grandpa hamilton.

facts about my life:

my grandparents think we're related to alexander hamilton. i'm mostly sure that's not true. my dad is working on figuring out the truth right now, but we've agreed not to tell them if we discover they've been lied to for their whole lives. they're 90 and 91. we'll just let them take that to the grave.

there was also a period of time when my grandma referred to the ten dollar bill as a "grandpa hamilton."

as in,

"i sent you a few grandpa hamiltons to spend for your birthday!"

why do we doubt their claim, you ask?

1) you don't know my grandparents. i have not the time or the words to explain them to you.

2) my younger sister did a project in school that required use of the family tree. they sent her a copy. the tree is laid out in the typical fashion, and his name was not on it. until they inserted it at the bottom, with no connection to anyone around him.

i've been thinking about this because...

i'm reading the federalist papers.

which he wrote, with the help of james madison and john jay. i'm not reading this simply because i'm awesome, though that is a contributing factor. when i say i'm trying to learn more about politics and our government...i really mean that. so i'm starting at the beginning.

the last election made me want to be more educated about it, because i didn't decide who to vote for until the night before. (ron paul!) so i started paying more attention to things going on in the world, but felt overwhelmed. so many different opinions. so much trash talking. then a friend recommended that i read
this blog, and i love it.

his latest posts about terrorism...QUALITY.

and i also read "economics in one lesson" based on a recommendation, a few months ago. it was written in the 40s or 50s, and it was really good. easy to understand. "Inflation is the opium of the people."

but i decided to read the federalist papers on my own.

here are a few quotes from grandpa hamilton:

"Among the most formidable of the obstacles which the new Constitution will have to encounter may readily be distinguished the obvious interest of a certain class of men in every State to resist all changes which may hazard a diminution of the power, emolument, and consequence of the offices they hold under the State establishments..."

"When the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which in its consequences must prove one of the most important that ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious, view of it will be evident." - Jay

"There is, perhaps, nothing more likely to disturb the tranquillity of nations than their being bound to mutual contributions for any common object that does not yield an equal and coincident benefit. For it is an observation, as true as it is trite, that there is nothing men differ so readily about as the payment of money."

"Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free."

grandpa hamilton did some damage with that quill.