
God gives us a reset but-
ton to start over every day,
to make this day better than
the last one. To find joy and
peace that transcends the
stress of the day and the pain
of our circumstance. To give
us hope knowing, that in
Jesus, our future transcends
the issues of the moment.
Six local pastors will be
participating in the Pastor’s
Corner. Look for other Flor-
ence-area church leadership
in future editions of Siuslaw
News’ Community Voices.
WEEK #4 WINNERS
TOP
5
Women
COO CLARKSON 2.44%
CASSANDRA BURNS 2.02%
ARLENE BIRON 1.38%
SUE JAMES 1.11%
KATHERINE HEMMENS 1.02%
JAMES MCKINNEY 1.10%
DUSTIN WILLIAMS 0.56%
BRAD HANSCOM 0.48%
AL ROJAS 0.28%
JIM HECKER 0.00%
TOP
5
Men
Contestant
Name
Weekly
% Lost
Season
%Lost
WOMEN’S RESULTS
Coo Clarkson
Cassandra Burns
Arlene Biron
Sue James
Katherine Hemmens
Alyssa Cargill
Linda Goalder
Betty Scarbrough
Debbie Haring
Guadalupe Galvan
2.44%
2.02%
1.38%
1.11%
1.02%
0.54%
0.53%
0.49%
0.37%
0.23%
OVER
4.49%
3.34%
7.12%
4.02%
3.96%
2.52%
2.62%
5.60%
4.20%
2.97%
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PRIZES & GIFTS
14-WEEK
CONTEST
July 17 – October 20, 2021
•Weigh in each week at the Siuslaw News
148 Maple Street, Florence, each Wednesday,
7:30a.m.-5:30p.m.
•Weekly leaders in each category (male & female) will be pictured in the
Saturday edition of the Siuslaw News.
•Look Good - Feel Good!
Contestants understand that participation in the contest may involve inherent
risks, dangers and hazards, which many occur without warning, or be due to
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Contestants understand that oversight of the contest by the Siuslaw
News or any other sponsors does not and cannot, guarantee their safety.
Contestants understand that they should not participate in the contest if they have
any health conditions affecting their ability to participate. Contestants have signed
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and permission to use their name, address, photograph and/or likeness in any and
all advertising, trade, or promotion. Contestants have weighed in at the first contest
weigh-in on July 17, 2021 and will weigh-in every Wednesday through October 20,
2021 at the Siuslaw News, 148 Maple Street, 7:30a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Margaret Free
Betty Blake
Jolene Alcorn
Linda Adcox
Linda Anderson
Linda Crowell
Linda Knudtson
Lori Coffindaffer
Nancy Robison
Linda Harklerode
Jo Beaudreau
0.15%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
-0.25%
-0.35%
-0.84%
-0.86%
0.38%
2.30%
1.08%
2.55%
3.03%
3.99%
1.29%
5.16%
2.71%
3.13%
-1.96%
OUNDS LOST TO D
AL P
A TE
TOT
217.6+
MEN’S RESULTS
James McKinney
Dustin Williams
Brad Hanscom
Al Rojas
Jim Hecker
David Crowell
Dirk Anderson
Brad Koehn
Jerry Whiting
1.10%
0.56%
0.48%
0.28%
0.00%
-0.17%
-0.50%
-0.51%
-2.50%
3.52%
6.31%
4.14%
5.77%
2.74%
0.34%
7.00%
4.55%
0.98%
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